...::::....::::::::........::.........:::.. | : ø ø : ~,~~ - (.) - : ø ø ø ø : /-)( | t-file : ø Hallucinatory Oyster Burrito ø : ()= assault : ø ø ø : HOOKA! .:.....:......::::........:::........:::.:. 30 September 1996 Issue #43 Table of Contents: Part 1: Editor's Comments Part 2: Hey, I thought HOB #42 was the *last* issue? Part 3: The Canton Connection. Have old modem users sold out? ============================================================================= Part 1: Editor's Comments Just a small note to let readers know that future issues of HOB will be of wider interest. I'm going to attempt to steer the 'zine towards topics of wider interest to the telecom community in general rather than making the 'zine predominantly a source for local issues and information. As always we will gladly accept submissions from just about anyone on just about any topic. Drop me a note in e-mail or on Radio KAOS BBS. The Dark Jester Pseudo-UnOfficial-Acting-Editor, Hallucinatory Oyster Burrito ============================================================================= Part 2: Hey, I thought HOB #42 was the *last* issue? Well, since you're reading this, obviously it wasn't. If you read the supposedly last issue of this 'zine I declaired that the Stark County modem community was dead and that the future of telecom was on the internet. Well, I was wrong. Atleast for the moment. 1. Skyrocketing on-line service costs The major on-line services such as America Online, Prodigy, and Compuserve charge in my opinion outrageous rates. It's not at all impossible for someone to end up with a $100 monthly bill if they spend a considerable amount of time online with one of these services. 2. The Internet can be less than warm and friendly. The Internet is really huge. It's sometimes a good deal of work just to find what you want in terms of information. The Internet is often very much like a huge shoping mall. Large and impersonal. Computer bulletin boards provide a way for people to enjoy their modem hobby without huge costs (providing they use a free BBS system). They also allow for a more personal form of communication by allowing users who live in the same general area to communicate with each other concerning topics and issues they have in common. It's unlikely that the folks in the alt.fan.bob-larson or alt.discordia newsgroup are going to have much insight in to what's going on in a local political race, a local high school, or at a local theatre. Bulletin Board Systems will continue to provide a valuable service for people for some time to come. What's interesting is that there are many people now on the internet who have never even BEEN on a BBS! SysOps have a new challenge of luring 'net users back to the fold of local telecom. ============================================================================= Part 3: The Canton Connection. Have old modem users sold out? I don't have the desire to re-hash all of the old issues concerning the past of the Canton Connection BBS. Previous issues of the DDE or HOB 'zines should give you atleast some sort of understanding of what went on. Suffice it to say, the TCC of today is very different from the TCC of previous years. Ex-Necropolis sysop Ryan Baguerous (Amphetamine Gobbler/Sorc/Gott) has accused former Necropolis users who now call TCC of having "sold out" and gone over to the enemy. I don't agree. First, TCC has undergone major changes in the years since the Necropolis & TCC modem wars. Pornographic/adult materials are now less in evidance on the system. Second, the sysops seem to have finally decided to take a more hands-off approach to running the system. I've seen people make comments about certain topics that I know atleast one sysop would not appreciate and no one has been attacked or banned. Finally, TCC offers telnet access to the internet for a nominal fee. For someone like myself who has an older system, it just doesn't make sense to pay $20 a month to a ISP provider for services I really wouldn't be able to exploit to the fullest. Additionally, the presence of ex-Necropolis BBS members has helped to spark interest in message base participation. There was a time when you wouldn't see a new post on TCC for a week or more at a time. If the TCC staff were engaging in oppressive activities; suppressing speech and baning users who disagreed, and if they were allowing just anyone to access the adult materials on their system I would not call it. Internet telnet access or no telnet access. If I called TCC despite such conditions I would then agree that I had "sold-out". However, such is not the case. Xpietoe/Albanara, a former Necropolis user, is well known for his Christian beliefs. I really doubt he would be on TCC as a user any more than I would if such activities still occured. If new information comes to light that is outside of my personal experiences, I would definately look at it and perhaps reevaluate my position. As for now, however, I have no problem being a user of today's TCC BBS. "Sold Out" ... gosh, i'm starting to feel like an alternative rock star that decided to sign to a major label! Too bad I don't get the money that would go along with such a scenario! `'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`' Hallucinatory Oyster Burrito An AUFHEBEN Production! support: tyrant(s): numbah: "Why, I don't know much of Radio KAOS - Jian the Mystic - 330.830.4041 anything!" - Eraserhead The Dark Jester _Submission Policy_: Hallucinatory Oyster Burrito is into subs! If you write something - anything - send it to us and we'll get it to press. For contacting HOB, see below. Call: Radio KAOS - 330.830.4041 `'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`' -eof-