Msg: 6145 *Conference*

12-07-95 14:29:52

From: RICHARD HANSON

To : CRAIG HALLMAN

Subj: REPLY TO MSG #6144 (JUST POPPED BACK IN)

Hmmm... is that you, Craig?  I remember you.  Welcome back.  It was a long time
ago ... and you're right, this is now, one of the oldest BBS in continuous
operation in the world.  You might call it a Model "T" (in reference to Henry's
car) dedicated to Model "T" computing!

The real story of the Club 100 BBS ...

It started in 1979 with a Model III under TRSDOS, The Green Machine BBS
software and one phone line connected to a 300/1200 baud modem.  Not long after
that, the software platform changed to Newdos80 and TBBS (The Bread Board
System, eSoft, Inc., Aurora, CO, author, Phil Becker).

In 1983 this board was dedicated to Model 100 computing under the title,
"Abacus Online featuring Club 100 ... Home of the Danville Tigers."  The online
service was Club 100 and the offline, monthly meeting group, was The Danville
Tigers, hosted by Bill Templeton in Danville.  Bill has long since died.  I am
in Pleasant Hill and very much alive, except for the blood pressure meds.

An interesting note: When Bill and I joined forces, the activity was so high
that I had a Model III running 4, 180K disk drives and for the message base on
this number and a Model 4 running 4, 180K disk drives for the information files
and download library on 937-5039 ... that number is now our fax line.

Another note: The hardware/system software combination was not exactly bullet
proof.  In fact, both boards crashed, minimum twice a week.  I would come home
and find one or the other system dead in the water.  I would have to "rebuild"
the file allocation table (in HEX!!!) on the boot drive just so it would boot
from that diskette, again.  This condition was so worrysome that when Paula and
I planned on going to Hawaii for our 10th in 1984, I hired Paul Perry, a fellow
Newdos80-geek high school student and Model 100 user, to sit the house so
someone would be around to rebuild the file allocation table when the systems
failed.  Of course, Paul had a great time using the spa while we were gone but
that's another story ... we've all been there ... right? :)

Yet, another note: While in Hawaii with my Model 100, Paula and I would do some
site-seeing during the day, then annotate a travel log of the days events and
upload it into the BBS at night.  Gee ... I wonder if I have any of those old
files around here?

In 1987 the computer changed to a 8088 TX running MSDOS and TBBS and has stayed
that way through today.  It started with a single line but had the capacity to
hold all the message base, information files and download library. Within a few
years I upgraded to 4 lines on the same XT.  This is the way it remains today.
Other upgrades unclude 2400 baud modems, a new hard disk, replacing 2 power
supplies and one monitor since 1987.

Now ... just so you understand ... this current host computer, operating
continusuly since 1987, is the original DOS computer I purchased in 1987:

 - 8088 XT at 8 Mhz
 - 640K RAM
 - 2, 2.25" 360K floppy drives
 - 40 meg hard drive (less than half full)
 - monochrome monitor
 - 4, port digi board
 - 4, Hayes 2400 Smartmodems
 - MSDOS v4.01
 - TBBS v2.2M [16]

That's it, man.  That's all it is.

Note: I looked through the multi-thousand membership list and did not find your
name.  I have a Bruce Hallman in Pacifica but that's not you in Fresno.  I then
must conclude that I lost your name during the great crash of 1988 when the
tracking computer (not this one) was dropping names into a black hole (for lack
of a better description).  Anyway, please go into the (8)ClubStuff area and use
the (J)oin feature.  I will gladly mail you our new catalog.

Again, welcome back, Craig.

At your service ... -Rick-