152 lines
9.3 KiB
Prolog
152 lines
9.3 KiB
Prolog
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REQUIEM FOR A SYSOP 04/29/85
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SUBMITTED BY: JIM ANDERSON - SYSOP MSB - BILLINGS, MT
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REQUIEM FOR A SYSOP
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-------------------
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EXCERPT FROM AN ARTICLE IN "PC WEEK", NOV. 20, 1984:
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THERE MAY BE NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH, BUT THERE IS AN AMPLE SUPPLY OF
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FREE SOFTWARE THAT'S YOURS FOR THE ASKING. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DIAL UP, MAKE
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A CONNECTION, BROWSE THROUGH A COUPLE OF MENUS, CHECK OVER LONG LISTS OF
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AVAILABLE SOFTWARE, MAKE YOUR CHOICES AND START DOWNLOADING.
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- + - + - + -
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EXCHANGE OF E-MAIL BETWEEN SYSOP AND BBS USER: WELL, JOHN, THE GOOD NEWS IS
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THAT THE FAULTY FILE HAS BEEN FIXED BUT THE BAD NEWS IS THAT YOUR DOWNLOADING
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PRIVILEGES HAVE BEEN REVOKED. I JUST WENT THROUGH THE LAST TWO MONTHS OF LOGS
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AND CAME UP WITH SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS. DURING THAT TIME YOU HAVE LOGGED
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ON 23 TIMES, DOWNLOADED 66 FILES AND UPLOADED NONE. YOU HAVE CALLED FOR CHAT
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TWICE, AND LEFT A TOTAL OF TWO MESSAGES ON THE BOARD, ONE REQUESTING A SPECIFIC
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PROGRAM AND THE OTHER INFORMING ME OF A DISK ERROR IN A DOWNLOAD FILE. I CAN
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ONLY DRAW THE CONCLUSION THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS BOARD FOR ONE REASON
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ONLY -- TO RAPE HELL OUT OF THE DOWNLOAD MENUS. I'VE LEFT PLENTY OF MESSAGES
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REGARDING PARTICIPATION IN THE BBS AND THE MESSAGE BASE, BUT YOU EITHER HAVEN'T
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READ THEM OR ELSE YOU IGNORED THEM. SORRY, BUT ONE-WAY STREETS JUST DON'T HACK
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IT AROUND HERE.
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JIM.
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JIM, I HAVE BEEN TAKING PART IN THE BBS. EVERY TIME I LOG ON I READ ALL THE
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NEW MESSAGES.
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JOHN.
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JOHN, I JUST CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THAT IN ALL THAT TIME YOU COULD HAVE AT
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LEAST SAID "HI" OR "THANKS FOR THE DOWNLOADS" OR SOMETHING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT
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THERE'S A REAL LIVE HUMAN BEING ON THIS END. JIM.
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- + - + - + -
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EXCEPT FOR POWER FAILURES, MY COMPUTER HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY RUNNING SINCE
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NOV. 11, 1982, AND HAS FIELDED OVER 12,000 TELEPHONE CALLS OPERATING AS A BBS.
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BACK THEN, IT WAS A JOY TO BE A PART OF THE REALM OF COMPUTER
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS -- NOW IT'S A DRAG. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT A "GIMMEE" ATTITUDE
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HAS PERVADED THE WHOLE ARENA OF BBSING, WITH CALLERS INTERESTED IN NOTHING MORE
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THAN MATERIAL GAINS IN THE WAY OF SOFTWARE. MY BOARD IS FAR FROM THE BUSIEST,
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BEING ISOLATED IN THE "FOREIGN COUNTRY" OF MONTANA, BUT AN AVERAGE DAY WILL SEE
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ABOUT 20 OR 25 CALLS TO THE SYSTEM. AN AVERAGE DAY WILL ALSO SEE ABOUT THREE
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OR FOUR MESSAGES (OF ALL TYPES, INCLUDING E-MAIL) BEING POSTED. THE TYPICAL
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LOG ENTRY SHOWS SO-AND-SO LOGGING ON, GOING TO THE FILE TRANSFER AREA,
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DOWNLOADING SEVERAL FILES AND THEN LOGGING OFF. THANKS, THAT'S WHY I STARTED
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UP A BBS, TO SUPPLY PEOPLE WITH FREE PROGRAMS. REALLY MAKES MY DAY TO SEE THAT
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I'VE SPENT ALL THIS TIME AND MONEY JUST TO WATCH PIGS AT THE TROUGH. WHATEVER
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HAPPENED TO THE COMMUNICATIONS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS? IS THIS THE RESULT OF
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THE COMPUTER AGE, THAT PEOPLE DON'T TALK OR COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER? ARE
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WE GETTING SO TOTALLY IN TUNE WITH OUR EQUIPMENT THAT WE'RE EXCLUDING PEOPLE?
