bbs-web-devel — Website development

[Michael M. <sho...@gr...>]

Here are the plans I typed up:

(Table Of Contents)
I.	Purpose
II.	Plans
III.	Goals
IV.	Contacting
V.	Help Wanted!!

  __________
 /          \
| I. Purpose |
 \__________/
 
 When I was nine years old, I signed up with Cyberspace BBS, a local
dial-in social gathering run by my mother's then-boyfriend. (He's now my
step-dad)

 I met people that I know today, ten years later.  People like Ryan (Fat
Albert...later Nebuchadnezzar), Andy (Strike), Amy (Doodles...later
Queen Bean), and Marion (Ratava).  You probably haven't heard of many of
these people..None of them have gone on to be rich and famous.  But
they've been computer-savvy for the ten years that I've known them. 
They're the people who have become my friends, and they're the people
with whom I can relate and understand.

 I can't really say that about people like Bill Gates, Bill Clinton,
George Bush, Madaline Albright, Saddam Hussein, and all of the other
hundreds of people who most of the world has heard of.  Many people have
spent most of their lives thinking that Harrison Ford is their best
friend just because they've seen all his movies. ???  Thad (Coderjoe)
has, since I first met him, had three or four high-paying jobs as a
programmer and system/network administrator.  Dave (Shameless...later
Sparks) is currently the network administrator foir all of Meijers,
Inc.'s supermarkets.  How many people can say that they know these
people?

 People think that they have connections just because they talk
constantly and simultaneously on forty-two different IRC channels. 
People think they're computer-savvy just because they use programs that
crash other people's computers, and write viruses while using the
Windows platform.  People think they're super-geniuses just because they
were valadictorian at MIT four years in a row.

 Sure, I'm on IRC, but since when have I said that I have connections
because of it?  As far as I'm concerned, forty-two is just the meaning
of life. (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)  I use Linux, and I despise
script-kiddies and crackers because they give the media something to use
to negatively stereotype computer-savvy people.  I've had all A's once
or twice in school, but on the whole my grades are average.  However, I
have yet to meet anyone who I can't outperform during a debate, or
convince that politics are pointless and are meant to be entertainment
for the rich and famous.

 I'm not sure, but I see a fundamental difference between me and those
IRC chatterboxes.  Most people using IRC loose touch with each other
eventually.  What do they think of it?  /I wonder what happened to that
guy on #pokemon.  Oh well./  When I meet someone I knew on Cyberspace
BBS that I haven't heard from in a while, what do I do? /Hey!  How're
you doing?  Did you get that minivan you were talking about?  What?!  It
blew the engine as you were driving it home?/

 I may be wrong, but I think that a wide-spread revival of the BBS
social system is just what is needed to bring back together the pockets
of friends that have been scattered all over the internet.

  _________
 /         \
| II. Plans |
 \_________/

 Currently, I'm expecting to build a Linux kernel module that handles
monitoring of connections and the status of the devices those
connections run through.  For instance, If a modem doesn't respond to an
initialization string, I'm going to try calling that modem with another
modem that I know works.  Simple diagnostics.

 Accounting is going to be a major step in this project.  Once a
flexible accounting system is completed, I'm really hoping that existing
ISPs will start using the BBS software as a base for their own local
social system.

 Teleconference is going to be necessary...As is email and smtp/pop3
support.  pop2, maybe.  IMAP is a strong possibility...basically, just a
stardized interface to mail handling programs.

 Some sort of simplistic interface using stin, stout, and sterr for
interaction with games and other text-based software.

 Possibly compatability with the VNC protocol.

 Possibly compatability with the RIP protocol.

 Inherent support for IP/IP tunneling(Read the Linux kernel docs)

 Inherent support for DHCP

 Inherent support for PPP/SLIP

  __________
 /          \
| III. Goals |
 \__________/

 My main goal is to get at least one beta system up and running, and
have a large user base to go with it.

 My secondary goal is to get a large number of beta testers and software
developers to work on this project.  (I have other dreams, too, you
know.  :)
  ______________
 /              \
| IV. Contacting |
 \______________/

 I can be contacted at my email address of (read the following
<-sdrawkcab<- as I hate spam..) moc...@ti...ohs ..  :)

 Suggestions of any sort whatsoever...even for somthing as specific as
to what type of plastic my hair comb should be...are very welcome.
  ________________
 /                \
| V. Help Wanted!! |
 \________________/

 Read my secondary goal above... =)