65 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
65 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
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Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:10:08 GMT
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From: Stephen Jones <smj@sdf.lonestar.org>
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To: jason@textfiles.com
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Subject: SDF-1 BBS turns 20 years old!
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The SDF Public Access UNIX System Celebrates 20 Years!
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http://sdf.lonestar.org
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It was on June 16th, 1987 that the SDF-1 received its first caller at
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300bps. This little Apple ][e BBS of the late 80s turned into a Public
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Access UNIX System with the demise of "killer.dallas.tx.us" during the
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"Operation Sundevil" raids. Since then it has grown to become the oldest
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and largest continually operating PUBNIX on the planet.
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Over the years SDF has been a home to 2+ million people from all over
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the world and has been supported by donations and membership dues. SDFers
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pride themselves on the fact that theirs is one of the last bastions of
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"the real INTERNET", out of the reach and scope of the commercialism and
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advertising of the DOT COM entities. It is a proponent of SMTP greylisting
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as opposed to content filtering and offers that as an option to its members.
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While access to basic services are free to everyone, lifetime membership
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can be obtained for a mere onetime donation of $36. And it is the members
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who decide which programs and features are available. The members
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communicate via a web free, google inaccessible, text bulletin board
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('bboard') as well as an interactive chat ('com') where users battle each
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other in the integrated netris matches. The interface of these programs
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harks back to the days when TOPS-20 CMD J-SYS ruled the ARPANET.
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SDF has also become home to well known hackers such as Bill Gosper,
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Tom Ellard (Severed Heads), Geoff Goodfellow, Carolyn Meinel and Ezra
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Buchla, son of the father of the Synthesizer. From this pool of talent
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you might expect more than just computing, and you'd be correct. An
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annual music compilation is published featuring original music ranging
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from electronic noise to improvised piano sonatinas. Gosper's puzzles
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which he has cut at his favorite laser shop are frequently given away as
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membership perks or through fundraising raffles.
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There are always classes being taught on SDF as well, where instructors
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and students enjoy free access to the latest teaching and programming
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tools. Instructors manage their own classes in such a way as not
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to be encumbered by their own school's outdated utilities or computer
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security restrictions, which can hamper the learning process.
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And where else would you expect to be able to locally dialup at 1200bps
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from just about anywhere in the USA and Canada with a Commodore 64 and
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get a login prompt? SDF! As well as direct login, SDF offers PPP and
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PPPoE via analogue dialup (1200bps - 56kbps), ISDN and DSL. Members also
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have access to the SDF VPN (Virtual Private Network) and Dynamic Domain
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Name Service.
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One of the many interesting and esoteric aspects of life on the SDF-1
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is GOPHER. All users have access to their own GOPHER space and a
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number of them continue to find it a useful way to share text and data.
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And if you don't want to relive that past, SDF's 'motd.org' project
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offers a collaboration amongst members to share source and security tweaks
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for the latest wikis, web forums, photo galleries and blogs.
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SDF runs NetBSD on a cluster of 12 DEC alphas with 3 BGP'ed T1s linking
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it to the INTERNET. It is an annual supporter of the NetBSD foundation
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and the Computer History Museum (CA). One of its original incarnations,
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an AT&T 3B2/500, is displayed annually at the Vintage Computer Festival.
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