Macintosh BBS!

[Byte Knight]

Hey guys,

I've been looking for a Macintosh BBS for a while now and just found Applefritter BBS which apparently has been up since March.  It's a graphical BBS modeled after Apple's eWorld online service and requires you to download NovaTerm client software in order to connect.  What's cool is that client software works from System 7 to 9.

From applefritter.com:

Applefritter BBS puts you in touch with exciting events and services, personal computing support, leading software publishers, and people across the country who share your interest in the Macintosh.

If you are connecting to Applefritter BBS for the first time, you'll need to take a few minutes to register as a member of the Applefritter BBS community. To register toll-free, click the Download link below.

Applefritter BBS is a homage to Apple's eWorld online service. It is designed to run on classic Mac OS computers. It also runs on Windows or Mac OS X (through Wine), but you don't get the classic eWorld experience on those platforms. On Macintosh, the BBS really feels like eWorld. It's also an easy way to download software to your Mac. The Windows and OS X versions are convenient if you want to hang out in the chat rooms.

The registration process asks for a lot of personal information. It doesn't have to be accurate.

If you're downloading directly from a classic Mac, please visit old.applefritter.com.

Macintosh

(System 7 - Mac OS 9. Not yet tested on System 6)

Windows

(built for Windows 95/NT, tested on Windows 10. Sound is not working correctly.)

Mac OS X

(Wine Bottle. This is working for me on 10.14.6, but is not well tested. Sound is not working correctly.)

Telnet: bbs.applefritter.com

(The telnet menus are not fully configured yet, but you can mostly navigate.)

I signed on with my LC III and it's a little low on content right now but still a lot of fun.  Let's support the lone Macintosh BBS!

 

[Byte Knight]

This is essentially a reboot of Apple's eWorld, which was operated by Apple between June 1994 and March 1996. The services included email (eMail Center), news, software, chats, and a bulletin board system (Community Center).

eWorld was considered innovative for its time, but it was expensive compared to other services and not well-marketed, and failed to attract a high number of subscribers.

I don't recall eWorld back in the day, but I did use AOL for quite a while.  You were almost forced to use AOL with all those disks they mailed to you weekly...

 

[olePigeon]

Would be fun if people were able to reverse engineer (or somehow just get the source code) to Prodigy, CompuServe, GEnie, AOL, etc., and bring them back up just for fun.

 

[Byte Knight]

Would be fun if people were able to reverse engineer (or somehow just get the source code) to Prodigy, CompuServe, GEnie, AOL, etc., and bring them back up just for fun.

Agreed - it would be fun to poke around AOL with a vintage Mac again.  They could even make it like the good ol' days and never let you cancel your membership!  :lol:

 

[Torbar]

I registered for it yesterday,  over the weekend going to try to get it running on my Performa 410 or Duo 270c and get connected

 

[Byte Knight]

I registered for it yesterday,  over the weekend going to try to get it running on my Performa 410 or Duo 270c and get connected

So far I've signed on with my LC III (with Quadra 605 upgrade), SE/30 (which was painfully slow), and with Basilisk / SheepShaver on my MacBook Pro.  It appears that you need at least an 'LC040 to enjoy the experience...

 

[Torbar]

So far I've signed on with my LC III (with Quadra 605 upgrade), SE/30 (which was painfully slow), and with Basilisk / SheepShaver on my MacBook Pro.  It appears that you need at least an 'LC040 to enjoy the experience...

My Qudara 700 is under the weeather at the moment, so iMac G3 it is then!

 

[Byte Knight]

And it's so cool that you can connect via TCP/IP and don't need a modem like you would've back in the day.

 

[superjer2000]

 And it's so cool that you can connect via TCP/IP and don't need a modem like you would've back in the day.

What do you mean?  You still need to dial up at 33.6 to your ISP to connect via PPP, right?  ARE YOU SAYING THERE IS A BETTER WAY?????  WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY TELL ME??

 

[Byte Knight]

What do you mean?  You still need to dial up at 33.6 to your ISP to connect via PPP, right?  ARE YOU SAYING THERE IS A BETTER WAY?????  WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY TELL ME??

Dude, you need to get with the times and upgrade to 57.6!

 

[Torbar]

I got my iMac G3 connected to it yesterday, it's really cool, but as you said above, a bit low on content at the moment.  I see that they have a weekly chat, so I'm curious how active it is at those hours.

Excellent find!

 

[Byte Knight]

I got my iMac G3 connected to it yesterday, it's really cool, but as you said above, a bit low on content at the moment.  I see that they have a weekly chat, so I'm curious how active it is at those hours.

Excellent find!

We've been getting about 8 people for the Thursday night chats - good times!

 

[Torbar]

We've been getting about 8 people for the Thursday night chats - good times!

Nice.  I'm gonna try to make it to the one this week!

 

[Byte Knight]

In order to turn on automatic message quoting when replying, while in NovaTerm go under File -> Preferences and check "Include Message With Reply".