The USBBS List: Off-line Edition Start Page

The USBBS List Off-line Edition #216 May, 2004   Published since June, 1984   © Copyright 1997-2004 Brent Yandell All Rights Reserved

Contents: View The USBBS List USBBS News and Changes About The USBBS List How to Add/Delete Listings Brief USBBS List History Disclaimer and License

View The USBBS List:

This off-line edition of the USBBS list may be viewed by selecting one of the categories below. In this edition, all categories are sorted alphabetically by U.S. state/city, then Canadian province/city. The sort method will change from edition to edition to allow different systems to be listed near the top of the categories.

• View New/Changed Listings

• View Telnet BBS Listings

• View Dialup BBS Listings

• View Web BBS Listings

USBBS News and Changes:

Edition #216 News

A Letter from the Editor,

An "edition" of USBBS (such as #216) occurs when the USBBS contents are all combined into a .ZIP or self-extracting .EXE. These are no longer released once-per-month, or on any scheduled basis or interval. The more often new BBS systems are listed on USBBS, the more often an "edition" will be published. At this time, I estimate an "edition" will be published three or four times a year.

It is important to note that USBBS -is- updated between editions. To view new listings added between "editions" see the "View" pages at www.usbbs.org.

I see a very positive side to the new "edition" release intervals. Now, when someone sees a new edition of USBBS, they will know it is substantial. Back in the eighties and well into the nineties, a large part of a large BBS community eagerly downloaded new USBBS editions as soon as they came out, because they knew each month was a substantial change since the last. For the last few years, only the "faithful" did this, as members of the now small BBS community knew there was nothing substantially new from one month to the next.

My thanks to everyone for their continued support of the USBBS List during its recent long hiatus. A special thanks to those who conveyed their support and understanding during this time. Thanks to Daryl Stout, Max Stolz and Christopher Friend for some of the updates to this edition.

A huge thanks to John Cooper for continuing to send updates during this hiatus even though it appeared they might never be used. John said that as long as I refused to proclaim the list 'dead', he had faith I would resume publication some day. Thank you sir.

Please read the next section for changes to the USBBS List.

Brent Yandell USBBS List Editor

Edition #216 Changes

NOTE: The nomenclature "###" is referred to often below, as in USBBS###.ZIP. The ### refers to an edition number of USBBS, such as 216 (USBBS216.ZIP).

There were 97 new listings added to this edition. We were able to verify 220 of the listings from the last edition of USBBS as "up". There were 269 listings deleted from the last addition. There are still an additional 121 listings marked for deletion (not responding) in this edition. We will continue to try to reach them, and if not they will be deleted in the next edition.

USBBS distribution .ZIP and self-extracting .EXE files now contain an off-line browser (HTML) edition of USBBS. After extraction, select _START.HTM to view the off-line version of the USBBS List. Both distribution files still contain text versions of the list.

The self-extracting version of the USBBS List has been remodeled. The new version runs in Windows only. After the user runs the USBBS self-extracting file, the _START.HTM file will automatically be displayed in the user's web browser.

An extended description field has been added to the list. This text may be up to 70 characters long and allows for a brief comment or description of the listing. This field begins in column #140 of USBBS###.LST. Note: as this is a new field, it will take some time for the list to become populated with this information.

A file named ABOUT###.TXT replaces USBBS###.NWS and USBBS###.TXT in the USBBS distribution archives. This file contains news, how-to and information about USBBS.

There are minor changes to USBBS###.LST abbreviations and structure. Great care was taken not to mix things up too much, for the sake of existing USBBS###.LST viewing software, scripts and doors. Changes include:

• Columns 48-49 indicate the month and year the listing was last updated. Column 48 (previously unused) is the month, "a" thru "l" ("a"=January, "l"=December). Column 49 is the year, "a" thru ??? ("a"=2004, "b"=2005 and so-on). Column 49 used to be the number of months since the last update relative to the current USBBS issue. Since USBBS is no longer published monthly, this was no longer possible to figure. The "!" used in column 49 to indicate a BBS was not answering has been expanded and moved to column 58.

• Column 58 (status indicator) has been expanded:
  "space" indicates no change
  "*" indicates "new or changed"
  "!" indicates the system has been reported as not answering and will be deleted in the next issue unless updated. "!" is used when ALL LISTED access methods are reported as not answering.
  "?" indicates a system's Telnet is answering, but Dial-up is not. "#" indicates a system's Dial-up is answering, but Telnet is not.

• If column 140 contains a "+" character, it indicates an extended description follows in columns 141 through 210.

• "Shotgun" has been added as a BBS software type. It is designated by a lower-case "a" in column 46.

• A short -[NewsAlert]- caption was added in USBBS###.LST files (near the end) which applications (on-line viewing scripts and doors) may pull and display to the caller. For example, this edition's news alert is:
  USBBS News Alert: June, 2004 is the USBBS List's 20th Anniversary!

The USLIST.EXE file is no longer available or enclosed with USBBS. This was useful for viewing the contents of USBBS ZIP files. This functionality was replaced by the browser (HTML) files now enclosed in the USBBS ZIP files. This utility was also designed to create update files which members of the BBS community could use to help update USBBS. While this was widely used upon its introduction 1997, the last few years have yielded hardly any USLIST.EXE based updates.

USBBSDoor version 6.5 will be released the first week of May for Sysops who can run DOS doors on their systems. USBBSDoor adds compatibility for the new features of the USBBS List (listed above). Download USBDOR65.ZIP by clicking on the USBBSDoor button at www.usbbs.org.

About The USBBS List:

The USBBS List is the oldest and one of the most respected BBS listings in North America. It has been published since June, 1984... for over 19 years!

