444 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
444 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
BBSs and Early Internet Access in Germany
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=========================================
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:author: Harald Welte <laforge@gnumonks.org>
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:copyright: 2017 by Harald Welte (License: CC-BY-SA)
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:backend: slidy
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:max-width: 45em
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== Introduction
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[role="incremental"]
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* this is not a high-tech talk
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* way fewer acronyms than in mots of my other talks
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* I didn't invent any of the technologies covered
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* I didn't write any of the software covered
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* Just a mere user and operator/sysadming
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* .. this is the world I grew up in (age 11 onwards)
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* very limited information available in literature and on the WWW
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* lots of younger members of our community lack this history
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== Circuit Switched Telephony
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* Telephony from 1876 until ~ 1988
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* Analog voice circuit 300-3000 Hz
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* Dial-up connection between A and B party
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* Copper wires physically switched at intermediate telephone exchange
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* Voice signal possibly amplified in the path
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== Hardware
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* Telephone
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* Copper wire[s]
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* Telephone Exchange[s]
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image:images/pots_fig10.2.png[width="80%"]
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== Phone Charges
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In Germany during the 80ies and 90ies
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* even local calls were metered / charged
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* flat rates didn't exist
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* various zones between local and long distance
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* not many people could afford long distance BBSing
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== Acoustic Coupler
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* First devices to transmit bits as audible tones over telephone
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* User manually dialled phone number like voice call
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* After call was established, both sides put receiver into coupler
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image:images/accoustic_coupler.jpg[width="60%"]
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== Modems
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Automation of the acoustic coupler
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* Avoid _air gap_ speaker/microphone path
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* directly generate/receive tones on phone line
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* directly dial the phone number / answer the line
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image:images/analogm.png[width="80%"]
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== Modems
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image:images/Modems.jpg[width="50%",float="right"]
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== Modem Speeds / Standards
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[width="50%",options="header"]
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|======
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|Standard|Rate (bps)|Year created
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|V.21 |300 |1962*
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|V.22 |1200 |1980*
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|V.22bis |2400 |1984*
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|V.32 |9600 |1984*
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|V.32bis |14400 |1991
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|V.32ter |19200 |1993
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|V.34 |28000 |1994
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|V.34bis |33600 |1996
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|V.90 |56000 |1998
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|======
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== BBSs
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What's a BBS?
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* Computer with Modem accepting incoming calls
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* offering interactive service to users who dial in
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To operate a BBS, you had to have
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* a separate/dedicated computer
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** most BBS software predated/predates multi-tasking OSs
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* running 24/7
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* attached to separate / dedicated phone line
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To use a BBS, you
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* power your computer when using it
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* can share your regular phone line with the modem
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== Content
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* bulletin boards / message boards
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* live chat with sysop (or other users in multi-line BBS)
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* multi-user games (text based!)
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* file areas / downloads
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* ASCII / ANSI artwork
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image:images/dosbox-telemate-login.png[width="50%"]
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== Technology/Software
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* Both sides: Computer + Modem
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* BBS Side Software
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** BBS Software
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** often extended by "doors" (external programs, think of CGI in Web)
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* User Side Software
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** Terminal Program (e.g. TELIX, Telemate for DOS)
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image:images/telemate.jpg[width="50%"]
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== Demo
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Time for a demo
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NOTE: I'm using telnet instead of modem/dialup (POTS lines hard to find these days)
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== The "BBS Protocol Stack"
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In the spirit of protocol stack diagrams...
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image:images/bbs-protocol_stack.svg[width="80%"]
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== Curiosity: Vector Graphics
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* BBSs were typically all Text, mostly ANSI CP437 charset
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* RIP (Remote Imaging Protocol) / RIPscrip introduced vector graphics
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** RIPscrip introduced in 1992 (by TeleGrafix)
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*** Commands like ``!|w00001B0M10'' to draw vector graphics over Modem
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** RIPterm as terminal program for EGA (640x350)
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image:images/Nouveau.png[]
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== Isolated BBSs
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To participate in bulletin/message boards
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* Users log in at different times
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* BBS is busy while a user is logged in
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* Multiple modems / phone lines is one (expensive) option to scale
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* Time limit per User (minutes/day) often used
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== Points / Offline Messages
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* Users don't read/write interactively during active modem call
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* Messages get written offline and compressed/batched during short call
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Advantages:
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* lower cost (shorter phone calls, metered!)
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* shorter connection per user
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* BBS can scale to more users this way
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image:images/xpmenu.gif[width="60%"]
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== BBS networks (store + forward)
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As opposed to individual BBSs with isolated communities...
