So I've been quietly building something and now it's finally ready.
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So I've been quietly building something and now it's finally ready.
https://ssbbss.org - the Secret Society of BBS SysOps - is now live.
It's a certification program for BBS operators. Four ranks: Initiate, Operator, Adept, and Master. Every rank has a curriculum covering the things that actually matter - BBS software, door games, message networks, ANSI art, FidoNet, the history and the law.
Study materials are free and open to anyone, no account needed.
When you're ready, you sit the exam. Pass, and you're a certified member. You get a downloadable PDF certificate with a QR verification link, an ANSI badge you can display on your own BBS, and a member ID in the public registry.
Right now there are 95/100 Founding Member spots available. £99 one-time - that covers all four exam slots, lifetime membership (no annual fees ever), a physical certificate shipped to you, and a low member ID. Once those 100 are gone, they're gone.
If you run a BBS, or you used to, or you just care about keeping this scene alive - come and have a look.
@meatlotion @erici Sometimes I think we'd be better off ditching the WWW and going back to BBSs.
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@meatlotion @erici Sometimes I think we'd be better off ditching the WWW and going back to BBSs.
@heafnerj @meatlotion I havent actually properly tried any of these modern telnet BBS's. Something for a rainy day..
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@heafnerj @meatlotion I havent actually properly tried any of these modern telnet BBS's. Something for a rainy day..
@erici @meatlotion I didn't even know they still existed in any form.
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@meatlotion @erici Sometimes I think we'd be better off ditching the WWW and going back to BBSs.
@heafnerj @erici there are quite the number of them still surviving and even thriving. You really should check some out - if you remember what they were like back in the day, you'll be pleasantly surprised now.
Also, telnet is not the only option, now we have SSH for encrypted connections to them
Go get SyncTERM (I made a linux shell script to get and build for you if you need it, or find it in the AUR or available to download from the dev site if you don't want to use package managers), and then come connect to my BBS;
Hostname: bbs.erb.pw
Port(s):
23 (telnet)
45022 (ssh)
45023 (telnet)If you have an account on there and a news reader, you can also use NNTP with the BBS on port 45119.
Lots of options for my BBS, and many others alike.
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@heafnerj @erici there are quite the number of them still surviving and even thriving. You really should check some out - if you remember what they were like back in the day, you'll be pleasantly surprised now.
Also, telnet is not the only option, now we have SSH for encrypted connections to them
Go get SyncTERM (I made a linux shell script to get and build for you if you need it, or find it in the AUR or available to download from the dev site if you don't want to use package managers), and then come connect to my BBS;
Hostname: bbs.erb.pw
Port(s):
23 (telnet)
45022 (ssh)
45023 (telnet)If you have an account on there and a news reader, you can also use NNTP with the BBS on port 45119.
Lots of options for my BBS, and many others alike.
@meatlotion @erici Thanks, and I will look into this!
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So I've been quietly building something and now it's finally ready.
https://ssbbss.org - the Secret Society of BBS SysOps - is now live.
It's a certification program for BBS operators. Four ranks: Initiate, Operator, Adept, and Master. Every rank has a curriculum covering the things that actually matter - BBS software, door games, message networks, ANSI art, FidoNet, the history and the law.
Study materials are free and open to anyone, no account needed.
When you're ready, you sit the exam. Pass, and you're a certified member. You get a downloadable PDF certificate with a QR verification link, an ANSI badge you can display on your own BBS, and a member ID in the public registry.
Right now there are 95/100 Founding Member spots available. £99 one-time - that covers all four exam slots, lifetime membership (no annual fees ever), a physical certificate shipped to you, and a low member ID. Once those 100 are gone, they're gone.
If you run a BBS, or you used to, or you just care about keeping this scene alive - come and have a look.
@meatlotion
But what do you need the certifications for? Anyone can become a sysop. You don't need anyone's permission. -
@meatlotion
But what do you need the certifications for? Anyone can become a sysop. You don't need anyone's permission.@meatlotion
Is it different for BBSs somehow?
Are there permissioned networks you can join? -
@meatlotion
Is it different for BBSs somehow?
Are there permissioned networks you can join?@light no, you're right you don't need permission to make and run a BBS, but the certification path takes you on a journey to learn more than any new Sysop (or most long standing sysops) probably know, and it's about the ethos, the mind set.
If you weren't around in the day when BBSes were the only "online", then you won't fully understand or appreciate what it meant to truly be a Sysop. This takes you on that journey.
If we don't allow people to fully understand what the past was like, we can't guarantee it's future. This is about protecting the legacy.
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R relay@relay.publicsquare.global shared this topic
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@light no, you're right you don't need permission to make and run a BBS, but the certification path takes you on a journey to learn more than any new Sysop (or most long standing sysops) probably know, and it's about the ethos, the mind set.
If you weren't around in the day when BBSes were the only "online", then you won't fully understand or appreciate what it meant to truly be a Sysop. This takes you on that journey.
If we don't allow people to fully understand what the past was like, we can't guarantee it's future. This is about protecting the legacy.
@meatlotion
But why do you need certifications for that? -
@meatlotion
But why do you need certifications for that?@light you don't. As I stated before, and the site makes clear, certification isn't a requirement, it's optional, all the material is free and open. You only take the exam to get a certificate if you want to. Noone is enforcing the need for a certificate.
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@light you don't. As I stated before, and the site makes clear, certification isn't a requirement, it's optional, all the material is free and open. You only take the exam to get a certificate if you want to. Noone is enforcing the need for a certificate.
@light it's like the Linux foundation certificates or Aws certificates; if you want to run your own Linux things or Aws things, you don't need certification in them to do that. You only get a certificate to prove to others that you can do them.
