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· Telecommunications
#Other BBS and Services
13 messages in this thread
Can anyone give me any suggestions on possible commercial or free BBS or
services that meet some or all of the following criteria:
a) have lots of traffic and files for the Amiga
b) are not too expensive to use
c) are not impossible to get on (i.e. always busy signals)
In particular I am interested in any comments on BIX–how does in compare in
orientation to Amiga Forum
===============>Ed B.
Ed, I hate to do this, but CompuServe has advised their Forum managers (i.e.
me) that discussions of competing services are against their policy. This is a
business, and business sense says it's bad to have people promoting
competitors, even by mention. I'm not going to delete messages or anything,
but I'd appreciate it if you and other Forum members would not discuss other
commercial services (whether to promote or degrade them — let's be fair about
this!) Thanks… – Bela
PS: if you are dissatisfied with this service, please make suggestions for
improvements! We are always trying to make the service better. Maybe you
don't want a different service, but improvements right here at home.
Suggestion number one: Allow discussion of competing services. <grin>
Seriously, the Amigaforum here is one of the best sources currently available
for Amiga info, and CIS has nothing to worry about. Most people wanting
information on other networks would probably use both anyway.
I realize I'm preaching to the converted on this, but perhaps someone will
see it and ponder the future of telecommunication long enough to realize that
the industry as a whole would benefit from good relationships between
competing services, and that sooner or later there will have to be a single
service that will allow connection on a more 'global' basis than is currently
available.
Can you imagine what would happen if the various telephone companies refused
to hook up to each other?
Yes, you are preaching to the converted. I, as myself, would like to see
such discussion allowed. As a person whose privilege of helping to run this
Forum comes from CompuServe's marketing department, I must enforce their
policies. Sorry. – Bela
Yes, you are preaching to the converted. I, as myself, would like to see
such discussion allowed. As a person whose privilege of helping to run this
Forum comes from CompuServe's marketing department, I must enforce their
policies. Sorry. – Bela
I've often wondered which service is most informative for Amiga info. I
refused to join BIX because of the nasty user agreement, which says I'm
paying them to edit my messages, and run them in Byte as 30-page fillers.
Now, if you're Jez San, maybe you like that. 🙂 But the $50 signup put me
off, too. I knew there was a lot of good info there for a while. I don't
know what it's like now, tho. Anyone think it's still hot?
.
I did get a Delphi subscription, and the discussion there seems more
consistently oriented to developers, more so than here, even. But the first
night I logged on, the system took 5 minutes to get past the main menu, so
now, I expect the system to be slow. The menu structure makes me think they
wrote the whole thing in VAX DCL. If it's any consolation, the newest stuff
on People Link gets cross-posted to Delphi faster than to CIS, and I don't
know who's doing it.
.
I really miss Usenet. It almost makes me want to go back to college.
Almost, but not quite. PC Pursuit doesn't come to Madison, WI, so I can't
get a UUCP address on the Well. Is that the only way to get to the Well?
.
The quality of info on Usenet is always superior, even if it is at taxpayer
expense. I think a lot of people are gaining an unjust business advantage
from a Usenet connection, and it will take the Feds a while to figure that
out. I heard Lauren Weinstein even made an MS-DOS version of the software to
get UUCP mail, so some people are running that to get on Usenet. Soon, I
hope some major network figures out that the Usenet is a hot thing, and
models a cheap pay network on it. I am getting tired of N user-hostile menus.
Argh! – Bela
Argh! – Bela
I've often wondered which service is most informative for Amiga info. I
refused to join BIX because of the nasty user agreement, which says I'm
paying them to edit my messages, and run them in Byte as 30-page fillers.
Now, if you're Jez San, maybe you like that. 🙂 But the $50 signup put me
off, too. I knew there was a lot of good info there for a while. I don't
know what it's like now, tho. Anyone think it's still hot?
.
I did get a Delphi subscription, and the discussion there seems more
consistently oriented to developers, more so than here, even. But the first
night I logged on, the system took 5 minutes to get past the main menu, so
now, I expect the system to be slow. The menu structure makes me think they
wrote the whole thing in VAX DCL. If it's any consolation, the newest stuff
on People Link gets cross-posted to Delphi faster than to CIS, and I don't
know who's doing it.
.
I really miss Usenet. It almost makes me want to go back to college.
