| Contents |
| Overview |
| The 15 BBS Commandments |
The ''15 Commandments'' for a GT Power BBS were originally laid down by Matthew Prosper, Sysop of THE MATRIX BBS, Azusa, CA; which has long since been shut down. Minor modifications for my BBS were done by Daryl Stout, Sysop. While male pronouns (''his BBS'', etc.) are used...one could also change that to ''hers'', if the Sysop is female. Also, while I originally ran GT Power BBS software, I'm now running Virtual Advanced BBS Software. The Thunderbolt BBS has dial-up, web browser, and telnet access.
II. Thou shalt not steal. Contribute to thy BBS, that thy access level should remain holy in thy Sysop's sight. Thy Sysop shall not hold one guiltless that enjoys many hours of online fun, and refuses to contribute in some way. Acceptable holy sacrifices are: USEFUL files (not garbageware), ANSI and RIP screens (when needed), meaningful dialogs in the message bases (just reading messages does not necessarily constitute meaningful), notes to thy Sysop when the BBS seems to turn evil or ill, and/or personal time as arranged with the Sysop. May the glitches and gremlins of a thousand Crays, and woefully slow computer systems descend upon the leeches!!
III. Thou shalt not bear false witness. That means don't lie jack! When thy Sysop asks for thy REAL name and phone number, be truthful! He WILL verify it...for thou art a GUEST in thy Sysops domicile when thou log on to his BBS. Thy Sysop is kind to animals, and generally a good person, but this one really brings down his wrath!! Thy Sysop does not ask personal information lightly. In this world are Philistines who fancy themselves ''hackers''. This is a travesty of the true meaning of the word. Originally, a hacker was a self-taught, computer literate hobbiest; and you have hackers to thank for much of the finest public domain and shareware programs currently available. Those little minds that bring shame to real hackers are more accurately known as worms. These worms delight in illegal activities such as destructive ''trojan horse'' programs, the exchange of stolen credit card numbers, and the illegal exchange of ''cracked'' or modified commercial software. Thy Sysop can only protect himself and his users from these idiots, if he has accurate information on all users.
IV. Thou shalt respect thy fellow user that thy days may be long on the system that thy Sysop has provided. Few things bring down the wrath of thy Sysop upon thee...as rudeness, lack of consideration, and/or ragging on others.
V. Thou shalt not leave meaningless, obscene, or otherwise irritating pinheaded messages. Thou shalt not be the James Watt of BBS'ing! (GRIN!) However, thy Sysop hath a sense of humor, and appreciateth a silly message for the purpose of increased levity of thought.
VI. Thou shalt conduct thyself with dignity when accessing the various BBS Networks on the system that thy Sysop has provided...for thy behavior reflects upon said BBS. See thy fifth and fourth commandments.
VII. Thou shalt not complain if thy terminal software croaks on ANSI color or RIP graphics...or on the features of the provided BBS. Thy Sysop has chosen a certain software, because it offered what he wanted for his BBS. The most popular one is the MTel Program, a FREEWARE telnet client for Windows and OS/2, for users of Windows XP or before, and OS/2 Warp. For users of Windows VISTA, you need to use the PuTTY Telnet Client instead. You will need WinZip, or the equivalent to extract the program from the archive. Thou mayest also choose the non-graphic mode at logon...or find another BBS, of which the software is more to thy liking.
VIII. Thou shalt observe thy time limit while in thy doors...as there are other users besides thyself that may wish to use said door.
IX. Thou shalt allow thy Sysop the luxury of human frailty....alas, even thy Sysop doth maketh mistakes, and he appreciateth much when errors, are brought to his attention, however trivial that they may seem to be.
X. Thou shalt not fear to ask for help at any time from thy Sysop. Thy Sysop runs this board because he ENJOYS running it...and that he does so out of the goodness and kindness of his heart. That means he ENJOYS the interaction he gets with his users. He is there to HELP. Thou shalt NOT take thy BBS's name in vain! If you are having a problem, it SHOULD be addressed to thy Sysop, or to fellow users. It should NOT be the topic of criticism on another BBS.
XI. Thou shalt have no other Sysop before me. (Just kidding... although this one is my favorite).(GRIN!)
XII. Thou shalt not drop carrier, telnet, or web connection without a valid reason. Thy Sysop recognizes that a loss of carrier, telnet or web connection, doth happen from time to time, and he allows for this. But, thy Sysop shall not suffer a user to continue calling, if they cannot take the time to log off correctly...either via a logoff door or via the Main Menu. Remember, that thou art a GUEST in thy Sysops domicile when thou log on to said BBS.
XIII. Thou shalt personally inspect any programs downloaded from thy BBS, that thy data may live a long and productive life. Thy Sysop tries to see that all files are holy and pure, but evil has a way of slipping in. Thy Sysop possessth thy latest utilities to check and exorcise demonic programs within nightly maintenence; but thou art advised to recheck thy downloaded files to keepeth thy system safe and pure.
XIV. Thou shalt not upload "smutware". These childish creations of a hormone fevered adolescent have no place in a legitimate BBS. They also tend to be the vehicles of trojan horse programs. "Look, boys and girls, she's taking off her bra! Oops! there goes 10 megs!! Can you say "toasted data" boys and girls? I knew you could." (GRIN!)
XV. Thou shalt have fun. This one doesn't take a Ph.D to figure out. It's the whole point of having a BBS! ENJOY!