• Retro is the New Neo (Again) : Retro and Smol Tools for the Text Tinker

    From Syber Shock@3:770/3 to All on Sat Jul 1 10:11:53 2023
    XPost: alt.folklore.computers, alt.cypherpunks, alt.bbs.synchronet
    XPost: comp.infosystems.gemini, alt.bbs

    Retro is the New Neo (Again) :
    Retro and Smol Tools for the Text Tinker Train

    <followup-to: alt.cypherpunks>

    # TABLE OF CONTENTS

    1. Usenet : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet
    2. Bitmessage : https://bitmessage.org
    3. NovaBBS / Rocksolid Light : https://novabbs.org
    4. Tildeverse : https://tildeverse.org
    5. DarkMX : https://darkmx.app
    6. RetroShare : https://retroshare.cc
    7. Citadel BBS Groupware : https://citadel.org
    8. BBS (Bulletin Board System) : https://www.telnetbbsguide.com
    9. Toot (Mastodon) : https://toot.bezdomni.net

    # INTRODUCTION

    I enjoy reading from old-school text protocols like Usenet, IRC,
    FidoNet, and even the modern flood forum, Bitmessage. Some people have
    recently shared some ideas about doing new things in old ways with
    old-timey or retro methods where text is tops, and characters are king.
    They have put their ideas on the wire in the form of work product and I
    find it inspiring. In this article is some information about a few
    communities and tools for mostly text-centric information sharing (with
    some file-sharing included).

    # Usenet : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet

    Of course Usenet is the #1 retro community for dropping ideas on the
    wire. If the reader is unfamiliar with Usenet, think of it as your
    grandpa's Internet, only better. Imagine an Internet that worked only
    because grandpa had to hand-crank a generator to push electrons uphill
    both ways in eight feet of snow on the way to the post office.

    Usenet is useful for sharing text and binary files. Its original design
    is text-centric but binary files can be encoded as text or attachments
    and forwarded on the network. Many people around the world still depend
    on Usenet to share files and have raging arguments over miniscule disagreements. These arguments are sometimes called, 'flame wars.'

    The following link points to a list of Usenet servers that are free to
    use.

    Usenet Free Servers List : https://sybershock.com#usenet

    # Bitmessage : https://bitmessage.org

    Although a newer text messaging protocol, Bitmessage sports a solid
    'retro' aesthetic. It still runs like a champ using the deprecated
    programming language, Python2. Bitmessage works like an encrypted
    Usenet with much shorter article retention time. It provides secret
    channels which are like private, encrypted newsgroups that the user
    creates instead of asking a sysop to create a group.

    The Bitmessage web site says: "Bitmessage is a P2P communications
    protocol used to send encrypted messages to another person or to many subscribers. It is decentralized and trustless, meaning that you
    need-not inherently trust any entities like root certificate
    authorities. It uses strong authentication which means that the sender
    of a message cannot be spoofed, and it aims to hide "non-content" data,
    like the sender and receiver of messages, from passive eavesdroppers
    like those running warrantless wiretapping programs."

    Redneck translation: Only the Almighty can crack your encrypted
    messages. Everyone else is wasting their time trying to spy on this
    network. Your mails are safe, Bubba.

    # NovaBBS / Rocksolid Light : https://novabbs.org

    Rocksolid Light is a text-based forum based on the NNTP protocol. It
    uses a NNTP server backend to serve a forum website. The forums can be
    accessed via a web browser or using a NNTP client such as Thunderbird,
    Pan, Sylpheed, or Claws-Mail. NovaBBS also synchronizes with a bulletin
    board service, or BBS, which are explained later in this document.

    Rocksolid Light peers can link independent forums together for a
    decentralized network similar to Usenet and they can peer directly with
    Usenet servers. Each forum topic corresponds to a NNTP newsgroup in
    dedicated News reader applications.

    Rocksolid Light Source Code:
    https://github.com/novabbs/rocksolid-light

    # Tildeverse: https://tildeverse.org

    Users on the Tildeverse tend to enjoy text-centric 'smolnet'
    applications such as IRC, NNTP, gopher, gemini, and spartan.

    The Tildeverse site says: "we're a loose association of like-minded
    tilde communities. if you're interested in learning about *nix (linux,
    unix, bsd, etc) come check out our member tildes and sign up! tildes
    are pubnixes in the spirit of tilde.club, which was created in 2014 by
    paul ford."

    # DarkMX: https://darkmx.app

    One old community that provided millions of users with file-sharing and anonymous messaging and publication was WinMX. DarkMX is the successor
    to the WinMX network. DarkMX is a peer-to-peer network that works over
    a onion network. It is a continuation of the original WinMX but with
    encrypted and anonymous traffic. It has text chat built-in. The DarkMX interface is a miracle of material design for user experience.

    The DarkMX site says: "DarkMX is a new decentralized communication app
    that utilizes Tor hidden services to allow you to easily have an
    anonymous, reliable, and censorship-resistant presence on the internet.
    You can chat. You can share files. You can search other people's files.
    You can keep a contact list and send private messages to your friends.
    You can create your own custom .onion site, available to anyone with a
    Tor Browser."