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Idea: Replicate bulletin / message boards between independent BBSs, for
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* scalability in number of users
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* scalability in geographic scope
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** most users will prefer least-expensive local calls to long-distance
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* efficient transport over long distance due to routing/forwarding of compressed batches
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== BBS network technology (examples)
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* FIDO (Netmail + Echomail)
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** Othernets like TrekNet, GerNet using same FTN technology
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* Z-Netz (Mail + News)
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** T-Netz, CL-Netz
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* UUCP (Usenet Mail + News)
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** Often only way to access "Internet" before IP access was available
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* MausNet - Münster Apple User Service
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** used by up to 120 BBSs in DE / AT / CH
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== Example: FIDOnet
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* Starts in 1984 with two BBSs
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* Initial technological limit of 250 nodes reached in 1985
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* Hierarchic, Regional routing/Addressing introduced in 1986
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** _Nodelist_ defines all nodes of the network + hierarchy
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* Addresses like *Harald Welte @ 2:2490/1343*
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* Up to 39,000 nodes in 1996, estimated 2 Million users world-wide
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== Example: Z-Netz
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* Started as Zerberus-Netz implemented in Zerberus Software
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* Later renamed to Z-Netz as the ZConnect protocol was implemented in other software
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** Standards defined based on perceived complexity of RFCs and Usenet/UUCP
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* CrossPoint (DOS) most popular point software for ZConnect
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* Addresses like *H.WELTE@SILVER*, later *H.WELTE@SILVER.zer*
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== Example: UseNet
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* Established in 1980 in the US
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* Uses UUCP (Unix-to-Unix-Copy) as transport mechanism over Modems
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** UUCP was created in the 1970ies and used to copy files, including Internet Mail
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* Usenet News format (RFC850) designed very similar to Internet Mail (RFC822)
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* Hierarchy of News Groups that gets replicated / flooded across the network, e.g.
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** comp.* — Discussion of computer-related topics like ``comp.lang.c++''
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** sci.* — Discussion of scientific subjects
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* Routing defined in route maps
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== Curiosity: Floppy Poll/Point
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[role="incremental"]
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* Not everyone had a phone line in the 1990ies
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** particularly Eastern Germany had big lack of phone lines
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* Some people thus exchanged daily floppies in envelopes and mailed them as postal letters
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* Messages arrived about one day later, but with 1-2 days latency even inside the dial-up store-and-forward network, it hardly matters
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image:images/floppy-disk-1219954_640.png[width="30%"]
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== Internet
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Early ways to access Internet:
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* Mail/News via UUCP (as stated earlier)
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* Dial-Up Modem to a TTY of a Unix machine connected to TCP/IP
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** Often workstations at universities. You could then run FTP, IRC, telnet, Gopher on the test console
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* ftp-mailers
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** a FTP client running on a remote machine, whose input/output is used by e-mail
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** you send a mail with "ftp ftp.sun.com" and "ls"
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** hours or days later you get the list of files
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** you respond with cd / get / ...
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** hours later you get the file as batch of UUencoded mails
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== Internet with SLIP
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* if you had dial-up access to a Unix box
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* you could run SLIP on both sides, transporting IP over the modem line
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** Result: IP. At home. In your apartment !!1!
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* later superseded by PPP (auto-configuration, authentication, compression, ...)
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Popular software stack looked like:
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* Windows 3.11 + Trumpet Winsock (Windows didn't have TCP/IP!)
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* NCSA Mosaic as web-1.0 browser (1993 onwards)
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image:images/mosaic.jpg[]
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== Internet on PCs before Linux
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* if you didn't have a 386 or if Linux didn't exist yet
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* there was KA9Q NOS
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** Implementation of TCP/IP, SLIP, PPP for CP/M and DOS
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** POP3 + SMTP server + client, IP routing, telnet, ARP, etc.
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* you could run SLIP on both sides, transporting IP over the modem line
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** Result: IP. At home. In your apartment !!1!
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* later superseded by PPP (auto-configuration, authentication, compression, ...)
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== ISDN
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* Digital Circuit-Switched Telephony Network
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** Transport of Digital Voice (PCM) audio and transparent digital data
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* Germany
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** 1989 put in operation
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** Until 1993 German 1TR6 system
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** From 1994 European E-DSS1
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** Hugely popularized from 1995 by subsidies
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== ISDN Terminal Adapter
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* ISDN is an all-digital network
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* No modulator / demodulator required
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* Instead, so-called _terminal adapter_
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* Speeds: 64000 (single B-channel) or 128000 (both B-channels)
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* V.110 as adaptation to do async serial over sync ISDN (1988)
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image:images/isdn.jpg[width="50%"]
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== How to get Internet Access?
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* Hard to access in early/mid 1990ies outside of academia
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* Almost no commercial ISPs (XLink, EUnet) - and very expensive
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* Grass-Roots groups of enthusiasts established themselves
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* Kommunikationsnetz Franken e.V. (KNF, ``franken.de'') one of them
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** dial-up UUCP and shortly later IP for personal, non-commercial users
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** POPs in Nürnberg, Fürth, Erlangen, Forchheim, Würzburg, Regensburg, ...
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** Every user got 6 static IP addresses routed to wherever he dialed in (OSPF!)
