• Re: MS-DOS BBS Term roundup

    From paulie420@21:2/150 to Retroswim on Thu Dec 18 18:36:42 2025
    Tonight I ran a series of not-very-scientific tests on 8 different terminals for MS-DOS, using the ao486 core on my MiSTer.

    I'll be editing together a video of it all, but in summary, I found WAY bigger variance than I expected.

    Sweet! I'll be watching the channel for video posts! Thanks for doing so... w00t w00t.



    |07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
    |08.........

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)
  • From deon@21:2/116 to Exodus on Fri Dec 19 10:03:34 2025
    Re: Re: MS-DOS BBS Term roundup
    By: Exodus to Spinoza on Thu Dec 18 2025 05:10 pm

    Howdy,

    I am missing the terminals of the mailers, like Frontdoor, Intermail and Portal of Power(?)

    I think I started out on FrontDoor, but went to Portal of Power because it was "postcardware"... I think I sent a postcard... :|

    I still have it running in a VM at home, and its my test for EMSI/Zmodem to clrghouz...


    ...лоеп
    --- SBBSecho 3.29-Linux
    * Origin: I'm playing with ANSI+videotex - wanna play too? (21:2/116)
  • From phigan@21:3/193 to Retroswim on Mon Dec 22 04:00:10 2025
    Winner: TeleMate -- Rendered my entire board identically to SyncTerm.

    I knew it all along!


    --- NE BBS v1.13.2 (linux; x64)
    * Origin: NE BBS - nebbs.servehttp.com:9223 (21:3/193)
  • From sPINOZa@21:1/116 to Retroswim on Thu Dec 18 18:29:10 2025
    Hiya,

    good work! Do you also have version numbers of the programs you tested?
    I am missing the terminals of the mailers, like Frontdoor, Intermail and Portal of Power(?)

    Gtx!
    sPI

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: -.sNd!GRDn.- (21:1/116)
  • From Zip@21:1/202 to Retroswim on Thu Dec 18 19:41:20 2025
    Hello Retroswim!

    On 19 Dec 2025, Retroswim said the following...

    Tonight I ran a series of not-very-scientific tests on 8 different terminals for MS-DOS, using the ao486 core on my MiSTer.

    Thanks a lot for digging into this! Can't wait to see the vid! =)

    TeleMate was one of my favorites back in the day; later on, I switched to Terminate.

    Best regards
    Zip

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: Star Collision BBS, Uppsala, Sweden (21:1/202)
  • From Nightfox@21:1/137 to Retroswim on Thu Dec 18 10:56:10 2025
    Re: MS-DOS BBS Term roundup
    By: Retroswim to All on Fri Dec 19 2025 01:36 am

    Tonight I ran a series of not-very-scientific tests on 8 different terminals for MS-DOS, using the ao486 core on my MiSTer.

    Using Hayes modem emulation:
    Telix
    QModem
    ProComm
    Terminate
    TeleMate
    BananaCom
    Kermit

    ANSI rendering quality: Some terminals had a harder time rendering ANSI

    Winner: TeleMate -- Rendered my entire board identically to SyncTerm.

    Telemate ended up being my favorite comm program in the 90s. I've occasionally used it in DOSBox with modem emulation, and indeed, it seems to do a good job of rendering ANSI even today.

    Fair: Telix, ProComm, Kermit -- Some screens have incorrect line breaks

    I was disappointed to see issues with Telix in DOSBox with modem emulation, as Telix was another favorite comm program of mine.

    Nightfox
    --- SBBSecho 3.33-Linux
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)
  • From Exodus@21:1/144 to Spinoza on Thu Dec 18 17:10:58 2025
    I am missing the terminals of the mailers, like Frontdoor, Intermail and Portal of Power(?)



    FD /TERM was my goto back in the dialup days.

    ... Hostages? What do you mean, I thought they were targets..

    --- Renegade v1.35/DOS
    * Origin: The Titantic BBS Telnet - ttb.rgbbs.info (21:1/144)
  • From Roon@21:4/148 to Retroswim on Fri Dec 19 10:42:48 2025
    Hello Retroswim,

    Answering a msg of <19 Dec 25>, from you to All:

    great ! please post the yt link if you've finished the vid!

