Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 15:28:54 -0400
From: Namaste Master 
To: nocarrier@textfiles.com
Subject: Suggested contribution for your timeline list, from a principal

Hi NoCarrier,

Found your site through today's SlashDot listing and wanted to submit
a couple of things for possible inclusion in your timelines.

First is the fact that when my first wife, Cathy, and I were "Staff
Writers" and "Publicity Directors" for "Loving Alternatives" magazine
out of San Dimas, CA from 1989 through 1993, "Loving Alternatives"
being the premier "alternative lifestyles" publication in the US at
the time (i.e., polyamory, swinging, BDSM, etc.), in 1990 we created
the first national SubBoard, "LAMsub" which had its featured nodes on
both FIDO and WWIV, that was sponsored directly by a national
erotic-focused/alternative lifestyles magazine (Loving Alternatives),
beating Playboy to the punch by several months. If you need "evidence"
of this claim, I think I have an old copy of Loving Alternatives in my
archive that lists some the BBS's back then that had picked up either
the FIDO or WWIV nodes and their respective phone numbers, that I
might could scan and send to you, if need be.

JTLYK, back then, my first wife used the joint handle "Gretchen &
Jurgen B." (the "B" stood for Balfour), as well as our individual
handles occasionaly "Gretchen B." and "Jurgen B.".

Also, I would like to nominate for possible inclusion in your list,
the fact that North Carolina's first BBS was "Dial-Your-Match" also
known as "OracleBBS", which was founded by owner and sysop Dale
Dutcher, went online way back in 1979, had to be one of the very first
public access BBS's anywhere in the country. First wife and I were
User #3 there, our handle being "Gretchen & Jurgen B.", JTLYK.

A few months after Dale put Dial-Your-Match/OracleBBS online,
"Anonymous Jones Information Service" also known as "AJIS" was put
online in early 1980, based in Raleigh. AJIS become popular throughout
the US because of their very long and comprehensive list of all the
BBS's in North Carolina and eventually neighboring states and other
states across the US, in time. There are still many "old timers" that
remember this list if they don't specifically remember AJIS.

A month after AJIS was online, "Micro Message Service/MMS" BBS, also
based in Raleigh, was put online in mid-1980 approximately. From Day
One of their going into service, they had a minimum of five
simultanenous dial-in lines (and eventually had as many as 25 or more,
before going out of business) and was created more for business
customers who wanted to be "on the curve" of technology, and back then
a one year's subscription cost $25. MMS always claimed to be the very
first BBS in North Carolina but this simplu wasn't/isn't true,
DYM?Oracle and AJIS being first and second, respectively. I do think,
and I could be wrong, that MMS was one of the first BBS's, commercial
or hobby, to have that many dial-in lines into their bus at that point
in BBS evolution.

Additionally, I was a little surprised that you didn't mention
FIITAnet, which was a hugely popular nodechain BBS system, at least in
North Carolina and parts of the Southest, having at least 200 or 300
subscribing BBS's on it before collapsing from changing technology
sometime in the early to mid 90's. "FIITA" was an acronym for, and I
swear I am not making this up, "Fuck It In The Ass" network.

Anyway, these are my contributions to the oral history of BBSing
archive, I hope you find one to all of them useful, and thanks for
doing all you're doing to preserve the history of the BBS culture now
past like some already nearly-long-forgotten civilization, Sincerely
Yours, NamasteMaster/AKA Jurgen B.