Xref: utzoo alt.bbs:252 comp.misc:4260
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!occrsh!uokmax!srpenndo
From: srpenndo@uokmax.UUCP (Sean Richard Penndorf)
Newsgroups: alt.bbs,comp.misc
Subject: Re: New Ideas in BBSes (No BS!)
Keywords: BBS Client Server Network
Message-ID: <2093@uokmax.UUCP>
Date: 2 Dec 88 05:26:23 GMT
References: <1217@cps3xx.UUCP>
Reply-To: srpenndo@uokmax.UUCP (Sean Richard Penndorf)
Distribution: na
Organization: Ultimatum Software
Lines: 44


You raise some very interesting viewpoints there, Robert.

We at Ultimatum Software of Oklahoma are working towards some of those goals
you just mentioned.  The problem of the graphics interface in BBS's before
was the lack of computers which REALLY supported good graphics.  That is
obviously changing very rapidly (ie, Macs, IBM PS/02s, Amigas, Atari STs, etc).
The second problem to the graphics front end is the speed.  Unless you can
some up with a very FAST system for the graphics, I feel most users will
fall back to the standard ASCII type BBS.

ANother interesting feature you mention is multiple- conferencing.  Writing
good conferencing software will entail some very creative thought. 
Especially when you add the term "multiple" to it, meaning that more than
one conference can take place at one time.

But are these types of things being held back in the BBS community?
(Especially when it seems that the rest of the world has flown by us).
The simple matter is money.  Very few sysops have the capital to invest in
a multi-node system to support things like conferences.  Few sysops have the
money to invest time and energy into creating a good graphics front end for
their systems.  And lastly, programmers of BBS Host programs are typically
Shareware authors.  Some of these authors are extremely gifted programmers
but lack the team work and unity and capital of a software company like
MicroSoft to create somthing brilliant simply because they don't have the
resources.  And naturally big software corporations are not going to invest
in a BBS program because there is not a big market for it.

Then you ask, "Why is Ultimatum Software working on one then?"
Probably because we don't have everything together upstairs or something....
I don't know.

Well enough of my "two half pennies".  Hopefully with the post by Robert
and myself, we can spark some constructive discussion here about the BBS
software trends.

The tide is turning, but ever so slowly.


-- 
Sean 'Longstride' Penndorf
!texsun!uokmax!srpenndo                    .  .        .-----------
GEnie:  S.PENNDORF                         |  |        `---.
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