The Santa Barbara BBS Nostalgia Page
"People with no lives reminiscing about when they had - no lives" -- Useless Pages
"The Internet Insult Contest... Funny as hell" -- The Net Magazine

"What the hell is this stupid page, anyway?"

The Santa Barbara BBS Nostalgia Page serves as an exposé of the thriving pre-internet culture in Santa Barbara cyberspace.

For years, Santa Barbara has been a unique place for online discussion. In the last few years, the online world has shifted focus from the small, independently-run local BBS systems to the vastness of the Internet and the World Wide Web. But despite this rapid migration to the net, there are still a few sysops in our area who refuse to shut down their long-running BBS systems.

The environment created by the still-standing text-based BBS systems -- leftovers from the 1980's -- allow a more informal and personal interaction among the members of our online community. If the massive growth of the World Wide Web is the centerpoint of the "information superhighway," then our local systems, with their focus on conversation, were the corner pubs where the locals gathered. We called the BBS systems to rant, to debate, to argue, to insult each other, and yet we still managed to all get together for pizza every so often. We even put together several magazines of fiction and poetry. We've always had a lot to say.

While the momentum of the local BBS dies down in favor of the hyped-up information overload of the Internet, we will still be around. Our numbers are growing smaller, but we continue to grasp to hold on to the unique meeting places we knew so well. Eventually -- probably sooner than later -- the local BBS traffic will sputter and die down altogether. Until that happens, the last remaining few of us will continue to hang on.

This page stands as a museum of messages containing the best of the rants, controversies, discussions and dramas we have lived through. There is a broad acceptance and encouragment for the use of pseudonyms on our BBS systems; and thus, many of our denizens will be referred to by their usual online personas here. The messages presented here represent a small piece of historic nostalgia for those of us who were (and still are) involved in the unique Santa Barbara telecommunity.

So poke through these collections and maybe, just maybe, you might find something entertaining. Then come see what the shouting's about, with help from the Santa Barbara BBS list.

Free Speech Blue Ribbon Campaign

The personalities in our telecommunity are notorious for speaking their minds without reservation or concern for censorship. Our telecommunity has always been an excellent open forum for discussion, debate, and free will.

The Archives and Assorted Nostalgia

User Archives

Miscellany

Some Award Winners


Swagazine
Don't miss Santa Barbara telecom's best literary endeavor!
More nostalgia and some great creative writing can be found at The Swagazine Rack.


The Cast of Characters

Here are some users from the Santa Barbara BBS telecommunity who were bored enough to make their own home pages. Some of them have since moved away, but they don't get off the hook that easily.

Be sure to join us at Barbaria, the Internet BBS founded by Santa Barbara users. Type bbs at the login prompt.

This is only a small glimpse into the many facets of our BBS scene. Come see what the shouting's about by checking out the Santa Barbara local BBS list.

Questions about this page? Comments? Send us feedback at our letters column!

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