Omega-TI Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Anyone remember the TI-Echo on Fidonet back in the day? Has anyone ever considered that we could have a mini TI-Net now days? Imagine a program on our TI's calling the BBS, picking up our mail and message packets to read and reply to offline at our leisure, then the TI would pack the messages up and then send the replies back to the BBS. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Chirp Chirp... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 There was one weird rule in my house BITD: NO MODEMS. It had a good reason. I was in Germany and the phone lines there were not at all cheap when you used the line for longer phone calls (even local calls rang up a 30 pfennig (15 cent) charge every 6-8 minutes, depending on the time of day). It could get horribly expensive fast--so I steered clear of modems to avoid temptation. . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 NO MODEMS. It had a good reason. I was in Germany and the phone lines there were not at all cheap when you used the line for longer phone calls ... Ohhh yeah. Those days ... when connecting a non-FTZ*-certified modem to the telephone line was considered a crime (I don't remember, something like deliberate interference of a public network). (*Fernmeldetechnisches Zentralamt = office for telecommunications, comparable to FCC) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Yep--and worst than that, one of the tones the Hayes 1200 BAUD modems used also matched the signal frequency for the system that charged the units to your account. The problem there was that it went through something horrible like 20,000 units a minute. . .and the Bundespost had a simple rule: your bill is this much--PAY NOW. There was no negotiation whatsoever. . .even if you could prove you weren't in your house for the entire billing cycle (and that no one else had been in your house either). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJGuillot Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Anyone remember the TI-Echo on Fidonet back in the day? Has anyone ever considered that we could have a mini TI-Net now days? Imagine a program on our TI's calling the BBS, picking up our mail and message packets to read and reply to offline at our leisure, then the TI would pack the messages up and then send the replies back to the BBS. I was big into BBS's back in the day, but it was back in the DOS area. I ran a GT Power BBS on a Tandy 1000 SX for several years, and eventually upgraded to power more powerful equipment and eventually moved over to OS/2 instead of DOS. I never ran (or called) any BBS on the TI 99/4A. I had FidoNet on my BBS for the past few years shortly before I shut it down. I didn't even realize there was a TI echo. I had thought at one time about writing a FidoNet point software for an iPad, but I think someone else already beat me to it. It might not be outside of the realm of possibility to write some FidoNet point software for the TI that's using a UDS-10 to connect to the Internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 I had thought at one time about writing a FidoNet point software for an iPad, but I think someone else already beat me to it. It might not be outside of the realm of possibility to write some FidoNet point software for the TI that's using a UDS-10 to connect to the Internet. That would be SO COOL! If something like that ever came to be, I'd sure as hell use it! Back in my PC DOS days I used Prowrite as the editor for my messages, but I bet BA-Writer could easily be integrated into a package such as this for the TI, so we're 1/4 of the way there already. Due to TI memory limitations, I figure the system would need to be in multiple parts: 1) The control program (dials/sends and retrieves message packets). 2) Un-packer/message tosser/Re-packer 3) Message base interface (read, write, delete and control to #2) 4) Editor either the 40 or 80 column version (depending on peoples needs and tastes). I'm not going to hold my breath though... something like this would only be of interest to about six of us at most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXB Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 I was a paid member to 3 at same time, and wife was upset I only used my AOL and TI Echo account. Using TELCO and MASS TRANSFER is what filled up my SCSI drives back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkeey Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) I remember using Fidonet in the BBS days. I was using DOS programs to connect to BBSes though. Edited May 31, 2016 by slinkeey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cph1776 Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Back in 1987 I used a TI (and the TE II cartridge) to connect to a couple of Fidonets. I don't recall a TI-Echo, though. By the time I had "rediscovered" the TI (around 1990), I was using TELCO to download files off a few BBSs (Don't recall if they were Fidonet though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tursi Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 I carried the TI Echo on my Ottawa BBS for a short time, those were fun days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 i did the fight-o-net on my quickbbs/remote access software before i went multiline with The KEEP.. when i went to majorbbs there was no link to that but we had our own network and then with worldgroup there was more connectivity..someone piped fightonet in to that and we had it beck for a while.. the worldgroup network still works but ther'es pretty much no activity for years..anyone still using a bbs is either playing a game or transferring a file Greg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstimson Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I carried the TI Echo on my Ottawa BBS for a short time, those were fun days Are you still in Ottawa? I've been hoping to find locals that share the same love of vintage computers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary from OPA Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I remember TI-ECHO. -- Wish there was archive of all the old messages. I was big BBS'ers back in the day I ran my own TI-TOWER BBS which was totally TI99/4a powered, the phone number is still out there listed on the 'net, hopefully no one has it and still gets phrank phone calls with modem screaming at them. Then after that I worked for CRS (canada remote systems) a large over 200 line dial-in network of pc's and we carried TI Echo and I also was sysop on TI Delphi section, the large dial-in mainframe. All those were good times, today now I am still heavly into networking of websites and running of servers, but there is nothing like scrolling up ascii-art when compared to today's boring webpage graphics of AtariAge, we really need to get back to having a true TI BBS and messages and ECHO service to relay them. Oh'well times move on, just too bad there is no archive of all the fun chatter we did during those days, there is still a good archive for usenet comp.sys.ti and for a while ti-echo was mirrored to it, but there is no good archive for the fidonet that i can see out there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tursi Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Are you still in Ottawa? I've been hoping to find locals that share the same love of vintage computers. No, sorry, I was only out there from '91 to '95. