u/PunkyRooo

Just curious if most of the community pining for the days of internet yore are older folk who lived through it and are nostalgic of if there is a cadre of younger people who are here out of curiocity or seeking an escape from the hellscape that the modern web (especially social media) has become.

EDIT: in the comments I added an ADDENDUM to this based on some insight someone shared that helped resolve some of my internal conflict...

Howdy! I am someone who has been developing their own BBS-esque web app thing and I've recently hit a cross-roads in development and wanted to get feedback from people who are in the whole retro pre/early internet vibe.

Originally my plan was to have a terminal emulated experience that is accessed from the web browser. As things developed, the whole BBS became interactable via /slash commands. Not exactly traditional... but it gave a text-based, terminal vibe and was pretty fun. BUT, obviously limiting. Sometimes in good ways... sometimes in bad.

In an effort to bring a bit more fun customization and visual affect to the experience I violated the text/typing-only UX with a pixel art editor that allowed you to use a mouse. This proved to be a very popular addition... despite being a "violation" of the terminal vibe.

As well, when I switched the login from a terminal experience to a more standard web app login/registration form, I got a much larger influx of users.

Now I've started adding custom games (like Wordle) with the same sort of non-terminal experience... but with every new feature I feel myself drift more and more away from the traditional BBS experience. And, frankly, I don't know how I feel about it.

I know there are BBS purists in this sub who find my web-based emulation to be an abomination... and I truly don't mean to offend. But I'm also hoping to find some kindred spirits who appreciate retro experiences who might provide some valuable insight for the direction of my own project (even if not a true BBS).

Thank you so much.

http://disbbs.org (if you are interested...)

I'm very interested in getting a Light Phone. The only thing only me back is understanding how to do with situations that DEMAND you have a standard smartphone. For example, last time I was on vacation EVERY parking lot was automated via an app.

How do you manage this with a Light Phone?