hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an old machine to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from 1992!
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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to All on Thu Oct 29 2026 03:39 pm

hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an old machi to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from 1992!

I wish my 286 was still working. I'd like to view this through my old Amdek monochrome composite monitor. Nice green-screen phosphor, but alas the 286 doesn't work.

However I do from time to use use a 486. Its a more "authenitic" experience, especially if using a CRT.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Boraxman to Alin on Fri Oct 30 2026 10:52 am

Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to All on Thu Oct 29 2026 03:39 pm

hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an
old machi to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from
1992!

I wish my 286 was still working. I'd like to view this through
my old Amdek monochrome composite monitor. Nice green-screen
phosphor, but alas the 286 doesn't work.

However I do from time to use use a 486. Its a more "authenitic" experience, especially if using a CRT.

i used to have tons of that stuff. my uncle got it for me from his company when they cleaned it all out. it was all junk, but it worked. it was interesting to see how they couldnt seem to standardize on anything for a while with computers.

i dont want to go back to those days. i'm fine with a computer that works.
if you want an old computer check out a thrift store.


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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to All on Thu Oct 29 2026 03:39 pm

hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an old machine to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from 1992!

When I was starting to get back into BBSing about a decade ago, I would use my Tandy CoCo3 connected to a wifi232 device I built from a cheap ESP8266 board. I don't use it as often as I used to, since it's lacking in terms of both speed and modern terminal enhancements, but it's still fun for a quick gas from time to time.

|08ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
|15 Ü|07 Ü |08Ü |11codefenix |08³
|15 Û|07ÛÛÛ|08Û |09ConstructiveChaos BBS |08³
|15 Þ|07ÜÛÜ|08Ý |01conchaos.synchro.net |08³ |08ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
|07
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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to All on Thu Oct 29 2026 03:39 pm

hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an old machi to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from 1992!

Yes... Currently on a C64 from 1982.. but sometimes from an Atari 800XL or Apple //c or Mac SE.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Boraxman to Alin on Fri Oct 30 2026 10:52 am

I wish my 286 was still working. I'd like to view this through my old Amdek monochrome composite monitor. Nice green-screen phosphor, but alas the 286

You could load up CoolRetroTerm. It's on github.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: MRO to Boraxman on Fri Oct 30 2026 03:39 am

Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Boraxman to Alin on Fri Oct 30 2026 10:52 am

Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to All on Thu Oct 29 2026 03:39 pm

hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an
old machi to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from
1992!

I wish my 286 was still working. I'd like to view this through
my old Amdek monochrome composite monitor. Nice green-screen
phosphor, but alas the 286 doesn't work.

However I do from time to use use a 486. Its a more "authenitic" experience, especially if using a CRT.

i used to have tons of that stuff. my uncle got it for me from his company when they cleaned it all out. it was all junk, but it worked. it was interesting to see how they couldnt seem to standardize on anything for a while with computers.

i dont want to go back to those days. i'm fine with a computer that works. if you want an old computer check out a thrift store.

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Thrift stores here don't have them anymore.

Not sure why, but I think there are regulations with regards to electronics. Government here ruins everything. Australia is a nanny state.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: phigan to Boraxman on Fri Oct 30 2026 09:25 pm

Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Boraxman to Alin on Fri Oct 30 2026 10:52 am

I wish my 286 was still working. I'd like to view this through my old Am monochrome composite monitor. Nice green-screen phosphor, but alas the 2

You could load up CoolRetroTerm. It's on github.

I've used it, but its most definately not the same.

I do actually have the monitor, I had it since 1993 and I have a CGA card. I just don't have a computer with an 8 BIT isa slot
The card doesn't fit in the ISA slots I've got because of the shape.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: phigan to Alin on Fri Oct 30 2026 09:05 pm

Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to All on Thu Oct 29 2026 03:39 pm

hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an old ma > > to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from 1992!

Yes... Currently on a C64 from 1982.. but sometimes from an Atari 800XL or Apple //c or Mac SE.

how do you connect to BBSs on those?
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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Boraxman to MRO on Sun Nov 01 2026 01:14 pm

Not sure why, but I think there are regulations with regards to electronics. Government here ruins everything. Australia is a nanny state.

Here they don't have em in the stores because they know they can sell for much higher price online.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to phigan on Sun Nov 01 2026 03:54 am

how do you connect to BBSs on those?

Same way you do on any computer... Just load up a terminal program and use a modem emulator. In the case of older computers, the modem emulator is on some kind of hardware like an esp8266, esp32, or whatever model pi.

The C64 has an esp8266 nodemcu connected to the user port, but there's also a modem emulator (swiftlink) in the Ultimate II+ cartridge.

The Atari 800XL uses a Fujinet (fujinet.online) which is esp32 based and emulates both disks and the serial interface and a modem.

The Apple //c uses a different Fujinet, but it does the same thing.

The Mac SE has a Raspberry Pi 3 with a RaSCSI/PiSCSI hat hooked up to the SCSI bus inside of it, and it emulates a SCSI ethernet adapter.

