I guess I'll go ahead and do my thing here, as well.
First, thank you very much Rick. I was actually really surprised the registration thing was fixed that fast. Much kudos.
Where to start?
Let's see...
Hi, my name is Elden and I'm a BBSaholic.
Uhm...fast basic stuff. I got my first (8086) PC in 1990. Immediately I started messing with QBasic, as it was the only program installed on my hard drive besides MS-DOS. Besides the DMV software. Don't even ask. I fried that system pretty fast. Literally. It burnt. Immediately I got an 80286 monochrome laptop with no hard drive. This time around, however, I had a modem. I can't remember the modem speed...it was at most 2400 baud. Back then, BBS' had their own listing in our yellow pages. Immediately I dialed on up with Procomm (amazingly, it came with the system) and was hooked. Soon thereafter I got a newer system. This time, it was an 80386 with a real working color (16) monitor. I read all the magazines, oohing and ahhing over Wildcat and the multiport hardware as I played LORD on the 2 BBS' I knew of, chatting with sysop's whenever I could. At this point, I installed WWIV. The very first BBS software I ever tried. This was all thanks to a guy named Ramrod. Again, don't ask. Immediately, I realized playing on a BBS was fun...but running one was amazing. It was your own little world to control and dictate....but at a cost. You had to learn things most people didn't know, or want to know. Things like 40 character modem init strings, how to jumper your 4 modems so they could all work at the same time, and how to run multiple copies of BBS software under OS/2. Then, I found a BBS named Online Illusions. The sysop, Axle, was a really cool guy. On top of that, they had the most amazing BBS software I had ever seen. It had all kinds of options, globals, games galore, and....MajorMUD.
This blew my mind. How could a BBS have 57 people online? How could they have that many modems, or computers? Surely it would take at least 12 computers to run that many users. I asked Axle how he did it. His response was "What do you mean? It's all running on a 486DX, with a few galactiboards." Immediately I had found my calling. I had found my utopia, my oils with which to paint my Mona Lisa. Over time, I managed to establish a reputation for myself. I first became a teleconference op, then a vice-sysop, then finally co-sysop. It amazed me. This guy, Axle, let me play god on his BBS. I did it well. I was fair, and just. So, one day he asked me "Want to come to the office? I have some things to show you and ask you." Of course I'd say yes! To see this masters work in all it's glory...he would have to be 7'6" and and glow as the sun. So we set up a day, and I had my parents drive me there. I was 14. Upon arrival, I see a doctors office in the building. I found that slightly odd, but ignored it.
A slightly built boy, about my age, walked out the door as I was walking in. He turned, and said "Hey, are you Deathshead?" I nearly fell over. This young boy was the sysop of my utopia? It couldn't be! It was a lie! Alas, it was not...but it was the blossoming of a beautiful friendship. Over time, we talked, enjoyed the BBS scene, and learned programming. After a while, he transferred to my school. One day he pulled me aside and slipped me a small white box that was heavy. I looked at it. On the front was a glove, with four arrows emerging from behind it to all point at one thing: Me. It read "Worldgroup Developers Kit" (or something quite similar...this IS a long time ago.)
I squealed with glee. He had just made me the happiest person in the world. So happy, in fact, that I faked my own sickness to go home early that day, and skip the next two. I put every bit of effort into learning the workings of this "Worldgroup" development. About this time, I got a new computer. I Packard Bell Pentium 75Mhz. It was a dream. I even got internet access...from Online Illusions. $4.95 a month, plus $10.00 for the internet access...all from simply dialing a 1-900 number to get a code. Again, Worldgroup amazed me. I had learned quite a bit about the source code...but I had no way to test the modules I had written. Again, Axle saved me. He handed me another box. This time, it contained the floppy disks for installing the actual BBS software! Inside was a piece of paper, with a short jumble of letters. A CODE! I HAD A REAL WORKING CODE FOR WORLDGROUP! Mind you, I couldn't do anything but test modules with it...but it was a code! I cherished this gift (or loan...however you look at it) and read everything I could. The confusion abounded! What is Btrieve doing? What exactly does Phar Lap do? WHO IS PHAR LAP?!
After months of coding, I finally handed him back the disks, with one addition.
He now held a new globals module, a new teleconference with actions that could be edited while the BBS was running, and an FTP program that showed your queue on one side, and the remote directory on the other! I believe that day was as wonderful for him, as the day I received the developer kit. Mainly, because he skipped the next day as well.
Time passed, and the BBS age slowed. Where once I could see nearly 60 people online at once...I only saw 20 or so, most of which were in MajorMUD.
I made a decision. I bought a used copy of Worldgroup from an acquaintance on the internet. He sent me the disks, and a code. $400 was a lot for me at the time...but I was working, and it would be worth it. After all, I had MajorMUD as well! I got my system up, entered the code...97??????? (I'm not posting the rest of the code...but if you recognize that much then you can catch the foreshadowing...) and away I went! 256 LINES! Unlimited MajorMUD players! Immediately I used 3 modems to allow dial in access and 1 to connect to the internet. I added a telnet link to allow people to telnet to Axle's board, and he added one for mine! Iniquity Online was born! I spent hours coding, making ANSI's, customizing menus, you name it!
Then one day, a fellow by the name of Lonestar (I think that was the name...it's been a while) registered. He was from....Canada?! My board was amazingly popular! He immediately went into MajorMUD and typed a command I had never known! "sys lance"
Immediately I get a page, since I was online of course. What sysop wasn't online on his multiline board.
