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Rip Script overview

Specification (zip file)

And this version (there are earlier) dates from July 19th 1993.

RIPScrip appears to allow the transfer of scripts to the client, including template information, field handling, and autonomous response code.

Sounds like there is indeed prior art for this.

Simon

The entire pkware company was built on a deception -- all they did was take the ARC source code and change it around some and released it without proper attribution. So excuse me if I don't cry for them.

Check here:

http://www.bbsdocumentary.com

In short, Jason Scott is making a film about the BBS and the important aspects it played in the world. It's an ambitious project, and I had a lot of fun doing my interview, and anyone who has something to say about the BBS experience is encouraged to help him out.

Jason is one heck of a cool dude...can't wait to see how this turns out.

Welcome Slashdot readers! We are currently under WAY HEAVY LOAD, which should not be a surprise :-)
The regular website is disabled until we can cope with the load.

Until then, you can get more information about MindCandy from Maz Sound.
For ordering, check Fusecon's MindCandy ordering page.
If you'd like to see the trailers, a mirror of selected MindCandy content has been provided by Jason Scott.
(You may know Jason as the curator of textfiles.com and the BBS documentary project, so check them out.)

Here's some other questions people might have. I'll do my best to head them off:

What are you, Jason Scott, getting out of all this?

I am working on a Documentary about BBSes and run a site about 1980's BBSes and have a soft spot for anyone who dedicates so much time to bringing back computer history, as I'm doing myself. I know how much they spent in money on this (equipment, DVD pressing) and they went for tip-top quality in all of it, and I think this should be rewarded. Slashdot brings people to a site that might otherwise be overlooked.

What about the Amiga, C-64 and other machines?

I know they have plans to do those machines as well for the next in the series; that's why it's Volume 1. If this one sells well, they can afford to do another one. Therefore it's important that everyone who could want a DVD like this know about it. I know they're working on the technical issues of taking video output from these machines and making them look good.

Big deal, they hooked a VCR to a PC

No, that is not the case! When the site lightens up, and you read all they had to keep track of to make the demos look decent on a DVD, you will understand what a massive undertaking this is. Flicker, color-quality, even the problems of general radio interference across the video cables.... they had to handle all these problems, find solutions, and deal with them.

Who are these people?

If it means something to you, these folks are the driving forces behind the Hornet Archive and Mobygames. They care. They care a lot.

The BBS Documentary is still chugging along at the usual place. Over 120 interviews so far!

I'm not listed on the BBS Links, but that's OK. I also maintain a historical BBS List and a few BBS-era textfiles.

No, I think it's RIPScript. That stuff was horrible for designing BBS interfaces.

Oh, hey, while we're talking: Might as Well Mention the BBS Documentary Again.

For people who are concerned that I will never finish the film, I've created a page that hopefully addresses the concerns that people have. It might not satisfy everyone, but at the very least people will know that the issues are swimming somewhere in the back of my head.

Doom and Gloom: The Case Against the Documentary

By the way, I hope you don't think that an appearance on PBS represents the natural, meaningful end for a Documentary, with any other appearance not really representing completion or success.

While the proffered "timeline" of the online world seems (as some have suggested) to actually be the timeline of one particular person's online escapades, you may be interested to know that there is one person who is documenting the world of BBS's -- and doing it in great detail.

Check out Jason Scott's site for details. This fellow is travelling around North America doing filmed interviews with those who blazed some important trails.

Yes, he did interview me, too. We spoke of the Pyroto Mountain system (both in its original form and on the web), along with some other projects I did, such as the FreeSpeech (SASSy) project.

Rather glad, personally, that ZIP wiped the floor with ARC. It was a better format, and Thom is obviously a fanatical fruitcake.

• System Enhancements Associates (SEA) was a 2-person company - Thom Henderson and his wife.
• SEA's version of ARC was, in fact, a copy of the LZW compression routines used in the standard UNIX 'compress' command.
• ARC was released with full source code.
• There were several clones of ARC (based on the source code), not just PKARC. SEA did not appear to mind this.
• Phil Katz created PKARC, which was ARC with compression and decompression routines written in assembler. SEA contacted him to try and buy his assembler routines for the official ARC, but he refused.
• SEA sued PKWARE for copyright and trademark infringement when Phil Katz took out adverts in computer magazines making disparaging remarks about ARC. Because PKARC was basically a copy of ARC (from the same source), SEA had it in the bag.

Jason Scott rules. He's making a documentary on BBS's (the URL he gave in the parent, www.bbsdocumentary.com). I met him at Rubi-con a few months ago, and he was possibly one of the most interesting people there (no small feat ;). I know I'll certainly watch the finished piece. I don't know that it'll be interesting to John Q. TVviewer, but what the hell. Computers are cool now.

The site has been slashdotted before, but you can check out the BBS Documentary here.

I gave my interview in March and I thought it was a blast. Jason Scott (of textfiles.com) is doing this as a solo project and is a great guy to talk to.

If you haven't contributed something to this project, you might want to check this out.

http://www.bbsdocumentary.com: The BBS Documentary, currently in production.
http://bbslist.textfiles.com: My list of BBSes, ever growing, and needing your help (and lists).

- Jason Scott
TEXTFILES.COM

There was so much hate in some of these people, too.

Very true. I think the documentary is bound to give short shrift to this unpleasant fact, though. Listen to this utopianism from the pitch: "an entire generation started to grow up online. They knew then what so many are learning now: the thrill of communication with others like themselves, around the country and the world.... They made friendships to last a lifetime. And they changed everything." Yikes. Talk about rose-colored glasses. What about the fact that the BBS world was often a snake pit of casual bans, flame wars, and rigid groupthink?

there were just so many unpleasant folks out there they ruined the experience for everyone. They know who they are, and they didn't contribute shit other than efforts overshadowed by ugly attitudes.

The only thing I disagree with is that "they know who they are." I think the most unpleasant people in the BBS scene were people who thought very highly of themselves and their contributions, and who really believed they were improving things for everyone by carrying out personal vendettas, banning everyone they disagreed with, and leading the charge to label anyone who didn't agree with local consensus as a troll. As usual, the real black hats were the crusaders, and they were convinced they were on the side of the angels.

Tim

Sorry, I'm a moron. I meant software.bbsdocumentary.com and not hostnet.net. Just goes to show that 5 previews is STILL not enough.

While I can't speak for the product itself, I can tell you that I've known the CEO, Andrew Rubin, since I was 14. In fact, he ran one of the better BBSes I've been on, a huge multi-line BBS called "Spies in the Wire" that became "spies.com" and a mass of other things. I've kept in touch through the years (although he's harder to reach these past few, go figure), and Andy's always got his hand in something or somewhere cool. Beyond that, he's a great guy all around, who often gave great technology or computer resources away for free to people just to ensure that more folks could share in the fun (we're talking the 1980's, when it was a bit harder to get access to systems and resources beyond home use).

He's put in his dues as far as working at companies and startups are concerned, and I've seen him "walk the walk" when it came to actually producing neat stuff.

Good luck with the Danger, Andy!

- Jason Scott
TEXTFILES.COM
BBS Documentary?