    WinMX (DarkMX predecessor): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinMX

    # RetroShare : https://retroshare.cc

    RetroShare is a F2F (friend-to-friend) network. It is decentralized and
    secure. It enables users to connect privately to their friends and work associates in a secure environment over the hostile Internet panopticon.

    The RetroShare site says: "Connect with Friends and Family. Retroshare establish[es] encrypted connections between you and your friends to
    create a network of computers, and provides various distributed
    services on top of it: forums, channels, chat, mail... Retroshare is
    fully decentralized, and designed to provide maximum security and
    anonymity to its users beyond direct friends. Retroshare is entirely
    free and open-source software. It is available on Android, Linux, MacOS
    and Windows. There are no hidden costs, no ads and no terms of service."

    # Citadel BBS Groupware : https://citadel.org

    Citadel is a 'all-in-one' package of communication protocols that grew
    out of the BBS scene into a groupware suite. In addition to modern
    graphical paradigms and interfaces, Citadel retains a retro BBS front
    end. The Citadel site says:

    "Citadel is groupware with BBS roots, so it's no surprise that Citadel
    still offers a traditional text-based BBS front end."

    Wikipedia says:

    "Citadel (originally referred to as "Citadel/UX" to disambiguate it
    from other implementations) is a collaboration suite (messaging and
    groupware) that is directly descended from the Citadel family of
    programs which became popular in the 1980s and 1990s as a bulletin
    board system platform. It is designed to run on open source operating
    systems such as Linux or BSD. Although it is being used for many
    bulletin board systems, in 1998 the developers began to expand its functionality to a general purpose groupware platform."

    "In order to modernize the Citadel platform for the Internet, the
    Citadel developers added functionality such as shared calendars,
    instant messaging, and built-in implementations of Internet protocols
    such as SMTP, IMAP, Sieve, POP3, GroupDAV and XMPP. All protocols offer
    OpenSSL encryption for additional security." [Wikipedia]

    The Citadel site says:

    "Email, collaboration, groupware, and content management - up and
    running in minutes, on your own hardware or in the cloud. ... Citadel
    is easy, versatile, and powerful, thanks to its exclusive "rooms" based architecture. No other platform seamlessly combines so many different
    features using this familiar and consistent metaphor."

    "Groupware/BBS Style Services - Addressbook, Calendar/Scheduling,
    Filestorage, Notes, Tasks, Wiki, Blog, XMPP/Jabber."

    Citadel maintains a uncensored BBS you can test: http://uncensored.citadel.org/wiki?page=home.

    # BBS (Bulletin Board System) : https://www.telnetbbsguide.com

    A BBS (Bulletin Board System) is an early predecessor of the Internet
    and sibling of Network News or Usenet. For decades before the Internet
    became widespread individual bulletin boards would accept dial-up calls
    over modems from client computers. Each day the BBS would then dial
    other BBSes and exchange mail and files with them, and forward Network
    News messages. Many BBSes interoperated with Usenet to forward messages.

    Hundreds of BBSes still operate today over the Internet. And a few
    BBSes still accept dial-up modem connections and some of these are
    capable of packet radio data transfers, which is similar to using a CB
    radio to transmit text data between computers. Existing BBSes carry and
    relay messages for several retro networks, from DOVEnet and FIDOnet to
    Usenet. Users interact and read their mail and download files with
    telnet clients such as Putty or via a terminal emulator. Some BBSes let
    users log in with a modern web browser and a forum-like interface.

    # Toot (Mastodon) : https://toot.bezdomni.net

    Toot is a TUI (Test User Interface) front end for the Mastodon social
    network.

    Although Mastodon is neither retro nor text-centric in general practice
    or design, the Toot application interface is very retro and
    text-centric. With Toot the user can engage on Mastodon in plain text
    with a very lean, fast, and well-organized interface. Using Toot allows
    the user to avoid the clutter and flood of distracting images that are
    found when using Mastodon in a web browser.

    Toot source code: https://github.com/ihabunek/toot

    # CONCLUSION

    These successful networks, protocols, and applications began as small
    ideas that grew into big concerns despite user interfaces that were
    mostly text-centric rather than ostentatiously graphical like the
    modern web. Some of the ancient or 'retro' networks, tools, and trick
    trains are still chugging along, offering an alternative to the
    panopticon of social media and centralized messaging services.

    Almost every digital technologist and programmer who finds this message
    likely has some 'little idea' that's been tossing around in the back of
    the mind. Perhaps the idea is an improvement on existing technology or
    methods. Perhaps the idea it is a tiny tool that could change the way
    people think about something, or the way they think about everything.
    Perhaps it is the next 'big thing' that could change the way people
    connect and share information.

    It doesn't really matter what it is. It matters what it is to you, the
    creator, and what it becomes to those to whom you reveal it. Whatever
    it is, your idea is work product waiting to happen, urgent to assume
    form to help and bless someone, somewhere. I want to encourage the
    tinkerer to create that idea and put it out on the ether. You may not
    know who might benefit from it. It doesn't matter if you know who
    benefits. What matters is that you create it and put it into words for
    others to read and use, and maybe to move the tinker train on down the
    track.

    "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many
    days." ~ Ecclesiastes 11:1

    --
    SugarBug | https://sybershock.com

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)