Lonestar: Hello
Me: Heya!
Lonestar: Do you have a second?
Me: Of course, how can I help?
Lonestar: Are you aware that your copy of MajorMUD, as well as your copy of Worldgroup, are pirated?
Me: Haha, no way. Nice try.
Lonestar: I'm serious. I work for WCC, the company that develops MajorMUD. We don't have any record of selling the module to you, as well as the fact that your code is a known pirated code.
Me: Nice try dude, but I bought this copy legit.
Lonestar has logged off!
*Delete user Lonestar...*
I let this little incident slide by, figuring it was just one of my friends or a rival sysop. About 4 days later I get a phone call from one John Brushcow. Apparently, WCC had notified the SPA of my BBS and they were now demanding it be shut down. Immediately I called Axle. He asked me what my code was. I told him, "97*******".
"Oh wow...yeah...that's a pirated copy, dude..."
At this point, I had generated enough money to buy a LEGITIMATE copy of Worldgroup, albeit sans MajorMUD. So, again, Iniquity Online was born.
Time passed, and BBS' began to fade ever more. I got some money together and bought Game Connection. Now my lines were always filled with people playing Doom, Warcraft 2, and Duke Nukem 3D!
Sure, I had to downgrade to WAY less than 256 lines...but that didn't matter! I now had 4 56k modems!
More time passed, and my active user count dwindled. Axle still had about 12 people online at any time, but they were the diehards, and almost all of them schoolmates. Suddenly, I had to move. Things got packed, the board got taken down, and everything went into storage until we got moved in. Or so we though. About 3 weeks after putting our things in storage, a "thief" broke into our locker and stole *everything*. How believable is that? How do you steal a whole storage locker full of things without SOMEONE noticing?! I looked through the tiny bit of debris left. All that was left were some scraps of paper, and 2 disks from the 1.01 backup I had done...all soaked from the lovely Florida weather. I cried. I literally cried. My , AND AXLES, Worldgroup BBS, disks, and activation code were all gone. Lost forever. I gave up. I moved on. In the back of my head, however, lingered a passion that couldn't be quelled.
More time passed, and Online Illusions grew barren. There was only 1-2 people online, and maybe 3-4 using PPP. Axle decided to give up. He had done his best. He had fought the good fight.
Once again, I decided to make a WG BBS. I asked Axle if he had saved his WG activation code. He said he had. We struck a deal. I could have the activation code, just so long as I didn't use his name. Thus, Darkstar BBS was born! It lived happily. I promoted it on BBS lists, in newsgroups, everywhere I could. I charged $4 a month for unlimited access and enough credits to play MajorMUD for 4 hours a day! Suddenly, I saw a jump in activity. To my dismay, though, most of the people playing were scripting! I had nobody to talk to. No one to use teleconference actions on. I was bored. My only PC was being used to entertain everyone but me.
One day, a stranger logged in. HOORAY! Someone new!
I jaunted to the teleconference, and before I could say hello in a global BOOM! The BBS crashed. Odd...I rarely had crashes. I restarted the BBS, apologized to those that automatically relogged with their AFK scripts who didn't respond, and saw the stranger log in again! This time I'd say hi for sure!
(GLOBAL) Iniquity: Welcome to Darkstar!
(GLOBAL) Stranger: HAHAHAHAHAHAH NOOB
*CRASH*
WHAT'S THIS?! COULD THIS STRANGER BE CRASHING MY BBS?!?!
I disable his account, just to be sure, and bring the BBS back up.
Suddenly, my BBS became a beacon for stray accounts, random crashes, and annoying script-kiddies attempting things like winnuke.
I struggled through, and figured that it would all pass.
One day I log in and see new mail. Yay! Could it be a new user?
2 new mails.
"I just though I'd write you to let you know that you're using a pirated version of Worldgroup"
WHAT?! HOW COULD THIS BE?! I *KNOW* THE PERSON THAT BOUGHT THIS CODE!
I contact them online.
Me: I know this is a legitimate copy of Worldgroup.
Them: Yes...but not for this BBS.
Me: Right, I got it from my friend.
Them: You can't do that. You need to transfer ownership.
Me: But, he doesn't run his BBS any longer...
Them: That doesn't matter. Please contact Galacticomm sales or support and find out how to transfer.
Immediately I took the board down. I was done with the frustration, the lies, the hacking and crashing. It was over. Mind you, I NEVER took my board down. I was actually known as one of the kindest and most fair sysop's in the area, if not in the state. I immediately returned all the checks I had received. I told Axle, and he understood. We had both tried our best.
Here I am, yet again interested in running Worldgroup. I know I probably can't, seeing as though I have no proof of owning Worldgroup. That, coupled with the fact that the companies are now, for all intent and purpose, no longer operating means that I am up the proverbial creek. I figure though, that at least my knowledge of the front-end things may prove useful. I doubt I can remember much WG module development, seeing as I have likely pushed about 99% of it out of memory to make space for current development (BSD sockets, OpenGL, OpenAL, SDL, modern C/C++, etc).
Thank you for reading my "War & Peace" of Worldgroup.
EDIT: I didn't mean to make it sound like Gcomm were harassing me. Quite the contrary. Mind you, at the time I did feel a bit like they were. I didn't, however, know the entire situation with their company or why things were the way they were (at this point I think it was JUST before the netVillage buyout). So, with all of the stress I had suffered up until this point, I simply felt singled out yet again. I think anyone that had invested the money at the time would feel begrudged and/or hurt. After the fact, I now understand the reasoning of the move made.