USBBS contains listings of:

• Systems with a dial-up telephone number.
• Systems with Telnet access.
• Systems with Web access (login using browser)
• Systems with any combination of the above access methods.

The USBBS List's two missions are:

(1) The first USBBS mission is to be a starting point for someone looking for a BBS to call. It has never been the ambition of the USBBS List to list every BBS in existence or to include everything there is to know about a BBS which is listed. Such an attempt would be futile at best.

(2) The second mission is that USBBS is and always has been an absolutely FREE service to the BBS community, both for BBS Sysops and for BBS users. There is no charge for a BBS to be listed on the USBBS List, and there is no charge for a caller to use the USBBS List.

The USBBS List is available on many fine bulletin boards around North America and on the Internet. Wide distribution of the USBBS List is permitted and encouraged. If you are a Sysop, download the current list from www.usbbs.org and post it in your file section as a service to your users. If you are a BBS user, upload it to the boards you use.

Volunteers are always needed with:

• Adding systems not on the USBBS List.
• Reporting systems "up" which are already on the list.
• Deleting systems which no longer exist.

If you are interested in lending a hand, send the editor a note to: usbbs.editor@verizon.net. Just helping with a few boards on the list would be a BIG help.

How to Add, Update or Delete a Listing:

NOTE: There are no fees to be listed on or use the USBBS List.

To add, change or delete a listing on the USBBS List:

• Surf to www.usbbs.org.
• Click on the "Update" button to Add or Change a BBS.
• Click on the "Delete" button to Delete a BBS.

Revisions submitted by other means will not be incorporated into the list. This insures the list contains complete and accurate information.

To submit multiple (more than ten or so) additions, changes, deletions or BBS "up" reports, contact the editor at usbbs.editor@verizon.net for assistance.

Requirements for inclusion on the USBBS List:

• The BBS must welcome ALL callers.
• Dial-up BBS - 24 hour, 7 days per week service.
• Telnet BBS - Substantially 24 hour, 7 days per week service.
• Web BBS - There must be a user-name/password log-in on the site.

Although the US in USBBS is U.S. (as in U.S.A.) there are Canadian systems listed as well. Non-U.S. and non-Canada listings are accepted if they are a Telnet BBS and offer English as a language selection.

These criteria are admittedly subjective and rest in the discretion of the editor of the list. The editor reserves the absolute, discretionary right to determine appearance, format and content of the USBBS List.

Brief USBBS List History:

• 1984: Pete Olympia, USBBS founder and first editor, started the "RBBS List" and later changed the name to "USBBS". For many years it was also often (mistakenly) called "Darwin's List", after the Darwin BBS run by Pete, which was the first home of the USBBS List.
• 1986: Meade Friersen becomes a USBBS co-editor, handling the "PC-Pursuit" designations in USBBS. PC-Pursuit was a service of US Sprint which allowed callers to dial systems in and around major cities for a monthly fee.
• 1987: PCBoard becomes the most listed BBS software in USBBS. Previously, the most listed was RBBS. PCBoard would remained the most listed BBS software in USBBS for the next twelve years. USBBSDoor 1.0 released.
• 1988: Meade Friersen becomes the second USBBS editor. Robert Blacher dedicates a node of his Computer Connections BBS to being the USBBS home BBS. The number of systems listed in USBBS tops 1000.
• 1991: Meade begins accepting USBBS updates at his Compuserve mail account (a very early sign of the times to come?).
• 1992: Bob Breedlove becomes the third USBBS editor. Bob added a news file to the USBBS archive, the first time USBBS was distributed with more than one file in the ZIP. The number of systems listed in USBBS tops 2000. The 100th edition of the USBBS List is published.
• 1993: The number of systems listed in USBBS tops 3000.
• 1994: Bob begins distributing USBBS on the Internet, first in Usenet then as a FTP download. The number of systems listed in USBBS tops 4000.
• 1995: Bob begins the first USBBS web site under the Channel 1 BBS domain, provided by Brian and Tess Miller.
• 1996: The number of listings tops 5000 on the USBBS List in June. It would remain above 5000 for the next ten months.
• 1997: Brent Yandell becomes the fourth USBBS editor, and immediately adds Telnet addresses to the USBBS List.
• 1999: Brent obtains the "www.usbbs.org" URL, and moves the web site to space provided by Roy Timberman, a former Sysop. Web BBS Log-in addresses are added to the USBBS List. Wildcat/WinServer software becomes the most listed BBS software in USBBS.
• 2001: The 200th edition of the USBBS List is published. Meade Frierson, the USBBS List's second editor, passed away in September.
• 2004: As of June, USBBS has been published for 20 years. For the first time, USBBS permits a free-form text area (up to 70 characters) for an additional comment to help describe a listing. Synchronet becomes the most listed BBS software in USBBS.

Disclaimer and License:

DISCLAIMER
List accuracy is not assured. Use this material entirely at your own risk. All information is submitted to the editor by the BBS community. No attempt is made by the editor to verify any information submitted.

Anyone who uses any of the USBBS files assumes any and all liabilities for anything which may result as a consequence of such use. Under no circumstances shall Brent Yandell be liable for any loss of profit or any other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages, arising out of the use or inability to use any or all of the USBBS files.

The editor reserves the absolute, discretionary right to determine the appearance, format and content of the USBBS List.

LICENSE
Free distribution of the USBBS List is permitted and encouraged as an upload/download to Bulletin Board Systems and around the Internet. No modifications may be made to ANY of the USBBS List files, including the addition or removal of ANY files in the archive (.ZIP or .EXE) in which it is distributed. The USBBS List may not be bundled with any other product or service.