Re: WiFi hotspot BBS?   
     By: Cykros to All on Fri Jan 14 2011 02:36 am   
      
      
   I like your idea. This reminded me of SF Net, a multi-node BBS in the early 90s   
   that a sysop set up in San Francisco. He set up BBS kiosks in coffee shops   
   around San Francisco, and people would go out to get a cuppa out at their   
   favorite coffee shop and dial up to the BBS. Access from coffee shops was $1/15   
   minutes.   
      
   You could still dial in from home, but my feeling was that a lot of the people   
   who were on SFNet might not have had a modem/PC at home back then. That created   
   a great vibe; They had more reach than your typical BBS, and had users who   
   wouldn't typically have dialed into BBSes in a very eclectic town.   
      
   Wayne hit on a great idea, tucked in right before the internet took over   
   everything.   
      
   An old news video from 1991 is on YouTube -   
      
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4IbiTsw6dI   
      
   Back then, I ran a BBS next to a popular english pub/discussion salon. I   
   thought about running a short-haul modem downstairs to the pub and setting up   
   PubNet.   
      
   I like the idea of a free wifi spot with a hook into a web BBS. Have you heard   
   of FON? (http://www.fon.com) They sell wireless routers and directional   
   antennas that allow you to run a hot spot (a 'FON spot') on your home   
   connection. Users either pay for accessby the hour, or hop on for free if   
   they're a fellow FON spot operator. You still have a protected wireless   
   network, separate from the free network.   
      
   You can either get a cut of the $$$ from people who use your connection, or get   
   the privelige of hopping on other people's FON spots for free. If you live near   
   a popular coffee shop or meeting place, you could potentially make some good   
   money at it.   
      
   On the FON spot redirection/landing page, you can put in a URL that a user can   
   browse to for free - perfect for this BBS idea.   
      
   They have some interesting little routers - one has a USB connection and can   
   run bittorrent for you on the router, freeing up your PC. Check them out!   
      
   --pF   
      
      
      
       poindexter FORTRAN |  poindexter at realitycheckbbs dot org   
       realitycheckBBS    |  http://realitycheckbbs.org   
      
   ---   
    þ Synchronet þ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org   
    * Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (1:340/400)