Hi all, just figured I'd jump on and join the conversation, although it seems I'm a little late to the party :)

I grew up on a Commodore 128 and used it well into the 90's and it remained our sole family computer until we got our first IBM-Compatible PC in 1995 or so. It had a 1200 baud modem, 1541 drive and 80-column monitor. I remember being maybe 5 and my dad buying that modem and dialing into BBSes back in the late 80's. We had hundreds if not thousands of 5 1/4" floppies full of games, utilities and educational software, some of them legally obtained, many of them not :)

Once we got the PC, no one gave a crap about the Commodore so I had it all to myself, set it up in my room with a portable black and white TV with a 5" screen and could dial into the few BBSes that were still operational within the local calling area.

I did eventually get a PC of my own in 1997 and started a BBS here in Connecticut called Blanch Bridge that was running on TriBBS for DOS and was not really that great. Shortly thereafter BBS'es seemingly fell off the face of the earth, at least in my world, and I wouldn't look back for a great many years.

I would, however, acquire a second Commodore 128 and 1541 drive from a Mac guy that just didn't want them, which was great at the time because my 1541 had soiled the bedsheets and the 128 was another joystick port and a few other necessities behind it. Unfortunately my disks, tape drive, good 128, good 1541 drive and monitor all went down to a hackerspace I was a member with for a while, management changed hands and now I can't get my stuff back.

A few years ago, I took my partially-working C128 and built an SD2IEC on a perf board. (SD Card 1541 emulator) It's served me well. I also built a Wifi interface which is spotty at best and unfortunately refuses to see my router. I also placed components and started running wires for an ethernet interface but haven't gotten around to completing it. Besides, I really like the retro nostalgia aspect of dialing in with a modem :)

My latest hairbrained idea
is to get my Commodore connected to as many internet services as I can. Right now I'm exploring the options available on the dialup BBS'es that offer internet services like WWW, IRC, and Telnet out.

Ultimately I'm hoping to adopt the optimal BBS configuration, probably Worldgroup or Maximus, so I can set up my own portal on my PC and dial in over a simulated phone line. There are some C64-Based BBS'es that are Telnet-only and I'd love to be able to connect to them on the Commodore using the modem.

Anyway that was a whole boatload of words and it's just about midnight, so I'll sign off for now and will be back soon!

Cheers,
-Adam
Sysop of long-defunct dysfunctional cave of horrors Blanch Bridge BBS
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Re: Re: C128 Owners
By: Radu to Spitfire on Fri Jun 06 2025 00:01:07

I grew up on a Commodore 128...

That must've been uncomfortable.

BBS'es seemingly fell off the face of the earth, at least in my world...

It wasn't just yours. Thanks to Windows 95 and the growing number of ISPs (especially the cable companies), access to the Internet became much easier.

...and the 128 was another joystick port and a few other necessities behind it.

Not quite sure what your saying here.

Ultimately I'm hoping to adopt the optimal BBS configuration, probably Worldgroup or Maximus...

You lost me at "optional BBS configuration". Optional to what?

There are some C64-Based BBS'es that are Telnet-only and I'd love to be able to connect to them on the Commodore using the modem.

That would be very inefficient, if even possible. You'd have to first dial into a system that had Telnet, then use that to get to the BBS your after.
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