    ByEbYe
    --
    Daniel

    telnet://bbs.roonsbbs.hu:1212 <<=-

    ... Uptime: 2d 0h 53m 15s
    --- GoldED/2 1.1.4.7+EMX
    * Origin: Roon's BBS - Budapest, HUNGARY (21:4/148)
  • From Tanausu M.@21:3/219.1 to paulie420 on Fri Dec 19 12:13:22 2025

    Hello paulie420!

    18 Dec 25 18:36, you wrote to Retroswim:

    Tonight I ran a series of not-very-scientific tests on 8
    different terminals for MS-DOS, using the ao486 core on my
    MiSTer.

    I'll be editing together a video of it all, but in summary, I
    found WAY bigger variance than I expected.

    Sweet! I'll be watching the channel for video posts! Thanks for doing so... w00t w00t.



    |07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
    |08.........

    Hi. I don't know if you've already posted the yt link, but if not, could you share it?

    Thanks.

    --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20250409
    * Origin: Citrick BBS citlmbbs.synchro.net (21:3/219.1)
    ---
    * Origin: Citrick BBS citlmbbs.synchro.net (21:3/219.1)
  • From poindexter FORTRAN@21:4/122 to Retroswim on Fri Dec 19 07:38:10 2025
    Retroswim wrote to All <=-

    The next biggest surprise was what an obtuse piece of shit Kermit is,
    and how badly it renders everything. It has a HUGE amount of configurability though, and perhaps if I cared to digest the **350 PAGE MANUAL** that goes with it, then the results could perhaps be improved.

    In any case, there you go. If you wanna BBS from DOS with your WiFi232 modem thingie, use TeleMate.

    We knew Kermit was bad, I mostly only used it to connect to The
    Mainframe, and to download another terminal program.

    Telemate was cool because it had its own sort-of multitasking - you
    could open up a notepad and write while you were downloading.

    Telix was the boss because of the scripting language, you could script
    logging onto the BBS, downloading QWK/BW packets and uploading replies
    per BBS. The host mode got a few people started down the sysop rabbit
    hole, too.

    Procomm/Procomm Plus was always the gold standard for emulation - not
    just for ANSI but for VT100/220 function keys and screen controls. When
    I connected to PBXes and The Mainframe, I'd use Procomm.

    In fact, for Nortel PBXes, people wrote and distributed Procomm scripts
    to do global changes, create configuration listings and more. The script
    was all distributed by hand at their conferences from what I could tell.


    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)
  • From poindexter FORTRAN@21:4/122 to deon on Fri Dec 19 07:38:10 2025
    deon wrote to Exodus <=-

    I am missing the terminals of the mailers, like Frontdoor, Intermail and Portal of Power(?)

    I think I started out on FrontDoor, but went to Portal of Power because
    it was "postcardware"... I think I sent a postcard... :|

    I started off on FrontDoor, mostly because the BBSes in my othernet
    were using it and I needed the help getting started. Later I switched
    to BinkleyTerm, as I moved to OS/2 and wanted native apps. Going from a
    file-attach mailer to a BSO-style mailer took a bit of getting used to.



    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)
  • From Tanausu M.@21:3/219.1 to RetroSwim on Fri Dec 19 15:08:24 2025

    Hi. I don't know if you've already posted the yt link, but if
    not, could you share it?

    The video doesn't exist yet, the livestream was last night, I need to
    edit nearly 4 hours of video into something digestible.

    I'll post it here when it's ready :)

    Hi.
    Please be patient with those hours of video :P
    I'll have to check it out as soon as you publish it.

    --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20250409
    * Origin: Citrick BBS citlmbbs.synchro.net (21:3/219.1)
  • From niter3@21:1/199 to Retroswim on Sat Dec 20 02:16:20 2025
    In any case, there you go. If you wanna BBS from DOS with your WiFi232 modem thingie, use TeleMate.

    Good to know...

    Good write up.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (21:1/199)