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** served ~ 800 users / members at peak
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== Individual Network (IN) e.V.
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* Umbrella Association established in 1992
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** Goal to help regional member associations with negotiating framework contracts
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** Actual technical access via WiN/DFN, XLink, EUnet
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** Regional Member Associations include Oche, Augusta, Escape, IN-Berlin, Hanse, INKA, Toppoint, muc.de, IN-Passau, ThurNet, MAUS, CL-Net and many more
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** IN members served more than 300,000 users at one point
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** Dissolved in 2000, when
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*** commercial ISPs were widespread, and
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*** remaining IN member organizations could get decent connectivity with IN e.V.
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== Internet
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With packet-switched TCP-IP
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* you just needed to dial one number
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* and then access systems world-wide
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This brought new purpose to leased lines
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== Analog Leased Lines
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* Telephone operator permanently interconnects wires at exchange
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* No signaling (dial tone, ring tone etc)
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* Requires modems with special capabilities
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** ATA without an incoming ring first
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** ATD without a dial tone first
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* In Germany: "Analog G" of Post/Telekom
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** I finally could afford one in 1998
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** 900 DM installation cost
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* 180 DM per month (60 DM per hop)
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== hub-nbg.franken.de, 1998
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image:images/pict3_Lg.jpg[]
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== hub-nbg.franken.de, 1998
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image:images/pict4_Lg.jpg[]
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== ISDN Leased Lines "SPV"
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* Not really a leased line
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* Basically only "flat rate calls" to one specific (fixed) destination
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* Available in national 1TR6 only
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** some of them operated until 2006
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== Abusing Analog Lines, Part 1
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* ICU-T
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** inverse of ISDN NTBA
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** ISDN BRI (2x64k + 16k) over 12km of telephone line
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* Special ISDN routers without signaling to use even 16k D-channel for data!
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Easy upgrade to get performance of a leased ISDN line out of an Analog-G
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== Leased Lines at KNF, 1997/1998
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[graphviz]
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----
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include::images/knf-leased_lines.dot[width="100%"]
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----
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== hub-fue.franken.de, undated
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image:images/hub-fue-03_Lg.jpg[]
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== hub-fue.franken.de, undated
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image:images/hub-fue-04_Lg.jpg[]
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== Abusing Analog Lines, Part 2
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When the first DSL modems became available in the US
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* we imported some Ascend DSLpipe
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* with some firmwares, they could be used back-to-back (without DSLAM)
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* suddenly we could get speeds of 2.3 MBps over analog lines
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** if they were not too long
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** if they didn't have in-line inductors
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* soon less expensive alternatives came up Pairgain (2000)
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image:images/ascend.jpg[width="50%"]
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== From Online Bistro to Internet Cafe
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* Falken's Maze was an _Online Bistro_ established in the 1990ies
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** I became a regular around 1994
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* initially had four DOS PCs, each with a Modem, dedicated phone line and a call charge meter
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** you could go there, eat + drink and use the PCs to log into BBSs
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* quickly became preferred meeting point of various nerds, BBS users, SYSOP meetings, etc.
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* PCs were networked with 10base2 and NetWare (DOOM!)
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* people started to dial into CompuServe, AOL, etc.
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* Internet became more popular, Falken's Maze started subsidiary in Nuernberg
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** ISDN SPV was used as Internet uplink
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== Summary
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* The first decade[s] of wide-area electronics communications
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** were powered by a community of enthusiasts
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** largely motivated by non-commercial motives
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** without much corporate or government influence
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* BBS community / culture is a distinct sub-culture.
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** different norms than HAM radio, Hackers, Free Software, but some of overlap
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== Conclusions
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In the BBS days
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* networks were distributed, without single point of failure
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* infrastructure **owned and operated by its users**
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* connection speeds were largely symmetric
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* no data center vs. consumer separation with asymmetric speeds
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This autonomy and de-centralization has been lost in the Internet age
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== Further Reading
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* http://telnetbbsguide.com/
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** list of active telnet BBSs
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* http://qodem.sourceforge.net/
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** FOSS multi-platform terminal program
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* http://artscene.textfiles.com/ansi/
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** Archive of ANSI Artwork
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* https://artpacks.org/
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** Another Archive of ANSI Artwork
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* http://www.filegate.net/nodelist/
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** FIDO nodelist of 2017
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* http://www.ka9q.net/code/ka9qnos/
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** Phil Karn's page on KA9Q NOS
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== Thanks
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* my uncle for giving me his old Olivetti acoustic coupler in 1990
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* Josef Groll, SysOp of SILVER.zer / SILVER.nbg.sub.org
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* Max Riegel, Martin Bokaemper, Joerg Kinzebach and KNF crew
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* Reinhold "unhold" Pretscher for Falken's Maze
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* All sotware developers of BBS related software
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* All SysOps that made the BBS community possible
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== EOF
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NO CARRIER
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