Killer Green Information
Environmental BBSs
by R.U. Steinberg

Computers and the environment. On the surface, they don't seem to go together very well. For one thing, computers aren't biodegradable. And what will it be like when future scientists do digs at landfills, unearth all those 20th-century floppies, and try to analyze them to learn more about our culture?

But the truth of the matter is, if you have a computer and a modem, there's a lot you can do to learn more about the environment. And I'm not just talking about the Internet (which is only useful if you want to e-mail someone in, say, Helsinki, to ask about bacterial levels in Barton Creek, only to end up with 3,000 amusing anecdotes about the subject).

Internet, Schminternet. How about calling a locally run computer bulletin board system?

Called BBSs for short, these points of electronic knowledge offer a wide array of information and services. Granted, they're not as extensive as what's on the Internet, but they're also not as complicated to maneuver. Accessing BBSs is also a lot cheaper - in fact, some are free. You call the BBS directly from your modem, and you usually don't need to know awkward commands to perform complex searches involving Archie, Veronica, Jughead, or anyone else at Riverdale High, for that matter. You also don't usually need to identify yourself with a funny name like R.U.STEINBERG@whatthehellisthis.com. Usually, you can identify yourself by your name or a simple alias.

BBS Basics

Basically, a BBS is a computer - usually with a lot of memory - that has one or more phone lines attached to it via modem. The BBS is set up to accept phone calls from other computers that are equipped with modems. Once on a BBS, computer users are usually led through a menu that gives them a variety of activities to choose from. Users can leave messages for or receive messages from other users (what is known as sending electronic mail or echomail). They can receive or donate software and files (known as "downloading" and "uploading," respectively). On some systems, they can also access online games, as well as other services.

BBSs have been around for years, but really took off in the early to mid-1980s during the initial personal computer craze, when average Janes and Joes started running them out of their houses. It wasn't long before various BBS operators - known as sysops, for "system operators" - across the country banded together to form various networks, or nets, which allowed BBS users to communicate with their counterparts across the country - or the world. Users are able to call into their local BBS, join a conference on a topic (i.e., "Ecology"), and post messages to other users about the topic. At the end of the day, local sysops phone into a central exchange line, upload all their users' messages, and download everybody's responses.

Many of these computer hobbyists/enthusiasts run BBSs because they want to spread knowledge and information, as well as a bit of their personalities. Most sysops don't run their BBS for profit. All have invested a lot of time, energy, and money into their hobby, in the vein of ham radio.

Some sysops charge their users a fee to recoup the cost of their long distance phone bills and equipment, while others don't charge anything. (One Austin sysop told me his long distance bill went as high as $800 a month, but he didn't charge his users anything more than voluntary donations.)

The Internet, which has received a lot of media hype lately, is in a sense a string of many BBSs across the world. It is massive, all-encompassing, hard to maneuver, and somewhat expensive for its users (usually about $15 to $20 a month or more for access). BBSs, on the other hand, are relatively small, and therefore contain fewer files and less information. They are also easier to explore - menus and on-line help guide users through choices ("Enter `F' if you want to go to the files section, Enter `G' if you want to play online games, Enter `J' to join a conference, Enter `L' for a list of conferences," etc.).

In recent years, it seems that BBSs have only made the news when they were frequented by bucolic child molesters and/or prankster computer hackers. Yes, it's true - these types have been known to log on to BBSs. They've also been known to buy food and pump gas into their cars, but I hope that hasn't stopped anyone from eating or driving around town. Nowadays, in order to have a little sense of computer security, most sysops ask their users for simple information: name, address, phone number, birth date, etc.

Environmental BBSs

In order to list BBSs that had environment-related subjects, I used a locally produced list of BBSs in the Austin area called RETSOF as my guide. RETSOF, compiled by local BBSer John Foster, includes more than 300 BBSs (updated regularly) and briefly describes what each offers. I logged onto over 100 BBSs - all that were listed on RETSOF as having echomail (e-mail) capabilities - and hunted around through their conference and file directory listings.

Because this article is meant to showcase locally run BBSs as an alternative to the Internet, the list does not include people/organizations who pretty much focus all their energies on the Internet. The list also does not include larger national databases, such as Compuserve & GEnie.

Many BBSs were not listed because they didn't offer any obvious access to environmentally related conferences or files. Many sysops, however, can access and offer these conferences upon request - so the list is in no way "complete." My advice is to log on to these BBSs, download a list of Austin-area BBSs for yourself, and go exploring!

(All phone numbers are within the 512 area code unless otherwise noted.)