There are also serial/rs232 wifi "modems" based on those microcontrollers for any other system with a standard serial port.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: phigan to Alin on Sun Nov 01 2026 11:01 am


actually i am not very well versed in networking. i didn't even know you could emulate a modem until you told me. i have a 3Com Etherlink III NIC in my computer, and i use MTCP to connect to do telnet.
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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to phigan on Tue Nov 03 2026 09:00 am

actually i am not very well versed in networking. i didn't even know you cou emulate a modem until you told me. i have a 3Com Etherlink III NIC in my computer, and i use MTCP to connect to do telnet.

Nice. Yeah, there have been "wifi modems" out for a while, that connect to RS232 serial ports or TTL or whatever. Some have been made with flashing LEDs to look even more like original modems, and one guy even makes boards that directly replace the boards in existing modems like Hayes 9600, USRobotics 56k, Atari SX212, etc. You use the same case so it looks just like it did before.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: Alin to All on Thu Oct 29 2026 03:39 pm

hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an old machine to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from 1992!

When I was starting to get back into BBSing about a decade ago, I would use CO>Tandy CoCo3 connected to a wifi232 device I built from a cheap ESP8266 board CO>don't use it as often as I used to, since it's lacking in terms of both spee CO>and modern terminal enhancements, but it's still fun for a quick gas from ti CO>to time.

|08ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
|15 Ü|07 Ü |08Ü |11codefenix |08³
|15 Û|07ÛÛÛ|08Û |09ConstructiveChaos BBS |08³
|15 Þ|07ÜÛÜ|08Ý |01conchaos.synchro.net |08³ CO>|08ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
|07
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You should check out the CoCo 3 again. A lot has been done in the last
10 years, including new terminal programs such as NetMate (can be found
on the Color Computer Archive) and of course there is FujiNet (https: //fujinet.online) with a VT100 and a GIME-ANSI application made for it.
And I have my BBS dedicated to the CoCo that supports 32x16, 40x16,
51x24,64x32 and of course 80x24.

JustMike coconet.ddns.net:6809
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hello! i am new to BBSs and i was wondering how many of you use an old machi AL>to view these (if so, how old?). i am using a 386 from 1992!
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I use the my Tandy Color Computer 2 & 3 but I also like using Telix with
my 486DX266, mainly so I can download all the messages in QWK and use
the Silly Little Mail Reader just like I did in the 80s and 90s.

JustMike coconet.ddns.net:6809
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Re: do you guys use retro com
By: Justmike to ALIN on Tue Nov 03 2026 12:27 pm

I use the my Tandy Color Computer 2 & 3 but I also like using Telix with
my 486DX266, mainly so I can download all the messages in QWK and use
the Silly Little Mail Reader just like I did in the 80s and 90s.
JustMike coconet.ddns.net:6809

Wow, this brings back memories. Started with a TRS 80 COCO 16k 300 baud modem, cassette tape drive. Then traded up to 386sx/16. Telix and Qmodem were the as well. Awesome that you're still using it. I can't even recall where mine went to at this point.

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Re: do you guys use retro computers for this?
By: phigan to Alin on Sun Nov 01 2026 11:01 am

how do you connect to BBSs on those?

Same way you do on any computer... Just load up a terminal program and use a modem emulator. In the case of older computers, the modem emulator is on some kind of hardware like an esp8266, esp32, or whatever model pi.

The C64 has an esp8266 nodemcu connected to the user port, but there's also a modem emulator (swiftlink) in the Ultimate II+ cartridge.

The Atari 800XL uses a Fujinet (fujinet.online) which is esp32 based and emulates both disks and the serial interface and a modem.

In my case, I connect my 800XL to the internet using a program called A.P.E. that runs on a PC (my BBSBOX in my case) and connects that PC to the 800XL thru the Atari SIO port and acts like a modem. I do this because it is easy and already set up therefore quick. I can also use a FujiNet or WiModem Pro if I want.

Lots of ways to go...

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Alin wrote to phigan <=-

actually i am not very well versed in networking. i didn't even know
you could emulate a modem until you told me. i have a 3Com Etherlink
III NIC in my computer, and i use MTCP to connect to do telnet.

I bought dozens of those cards over the years for work, loved them. I
always wondered what happened to 3Com, they sort of disappeared.



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Shocker wrote to Justmike <=-

Then traded up to 386sx/16. Telix and Qmodem were the as well.

I bought a 386SX/16 because they were so cheap in the early-to-mid
'90s. One of those with 2 MB of ram was a pretty decent DOS box with
enough memory to run big applications or set up a cache. I held onto
that thing until the 486es got cheap.

The great thing about running a board back then was being able to
trickle-down hardware. The board was always 2 generations behind, so I
could upgrade my desktop and use the parts on the BBS.




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poindexter FORTRAN wrote:

I bought a 386SX/16 because they were so cheap in the early-to-mid '90s. One of those with 2 MB of ram was a pretty decent DOS box with enough memory to run big applications or set up a cache. I held onto that thing until the 486es got cheap.

This was my first computer as well. Bought it at a computer show from a guy named Bacon (it wasn't spelled that way and he wasn't from the US, but still lol). That computer was rock solid, never had a problem. Then we got a 486dx66 that was also rock solid. After that we got a Pentium 90 (IIRC) which was nothing but problems, and was also my main BBS machine.

-esc
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