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IF SO, THEN ORWELL'S PREDICTIONS ARE TAME IN COMPARISON WITH THE REALITY. WHO
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TOOK THE BULLETIN BOARD OUT OF BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM? THE FILE TRANSFER
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SECTION OF MY BOARD IS SHINY FROM DAILY USE, BUT THE BULLETIN SECTION IS
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OBSCURED BY COBWEBS. THE THOUGHT HAS CROSSED MY MIND MORE THAN ONCE JUST TO
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LOAD UP A HOST PROGRAM AND LET PEOPLE GRAB WHATEVER PROGRAMS LOOK INTERESTING.
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"DO YOU HAVE A LOGON CODE FOR THIS SYSTEM (Y/N) ==> Y <==" "WHAT IS YOUR
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ACCOUNT NUMBER? 775" "WHAT IS YOUR LOGON CODE? PASSWORD" "INVALID LOGON CODE"
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"DO YOU HAVE A LOGON CODE FOR THIS SYSTEM (Y/N) ==> Y <==" "WHAT IS YOUR
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ACCOUNT NUMBER? 305" "WHAT IS YOUR LOGON CODE? PASSWORD" .........ETCETERA,
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AD INFINITUM ET AD NAUSEAM. HACKERS. OR SO THEY'D LIKE TO BELIEVE. VANDALS,
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PESTS, YES. HACKERS? THEY SHOULD BE SO TALENTED, DEVOTED AND LUCKY. WHY DO
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THESE COMPUTERIZED DELINQUENTS FIND SUCH DELIGHT IN TRYING TO BREAK INTO
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BULLETIN BOARDS? DON'T THEY REALIZE THAT SYSOPS ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE JUST LIKE
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THEMSELVES TRYING TO FIND A LITTLE ENJOYMENT IN THEIR HOBBY? WHY PICK ON ME?
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I'M SPENDING A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY TRYING TO PROVIDE PEOPLE A SERVICE FOR
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FREE, AND THEY WANT TO GO AND SPOIL IT FOR EVERYONE. HECK, IF THEY WANT ONTO
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THE SYSTEM, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS APPLY FOR A LOGON. WHY MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT
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FOR EVERYONE? LEAVE ME ALONE. GO PICK ON COMPUSERVE. CALLER LOGS ON. LEAVES
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E-MAIL TO A FRIEND. LINES ONLY FILL HALF THE SCREEN, SO HE'S PROBABLY USING A
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COMMODORE 64. GOES TO FILE TRANSFER SECTION, AND SELECTS ULTRATERM PROTOCOL.
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CHOOSES A FILE THAT INDICATES IT'S A TRS-80 PROGRAM. BBS GOES TO SEND, HE
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FIGURES OUT THAT HE'S SOMEWHERE HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE AND DROPS CARRIER.
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ANOTHER CALLER LOGS ON FOUR TIMES IN A ROW, BUT KEEPS LOSING CARRIER BEFORE HE
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CAN DO ANYTHING. PROBABLY PHREAKING ON A CHEAPIE PHONE SERVICE. ANOTHER
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CALLER SUCCESSFULLY DOWNLOADS A FILE. SIT. WAIT. WAIT SOME MORE. SYSTEM
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EVENTUALLY TIMES OUT AND DROPS HIM. I'M NOT THE MOST POLITE PERSON IN THE
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WORLD AND I'M CERTAINLY NOT ONE TO STAND ON CEREMONY, BUT I AM OLD ENOUGH TO
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REMEMBER WHAT MANNERS WERE. THEY ALSO WENT DOWN THE TUBES WITH
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"COMMUNICATIONS" AND "BULLETIN BOARDS." WHOOPS! DROPPED CARRIER! SO WHAT? IF
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IT'S A HALFWAY DECENT SYSTEM, IT'LL REBOOT. WELL, I'LL JUST GO TO BED WHILE
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DOWNLOADING THIS LONG FILE, THE SYSTEM WILL EVENTUALLY THROW ME OFF AND REBOOT.
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NEVER MIND THAT THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE WANTING TO CALL INTO THE BOARD. WHO CARES
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THAT THE SYSOP CLIMBS THE WALLS WHEN HE SEES SOMEONE DROP CARRIER OR TIME-OUT
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ON THE SYSTEM? LATELY I'VE GOTTEN INTO THE HABIT OF DROPPING CARRIER ON MY END
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FOR THE WORST OFFENDERS. ONE GOOD HANG-UP DESERVES ANOTHER. ALONG WITH ALL
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THE OTHER GOODIES THAT HAVE BITTEN THE DUST, THERE'S GOOD OLD APPRECIATION. AS
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I MENTIONED BEFORE, MY BBS HAS FIELDED OVER 12,000 CALLS. OUT OF ALL OF THEM,
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I HAVE GOTTEN MAYBE A DOZEN MESSAGES SAYING "THANKS FOR RUNNING YOUR BBS."
