Óscar Toledo G. recalls his 1993 Zilog Z280-based homebrew computer with 512 KB of RAM, a Hayes modem running at 2400 bauds, and a self-written serial terminal. Without the Internet, he learned RS-232C, AT commands, and ANSI escape sequences from books. He implemented escape sequences like Esc [2J and Esc [0;35m, but book definitions sometimes differed from real BBS usage.
To handle deviations, he added a capture buffer using the Z280's 64K MMU access, saving every received byte sequentially. A file named CUEVA.TXT on an old floppy disk preserves a session from 9:30pm to 9:47pm, after February 11, 1993, while calling La Cueva BBS in Mexico. The replay shows a file download attempt, phone line failure trash, and buffer overflow starting with a log off message.
Keystroke timing was lost, so screens change rapidly. Other BBS of the era included Catarsys, and La Cueva BBS likely disappeared by 1994 or 1995. The replay uses Javascript code and an adapted js Term by Peter Nitsch, with .htaccess changes to un-taint the canvas font.
Óscar Toledo G. found a 1993 list of BBS phone numbers displayed as an alternate help page, with passwords redacted. Watching the replay brought back memories, and some friends had no idea the BBS existed.
Источник: Hacker News · Сводку подготовил HeadlinesBriefing