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by reconnecting 14 days ago
FidoNet was my first network. I still remember the sysops and the parties.

An interesting aspect is that it was impossible to obtain an address without providing some service or newsletter on a specific subject to the sysop in return, so it was a privilege to have your own FidoNet address.

1 comments

> it was impossible to obtain an address without providing some service or newsletter on a specific subject to the sysop in return

Huh? Not when I joined in my region. I didn't have to provide anything.

I was 14, but the BBS owner and mostly old guy heavy metal user base only found out when I later showed up at their annual user group meeting - and we had lots of fun (and drinks) together! They even took me clubbing later with a fake ID, and I woke up heavily wasted in the BBS owner's student apartment and we had microwaved frozen pizza together. Fun times.

Similar situation, except they know from the beginning that I'm 14, and they drink a lot of beer while I don't.