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THAT'S ABOUT ONE "THANK YOU" PER THOUSAND CALLS! UNFORTUNATELY, IT SEEMS THAT
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PEOPLE THINK THEY HAVE ALL THIS AUTOMATICALLY COMING TO THEM. IT'S THEIR
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RIGHT! SORRY TO DISILLUSION ANYONE, BUT THAT JUST AIN'T SO. THE MASTER SWITCH
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FOR THIS SYSTEM IS TWO FEET AWAY, AND I'M NOT SO DECREPIT THAT I CAN'T HIT IT
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IN A FLASH. ALTERNATIVELY, I CAN BAN ANYONE I WISH FROM MY SYSTEM. CALLERS
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USE THIS BBS AT MY FORBEARANCE ONLY, AND IT'S NOT A GOD-GIVEN RIGHT. IT'S A
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SYSOP-GIVEN PRIVILEGE! I SINCERELY FEEL THAT WE SHOULD PROCLAIM A "SYSOP
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APPRECIATION DAY." WE CERTAINLY DON'T GET ANY ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS! DON'T GET
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ME WRONG. THERE ARE JOYS AND BENEFITS IN RUNNING A BBS, ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES IN
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MY NETHER MOODS I'M HARD PRESSED TO ENUMERATE THEM. BUT THE FACT IS, THERE
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HAVE BEEN MANY OCCASIONS WHEN I'VE RESTED MY FINGER ON THE SWITCH WITH THE IDEA
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OF GOING OFFLINE FOREVER. NOW FOR THE MORAL OF THE STORY. I'M ONLY ONE SYSOP
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AMONG MANY, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO EVOKE SYMPATHY FOR MYSELF THROUGH THIS
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ARTICLE. THE POINT IS THAT ALMOST EVERY SYSOP AROUND HAS THESE FEELINGS TO
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SOME EXTENT OR ANOTHER. AND FURTHER, MOST OF THESE SYSOPS (ESPECIALLY THE BEST
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AND MOST DEVOTED ONES) ARE GOING TO REACH A SATURATION POINT AND WIND UP
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DEPRIVING THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF THEIR SERVICES. I FORESEE A DAY COMING, AND
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VERY SOON AT THAT, WHEN THE HIGH QUALITY BBS'S WILL BE ALL GONE. SO ALL THIS
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IS REALLY A PLEA FOR EVERYONE TO SHAPE UP THEIR ACTS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. IF
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NOTHING ELSE, WHEN YOU'RE ON A BULLETIN BOARD, LEAVE A LITTLE MESSAGE TO THE
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SYSOP. "THANKS FOR THE USE OF YOUR SYSTEM" OR "FINE BBS YOU HAVE HERE." LET
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THEM KNOW THEY'RE APPRECIATED. WHEN I SEE A MESSAGE LIKE THAT, I SAY TO
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MYSELF, "THAT'S WHY I'M DOING ALL THIS!" SYSOPS ARE REAL, LIVE HUMAN BEINGS
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WITH FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS. LET'S START TREATING THEM AS SUCH!
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- + - + - + -
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EPILOGUE: TWELVE HOURS AFTER THE ABOVE WAS WRITTEN, I FIND OUT THAT ONE OF
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MY BEST FRIENDS (WITH HIGHER THAN NORMAL ACCESS TO THE SYSTEM) HAS ALLOWED A
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THIRD PARTY TO USE HER LOGON. THAT'S FORBIDDEN FOR ANYONE ON MY BBS TO DO, BUT
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IT HURTS EVEN MORE BECAUSE A VALUED AND TRUSTED FRIEND WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
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BETTER WENT AND DID IT. THAT'S THE FINAL STRAW. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BYTE BBS
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IS NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE.
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JIM ANDERSON, EX-SYSOP THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BYTE BBS
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BILLINGS, MONTANA JANUARY 13, 1985
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NOTE: I AGREE COMPLETELY WITH JIM IN HIS ABOVE COMMENTS, IF NOT HIS ACTION.
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I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND THE MIND OF INDIVIDUALS, WHO TAKE THOSE OF US
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WHO, THROUGH OUR GENEROSITY AND GOOD NATURE, ARE SUPPLYING THEM, FREE OF
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CHARGE, THIS SERVICE. PLEASE NOTE, THIS ATTITUDE OF SYSOPS IS SPREADING AND
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BBS'S AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE DISAPPEARING OR GETTING MORE DIFFICULT TO ACCESS.
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I CERTAINLY HOPE THIS ACTION IN TINY BILLINGS, MONTANA HAS SOME EFFECT ON THE
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COMMUNITY OF COMPUTERISTS. DON'T ABUSE A GOOD THING!
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DAVE WILLIAMS, STILL SYSOP MAGIC CITY RBBS
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BILLINGS, MT JANUARY 13, 1985
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NOTE: I AGREE WITH THIS ATITUDE, AND I HOPE THAT SOME OF THE USERS ON THE
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BOARDS, NOT JUST MINE, WILL TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. LET'S PREVENT THE SHUT DOWN
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OF ALL BOARDS IN GENERAL.
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PHIL KIM, STILL SYSOP PHIL'S_FIDO, PACESETTER ][
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GAITHERSBURG, MD JANUARY 22, 1985
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JUST TO ADD TO THIS FILE, I ALSO MUST AGREE WITH THIS PLEA ABOUT BBS USER'S.
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BARRY FOX, STILL SYSOP CRYSTAL CITY CONNECTION
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ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA APRIL 29, 1985
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