Introduction

Circuit Switched Telephony

Hardware

images/pots_fig10.2.png

Phone Charges

In Germany during the 80ies and 90ies

Acoustic Coupler

images/accoustic_coupler.jpg

Modems

Automation of the acoustic coupler

images/analogm.png

Modems

images/Modems.jpg

Modem Speeds / Standards

Standard Rate (bps) Year created

V.21

300

1962*

V.22

1200

1980*

V.22bis

2400

1984*

V.32

9600

1984*

V.32bis

14400

1991

V.32ter

19200

1993

V.34

28000

1994

V.34bis

33600

1996

V.90

56000

1998

BBSs

What’s a BBS?

To operate a BBS, you had to have

To use a BBS, you

Content

images/dosbox-telemate-login.png

Technology/Software

images/telemate.jpg

Demo

Time for a demo

Note
I’m using telnet instead of modem/dialup (POTS lines hard to find these days)

The "BBS Protocol Stack"

In the spirit of protocol stack diagrams…

images/bbs-protocol_stack.svg

Curiosity: Vector Graphics

images/Nouveau.png

Isolated BBSs

To participate in bulletin/message boards

Points / Offline Messages

Advantages:

images/xpmenu.gif

BBS networks (store + forward)

As opposed to individual BBSs with isolated communities…

Idea: Replicate bulletin / message boards between independent BBSs, for

BBS network technology (examples)

Example: FIDOnet

Example: Z-Netz

Example: UseNet

Curiosity: Floppy Poll/Point

images/floppy-disk-1219954_640.png

Internet

Early ways to access Internet:

Internet with SLIP

Popular software stack looked like:

images/mosaic.jpg

Internet on PCs before Linux

ISDN

ISDN Terminal Adapter

images/isdn.jpg

How to get Internet Access?

Individual Network (IN) e.V.

Internet

With packet-switched TCP-IP

This brought new purpose to leased lines

Analog Leased Lines

hub-nbg.franken.de, 1998

images/pict3_Lg.jpg

hub-nbg.franken.de, 1998

images/pict4_Lg.jpg

ISDN Leased Lines "SPV"

Abusing Analog Lines, Part 1

Easy upgrade to get performance of a leased ISDN line out of an Analog-G

Leased Lines at KNF, 1997/1998

bbs_early_internet__1.png

hub-fue.franken.de, undated

images/hub-fue-03_Lg.jpg

hub-fue.franken.de, undated

images/hub-fue-04_Lg.jpg

Abusing Analog Lines, Part 2

When the first DSL modems became available in the US

images/ascend.jpg

From Online Bistro to Internet Cafe

Summary

Conclusions

In the BBS days

This autonomy and de-centralization has been lost in the Internet age

Further Reading

Thanks

EOF

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