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"BBSing in L.A -Yes, it's quite different from here [Santa Barbara], 
mainly because most boards are specialized--there are Commodore boards,
Apple boards, Atari boards, CP/M boards, IBM boards; gaming boards, ham
radio boards, dating boards, etc.  There is no board that I have seen that
even remotely resembles the Enterprize, Empire, Citadel, Stonehenge, or what
have you.  Most users rarely call more than one board, and the ones who do
are usually only on a certain group of boards.  There is a heavy segregation
of users...  while here in S.B. there seems to be a BBS melting pot. "
   -- Danny Howell, Enterprize BBS, 06-Apr-87

My first contact with BBS's anywhere was in Summer 1985, at a Santa Barbara
Apple Users Group meeting, at a computer store (long defunct) in Loreto
Plaza. As part of a demonstration, we dialed into the Citadel, Noah's Ark,
and Father John's Place (q.v.).

Later that year, and throughout 1986 I had limited access to the local
boards, by using a borrowed NEC 8216 laptop computer (with built-in modem).
In early 1987, I was able to set up my own system (a TI-99/4a, limited to
300 baud) for calling BBS's.

I left the Santa Barbara area in Summer 1987, and returned to Los Angeles,
but I still continued to call Bowhead Whale, and occasionaly other SB boards,
until mid-1989 or so.  This is a listing of the the BBS's that were active
in Santa Barbara during 1985-1987, when I was there. No phone numbers are
given because almost all of these systems are now defunct. However, each
system is listed with its sysop and/or software (if known) in parentheses.

If anyone has any corrections, or additional historical information to add to
this document, please let me know.

- Charles P. Hobbs

[ed. note: Please let me know, too.]


SB BBS's of special note

These were the systems that I called regularly in 1985-1987 and that seemed
to have the most consistent activity.


The quintessential SB BBS.  Extremely popular and busy, with many message
bases.  Terminated operations in Summer 1986.

1. Bowhead Whale (Bob Blaylock, Citadel/Stonehenge)
Where most of the SB BBS conversational activity went after Citadel shut
down.  Great message bases, some files.
 
2. Enterprize (Barry Boone and others, Custom software)
Another good conversational board (no file section).  This is where the
first known BIFF attack took place.  There was at least one major
disagreement  ("Enteprize-gate") among the sysops of this board around
early April 87.

3. Heechee Board/Macross City ("Oreo Cat"-Jim Lick, Stonehenge)
Again, mostly message bases, with  good selection of files (including Mac
graphics). Somewhat younger, more free-wheeling crowd than Bowhead or
Enterprize

4. Programmer's Shack (Joi Thompson, Fidonet)
Fidonet board, but only occasionally received echomail.  Good file section
(IBM, Apple, ASCII text files and pictures) though.

5. Oxgates (two systems: one in Santa Barbara and one in Goleta)
These two CP/M based BBS's required mail-in registration for access, but
offered a reasonable selection of downloads (CP/M and IBM mostly)

6. Compucations (Craig Lindstrom, BBS-PC, then Citadel)
Operated on C64, then Amiga.  One of the first known BBS's anywhere to offer
Internet e-mail (in 1987, via UCSB VAX system).

Other experiments included networked C64's
Good discussions, small file sections due to no hard drive.

7. Noah's Ark (TBBS)
Had discussion sections on birds and animals, but was most noted for its
file section. (and strict download ratios!)

B. Other SB BBS systems (I called these less frequently, if at all.)

8. System Royale
Unstable CP/M board (crashed a lot with "Bdos Error on B" type messages). 
It operated for only a few weeks in 1986 and, again in 1987

9. Minas Tirith/Infinity's Edge ("The Omega"/"The Vision", a.o, Applenet)
"Private" system, difficult for most users to get validated on. . .

10. The Wimp (Jim Patchell)
Great political discussions, but no new-users allowed!

11. The Beast
Atari software for download, message bases

12. Father John's Place
Religious board with good discussions (1986)

13. The Breadbasket
Another religious board (1987). Featured an overzealous "cussing filter" 
that replaced such words as "balls" with asterisks (even if you were 
talking about plural convex spheroids). . .

14. Quark (Howard Owen, BBS-PC)
Amiga board started up in 1987.

15. ECO BBS 
Another Fidonet board started in late 1987.  Named after the sysop's late
Springer Spaniel  (Any connection with current ECO BBS?)

16. Third Eye
300 baud. Attempted to emphasize quality discussions, as opposed to file
transfers.

17. Empire
18. Sanctuary
IBM and/or Atari boards with discussion bases, D&D games and file transfers.

19. Backdoor
20. The Trap
21. Guru's Hookah
Commodore-64 boards of varying quality. At least one of these displayed "If
you don't have at least ten new C-64 games, hang up now!" at signon.

22. Digital Dungeon (Glen Heinz, Custom software)
Started in Summer '87. For a while, networked with a board (of the same name)
in Los Angeles.

23.  UCSB Fido (Pete Gontier?, Fidonet)
Operated for a short time in mid-1986. No direct affiliation w/UCSB.

24. Tri-Tec Center (Conrad Weiler?)
Operated by Santa Barbara City College, or a division thereof.