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Frequently Asked Questions

[?] Why do this?

I used to run a BBS back in the 80s using a Commodore 64 computer, Commodore 1670 300/1200 baud modem, and four Commodore 1541 floppy disk drives. The BBS program that I used was called C-NET 10.0, a program way ahead of its time in terms of features supported. Recently, I decided to write my own version of BBS software in Java as a challenging network applications project to learn HOW to do it, simply by DOING it. :)


[?] How do I connect to the server?

To call the BBS (connect to the server) you can either use a telnet capable client terminal program (telnet.exe or HyperTerminal), [CGTerm], or a native C/G terminal program (Novaterm 9.6c) with Jim Brain's TCPSER (using WinVICE or vintage hardware) or with Leif Bloomquist's BBS Server communications middleware (using vintage hardware), which emulates a Hayes Modem.

Telnet:

C:\>telnet retrogradebbs.com 6400

Dialing using Novaterm 9.6c:

atdtretrogradebbs.com:6400

You must specify the address and the port when connecting using a terminal program. Please note, that you may need to turn on your CR + LF setting (HyperTerminal) and turn off local echo if the text is not formatted correctly or is being overwritten on only one line. I have had mixed results using various ANSI terminal emulation programs.


[?] What is PETSCII

PETSCII is a terminal emulation which is quite similar to ASCII. However, the lowercase and UPPERCASE ASCII character values are reversed (a is A and A is a). PETSCII supports all of the Commodore 64/128 Color/Graphics characters (keys), including DEL,CRSR up/down/left/right, CLR/HOME, C=, CONTROL, and other keys, as well as print mode (RVS ON/OFF), and the 16 color (WHITE, RED, CYAN, etc.) modes.


[?] What is ASCII

ASCII is the most basic of the terminal emulation modes, which uses monochromatic text without using codes to clear the screen or change the color of the text.


[?] What is ANSI

ANSI (ANSI-BBS) is a terminal emulation mode for the IBM PC which supports color/graphics.


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