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iKarith Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I for one find email and things related (certainly BBS echoes count) far more easy to work with than forums (with all respect to our benefactor who has a very nice forum here...) I dunno if it's really going to fly in the modern age to set up something as esoteric as fido-style networking since that was all pretty complex and whatnot back in the day, but I certainly remember those kinds of things and did them. I even remember my old node number on a couple of networks from back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbinkerd Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 Yes, I remember TI-ECHO because i created it! Dakota InfoNet BBS I became a fidonet node, then hub and the regional manager. Fun times and memories. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+9640News Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 35 minutes ago, rbinkerd said: Yes, I remember TI-ECHO because i created it! Dakota InfoNet BBS I became a fidonet node, then hub and the regional manager. Fun times and memories. Do you by chance have the archives of the TI-ECHO? I've tried to put together the collective archives YahooGroups (TI-99/4A and Geneve groups), comp.sys.ti, and it seems like another group on my BBS if individuals want to search for historical information. If you have a "complete" database file of the TI-ECHO, I should be able to find the utilities, if necessary, to port it over. Seems like there was the Hudson format, JAM format, and perhaps others. There is now a "retronet" node that has TI-99/4A support I participate. Very limited traffic as there are fewer and fewer BBS users. I am right now trying to connect back into Fidonet though the regional coordinator and I are experiencing some connection issues. I think there is something going on between his use of Synchronet and my use of Mystic BBS software. Anyways, the BBS is at telnet to 9640news.bbs.net port 9640, or you can also get there from a webpage at http://9640news.ddns.net:8080 The website will also get you to the Heatwave BBS and to Fusion BBS. Beery 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 43 minutes ago, rbinkerd said: Yes, I remember TI-ECHO because i created it! Dakota InfoNet BBS I became a fidonet node, then hub and the regional manager. Fun times and memories. Hey! You bought TI-Net BBS software from me (Erik Olson) (and Matt Storm.) TI-Net never achieved the goal of connecting to FidoNet. Later, I ran an Opus node at my high school that carried TI-Echo. I don't remember if I ever posted on it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 1 hour ago, FarmerPotato said: Hey! You bought TI-Net BBS software from me (Erik Olson) (and Matt Storm.) TI-Net never achieved the goal of connecting to FidoNet. Later, I ran an Opus node at my high school that carried TI-Echo. I don't remember if I ever posted on it. me too! and then I ran quickbbs/remote access for a while and did the fight-o-net.. and did ti-echo and later when i went to MajorBBS/worldgroup i dropped fido for the majorbbs nets.. no ti people there tho Greg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbinkerd Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 1 hour ago, BeeryMiller said: Do you by chance have the archives of the TI-ECHO? I've tried to put together the collective archives YahooGroups (TI-99/4A and Geneve groups), comp.sys.ti, and it seems like another group on my BBS if individuals want to search for historical information. If you have a "complete" database file of the TI-ECHO, I should be able to find the utilities, if necessary, to port it over. Seems like there was the Hudson format, JAM format, and perhaps others. There is now a "retronet" node that has TI-99/4A support I participate. Very limited traffic as there are fewer and fewer BBS users. I am right now trying to connect back into Fidonet though the regional coordinator and I are experiencing some connection issues. I think there is something going on between his use of Synchronet and my use of Mystic BBS software. Anyways, the BBS is at telnet to 9640news.bbs.net port 9640, or you can also get there from a webpage at http://9640news.ddns.net:8080 The website will also get you to the Heatwave BBS and to Fusion BBS. Beery No, I regret not archiving everything. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed in SoDak Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 8 hours ago, rbinkerd said: Dakota InfoNet BBS Fun times and memories. Were you based out of Sioux Falls? I called into Fidonet seeking TI-anything BITD, but it was very fiscally irresponsible for me to dial into any BBS long-distance from the opposite of the state. -Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbinkerd Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Yes, Sioux Falls. You from Rapid or the hills? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbinkerd Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 On 3/31/2020 at 2:25 PM, FarmerPotato said: Hey! You bought TI-Net BBS software from me (Erik Olson) (and Matt Storm.) TI-Net never achieved the goal of connecting to FidoNet. Later, I ran an Opus node at my high school that carried TI-Echo. I don't remember if I ever posted on it. I ended up running Opus. Loved the terminology! Wazoo file Transfer with the zedzap protocol! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed in SoDak Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 2 hours ago, rbinkerd said: Yes, Sioux Falls. You from Rapid or the hills? Hill Silly. -Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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