Frequently Asked Questions

It's 2007 man, why are you starting a BBS? What is this text only garbage?

That's a reasonable question. For those of us who grew up using bulletin board systems each day of our lives, they hold a special space in our heart. Even after the on-line community transitioned to the web, BBS users tended to feel as if something was missing. The sense of community one would find on a local BBS was for the most part absent. Some of us may have also felt more comfortable using a text-only interface. Try not to think of Mac Citadel as merely a home for nostalgic computer users of the 80s, but as another means of communication, that in many respects may be superior to modern web interfaces. We wholeheartedly welcome new BBS users here, and would love to see a younger generation come to appreciate what bulletin boards were. You may find that a text-only environment filters out a great deal of unnecessary noise, allowing one to simply dig in to the content. Perhaps there's a 'warmth' to a BBS community, much like the warmth analog purists speak of when describing vinyl records. In either case it's subjective, but a real feeling for many nonetheless.

Mission Statement

While Mac Citadel is a BBS, it is not a place designed only to discuss days of old -- though that is certainly welcome. We simply believe that bulletin board systems still have a lot to offer interface and community wise, and there's no reason we can't discuss the newest Mac Pros, MacBooks, iPhone, and iPods in a text-only environment. We also hope that youth who never experienced bulletin boards can get a taste of what their forefathers experienced, and hopefully gain an appreciation for a world and time before gaudy flash ads, banners, and commercialization of the on-line experience. Sometimes to see where one has erred it helps to go back to basics.

How can I access the board? Do I have to use the web interface?

You can access the board through our web interface, or by using any telnet client. In OS X you can use Terminal.app, which is located in /Applications/Utilities. Alternatively, you might like xterm, which is included with X11 if you have developer tools installed. In Windows you can simply use the Command Prompt, located in Accessories > System Tools (I believe, it's been a while since I used Windows). And if you're using Linux you no doubt already have a favorite terminal program, so I don't need to explain it to you. For those seeking a traditional ProComm, Telix, type program you might appreciate SyncTerm, which runs in Windows, Linux, and OS X. The board runs on the standard telnet port of 23 at habhab.homeunix.net.

What are some basic commands?

When in doubt just hit H. However here are some basic commands you should be aware of. Mac Citadel contains a number of rooms; a list of these rooms can be viewed by pressing K. To join one of the listed rooms hit J and then type either the room number, or the room name. If you don't feel like typing a room's entire name, use tab completion. This is also handy if you forget a room's exact name, and also works in other fields, such as when you are typing a username. To read messages in a room simply hit the space bar. To reply, hit R. To start a new thread, hit E. For new users the interface may seem intimidating, but with time you will find yourself maneuvering with extreme ease, and faster than you would with a mouse perhaps.

Why the name Mac CItadel? A brief history of Citadel boards.

While many BBS programs focused on files, door games, and message bases at the same time, Citadel boards tended to focus mainly on messages and discussion. 'Citadel' is a metaphor. Inside the walls of a citadel you will find a city, full of different people, places, shops, and activities. A Citadel-based BBS is similar: it contains many rooms, which cater to different interests and topics. You can roam around from one room to another, and even visit some rooms where there is real-time chat. Mac Citadel runs bbs100, which is a Citadel clone of sorts. To find out more about the history of Citadel boards, you might want to read this.

What hardware does Mac Citadel run on?

Mac Citadel is powered by bbs100 and Linux on a 400mhz G3 iMac DV with 768mb of ram. It may seem sacrilegious for a Mac BBS to run on Linux, but I've never been particularly fond of OS X as a server OS. I can't say that I have anything against it though . . .

You're awesome. You suck. Technical support. Questions. How do we contact you?

haroon at habhab dot homeunix dot net should do the trick. Alternatively you can always E-Mail me through the BBS.