Almost, but not quite. PC Pursuit doesn't come to Madison, WI, so I can't
get a UUCP address on the Well. Is that the only way to get to the Well?
.
The quality of info on Usenet is always superior, even if it is at taxpayer
expense. I think a lot of people are gaining an unjust business advantage
from a Usenet connection, and it will take the Feds a while to figure that
out. I heard Lauren Weinstein even made an MS-DOS version of the software to
get UUCP mail, so some people are running that to get on Usenet. Soon, I
hope some major network figures out that the Usenet is a hot thing, and
models a cheap pay network on it. I am getting tired of N user-hostile menus.
Suggestion number one: Allow discussion of competing services. <grin>
Seriously, the Amigaforum here is one of the best sources currently available
for Amiga info, and CIS has nothing to worry about. Most people wanting
information on other networks would probably use both anyway.
I realize I'm preaching to the converted on this, but perhaps someone will
see it and ponder the future of telecommunication long enough to realize that
the industry as a whole would benefit from good relationships between
competing services, and that sooner or later there will have to be a single
service that will allow connection on a more 'global' basis than is currently
available.
Can you imagine what would happen if the various telephone companies refused
to hook up to each other?
Hmmmm…Bela, this is not to you personally but to CIS. I think it's mighty
high handed of them to suggest controlling what is discussed in a public
forum as long as it's not lewd or profane! In fact (and I am normally VERY
mild mannered!) it makes me angry that they would try to do so!! If I want
to mention that I saw thus and such neato thing on BIX or one of the other
services, I feel that I have a perfect right to do so…and I will not
hesitate to do so if the mood strikes me. I easily spend over $100 per month
on CIS…sometimes over $200 and have been active for many years…yet I
would instantly cease all use of CIS if I was a victim of that kind of
suppression. It does NOT make good business sense for CIS to take such an
attitude because all it does is get people worked up and is BOUND to cost
them business in the long run.
Now, I can understand CIS being unwilling to permit advertising on the public
forums. We all are bombarded by enough advertising that it is quite
refreshing to find a "bulletin board" where commercials are prohibited! I
have no problem with prohibiting competitors from advertising on the forum
and otherwise pushing their particular service. I DO have a problem with
CIS's prohibiting my answering questions about another service, or discussing
things I have seen.
My poor old beat up VISA card would like me to invite CIS to kick me off
their service for having this attitude. I would miss it (I DO consider it
worth the $100 a month!)…but my pocketbook would appreciate the relief!
<grin> Rick Schaeffer
Hmmmm…Bela, this is not to you personally but to CIS. I think it's mighty
high handed of them to suggest controlling what is discussed in a public
forum as long as it's not lewd or profane! In fact (and I am normally VERY
mild mannered!) it makes me angry that they would try to do so!! If I want
to mention that I saw thus and such neato thing on BIX or one of the other
services, I feel that I have a perfect right to do so…and I will not
hesitate to do so if the mood strikes me. I easily spend over $100 per month
on CIS…sometimes over $200 and have been active for many years…yet I
would instantly cease all use of CIS if I was a victim of that kind of
suppression. It does NOT make good business sense for CIS to take such an
attitude because all it does is get people worked up and is BOUND to cost
them business in the long run.
Now, I can understand CIS being unwilling to permit advertising on the public
forums. We all are bombarded by enough advertising that it is quite
refreshing to find a "bulletin board" where commercials are prohibited! I
have no problem with prohibiting competitors from advertising on the forum
and otherwise pushing their particular service. I DO have a problem with
CIS's prohibiting my answering questions about another service, or discussing
things I have seen.
My poor old beat up VISA card would like me to invite CIS to kick me off
their service for having this attitude. I would miss it (I DO consider it
worth the $100 a month!)…but my pocketbook would appreciate the relief!
<grin> Rick Schaeffer
Ed, I hate to do this, but CompuServe has advised their Forum managers (i.e.
me) that discussions of competing services are against their policy. This is a
business, and business sense says it's bad to have people promoting
competitors, even by mention. I'm not going to delete messages or anything,
but I'd appreciate it if you and other Forum members would not discuss other
commercial services (whether to promote or degrade them — let's be fair about
this!) Thanks… – Bela
PS: if you are dissatisfied with this service, please make suggestions for
improvements! We are always trying to make the service better. Maybe you
don't want a different service, but improvements right here at home.