Wandering about the title of this site ? Unlike other references to "Digital Nexus" that can be dug up in a search engine, this name has a history of more than 6 years. So yeah, we're the first and we're here to stay ;-).
During 1993, I entered the world of modeming and consequently, the world of BBSing with a Hyundai 1200bps modem. The "amateur" Bulletin Board Systems, now almost extinct, were introduced back in the eighties, where a primitive and private (ie. contrary to public-access wide area networks) way of communicating was born. The modem, basically a device whose only purpose in life is to convert (MOdulate and DEModulate) analog signals used in the household phone line from and to digital information, the form of data computers can directly understand.
Amateur BBSs, being typically one computer with a modem connected to it and the phone line, just sits there waiting for a caller to dial its number. When an incoming caller is detected, the computer automatically loads the BBS software and presents the user with some options. In the old days, those choices were not so many: 1) write or read messages to other users and 2) send or receive files. As technology and imagination progressed, the BBSes became a colourful, fun world for the user. I'm proud enough to say that Digital Nexus/2 was a well-made BBS. It featured colourful design, many online categorized files for users to download, multiple message networks, doorgames (online one-player games). Its primary target was to supply good music files, digital artwork, information on hacking and phreaking. Later on, it became an OS/2 support BBS as well, in close collaboration with J&A BBS, whose SysOp still is a good friend of mine.
As far as BBS systems are concerned in general, multi-BBS message networks were introduced in the early 80s with Fidonet. Invented by Tom Jennings and friends who were trying to find a way for the users of their bulletin boards to communicate with each other. They came up with a technology that allows independent "nodes" (Bulletin Board Systems) and users to write mail and to exchange compressed mail packets with each other usually overnight, in the famous "mail events". Individual BBSes are identified by a naming convention that incorporates a Zone, Region and Network (represented by one number) and Node number. The format is: Zone:Region-Network/Node. Zones in Fidonet range from 1 to 6 and represent continents (1=N.America, 2=Europe, 3=Australia, 4=S.America, 5=Africa and 6=Asia). Region and Network numbers vary and are used to enclose nodes within a large geographical area such as a country. For instance, Greece has Region 41, and Athens, the capital city, has a Network number of 411. My node number was 2:411/29. Anyway :-), Fidonet is still the biggest amateur message network of its technology in the world. It's fun too, although a large amount of people dropped it and turned towards the Internet.
Following Fidonet, a multitude of FTNs (Fidonet-Technology Networks) were born, serving more regional or special needs. Some of its most famous successors I've been a member of are:
In conclusion, I wish the BBS' world would be still as active as it was back then. Nowadays though, everyone is using the Internet, being a global, multi- user network, more complicated, multilateral and broader than good old BBSs'. The era of BBSing is past though. Digital Nexus was shut down in late 1997. It was definitely good, undoubtedly one of the best computer-related hobbies. Made many friends, learned about lots of things, been in gazillions of computer-freak-meetings, tables continually evacuating around us. Now, THESE were the days :).
