--------------------------------------------------------- ¯PowerNews v2.50® -
Tue Jun 21, 2011 Subject: THE 15 COMMANDMENTS
8:15 pm The Thunderbolt BBS #205 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Some BBS's have more than one Sysop, and the Sysop(s) may be male
or female. I have customized this bulletin to fit The Thunderbolt BBS.

***

T H E F I F T E E N C O M M A N D M E N T S

As originally laid down by Mathew Prosper, Sysop of THE MATRIX BBS,
Azusa, California; which has long since gone offline.

I Thou shalt read thy online documentation, that thy Sysops may not
become aggravated answering the same question 2000 times. Yea, many
hours hast thy Sysops labored to provide sage wisdom, that their
users may be fruitful and multiply, and more fully enjoy the system.
The holy scripts are there for YOUR benefit, not theirs.

II Thou shalt not steal. Contribute to thy BBS, that thy access level
should remain holy in thy Sysops sight. Thy Sysops shall not hold
them guiltless that enjoy many hours of online fun, and refuse to
contribute in some way. Acceptable holy sacrifices are: USEFUL files
(not garbageware), ANSI and RIP screens (when needed), meaningful
dialogs in the message bases (just reading the messages does not
necessarily constitute meaningful), notes to thy Sysops when the BBS
seems to turn evil or ill, and/or personal time as arranged with the
Sysops. May the glitches and gremlins of a thousand Crays, and of
woefully and unmercifully slow computer systems descend upon the
leeches!!

III Thou shalt not bear false witness. That means don't lie jack! When
thy Sysops ask for thy REAL name and user details, be truthful! They
WILL verify it. The Sysops are kind to small animals and generally
good people, but this one really angers them!! Thy Sysops do not ask
personal information lightly. In this world are Philistines who fancy
themselves "hackers". This is a travesty of the true meaning of the
word. Originally, a hacker was a self-taught, computer literate
hobbiest, and you have hackers to thank for much of the finest public
domain and shareware programs currently available. Those little minds
that bring shame to real hackers are more accurately known as worms.
These worms delight in illegal activities such as destructive "trojan
horse" programs, the exchange of stolen credit card numbers, and the
illegal exchange of "cracked" or modified commercial software. Thy
Sysops can only protect themselves and their users from these idiots
if they have accurate information on all users.

IV Thou shalt respect thy fellow man (or woman) that thy days may be
long on the system that thy Sysops have provided. Few things bring
down the wrath of thy Sysops, as rudeness, lack of consideration,
and/or ragging on others.

V Thou shalt not leave meaningless, obscene, or otherwise irritating,
pinheaded messages. Thou shalt not be the James Watt of BBS'ing!
However, thy Sysops have a sense of humor, and appreciateth a silly
message for the purpose of increased levity of thought. <GRIN!>

VI Thou shalt conduct thyself with dignity when accessing the various
BBS networks. Thy behavior reflects upon this BBS. See thy fourth
and fifth commandments.

VII Thou shalt not complain if thy terminal software croaks on ANSI color
or RIP graphics. There are ANSI and RIP graphics programs available
for telnet users to use to access the BBS...and FTP or Web Browser
programs for those who wish to logon via these methods.

VIII Thou shalt observe thy time limit while in thy doors...as there may
be other callers who wish to use them.

IX Thou shalt allow thy Sysops the luxury of human frailty. Alas, even
thy Sysops maketh mistakes, and they appreciateth much when errors
are brought to their attention, however minor and trivial that they
may seem to be.

X Thou shalt not fear to ask for help at any time from thy Sysops. Thy
Sysops run this board because they ENJOY running it. That means they
ENJOY the interaction they get with their users. They are there to
help. Thou shalt not take thy BBS's name in vain! If you are having a
problem, it SHOULD be addressed to thy Sysops, or to fellow users.
It should NOT be the topic of criticism on another BBS.

XI Thou shalt have no other Sysops before us. (Just kidding) <GRIN!>.

XII Thou shalt not logoff improperly. Thy Sysops recognize that improper
logoffs doth happen from time to time, and allow for this. But
thy Sysops shall not suffer a user to continue calling if they
cannot take the time to log off correctly.

XIII Thou shalt personally inspect any programs downloaded from thy BBS,
that thy data may live a long and productive life. Thy Sysops try
to see that all files are holy and pure, but sadly...evil has a way
of slipping in. Thy Sysops possessth thy latest utilities to check
and exorcise demonic programs within nightly maintenence; but thou
art advised to recheck thy downloaded files to keepeth thy system
safe and pure.

XIV Thou shalt not upload "smutware". These childish creations of a
hormone fevered adolescent have no place in a legitimate BBS. They
also tend to be the vehicles of trojan horse programs. "Look, boys
and girls, she's taking off her clothes! Oops! There goes 50 megs!!
Can you say "toasted data" boys and girls? I knew you could." <GRIN!>

XV Thou shalt have FUN. This one doesn't take a Ph.D to figure out.
It's the whole point of having a BBS! ENJOY! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

... Have you thanked your Sysop or Echo Moderator today??
=== MultiMail/Win v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (1:2320/33)

T H E F I F T E E N C O M M A N D M E N T S
As originally laid down by Mathew Prosper, Sysop of THE MATRIX BBS,

[ ... ]

XV Thou shalt have FUN. This one doesn't take a Ph.D to figure out.
It's the whole point of having a BBS! ENJOY!

Thank you! Got 'em!

Have you ever read the BOFH series? (Bastard Operator from Hell); "Operator" is the old term for a sysadmin/sysop. Then it became the term for what we nowcall a user, now you can't even get one on the phone any more!

He's a sysadmn who has discovered how to take over the entire company from his little CSI office/closet. He gets bored & deletes imnportant reports & other data randomnly, jusat to get calls from l-users who he can then torment in new
& cruel ways (he's a right bastard, thus the title); google him up -- there's a few repositories of the series, including the recent reboot with him(creator) writing new epoisodes. . .

It auses me, as I can picture wanting to do all that stuff (I never would -- I'm just happy to know I could, if I really wanted to!)

I could be being tormented from every direction, then have a little giggle, as I recall a 'solution' the BOFH used.

I asked a sysop why my post was taken down; He said because my fence has fallen down.

System administrators should be called LANlords.

Q: What kind of fax machine did the Trump Administration use? A: An alternative facts machine.

The Social Security Administration
Is ASS backwards.

Q: What made George Washington so unique as a president? A: He's the only president who didn't try blaming the previous administration for his mistakes in office.

Bonus off-topic:

President John Tyler may have been the father of the Dad Joke Some Background Info

On March 4, 1841, William Henry Harrison became the 9th President of the United States, with John Tyler as his VP. Exactly one month later, Harrison died, leaving Tyler as the 10th President of the United States. Tyler was elected as a Whig, but chose many Democrats to work in his administration, and often made decisions in the Democratic favor. This made the Whig party angry, and while the Democrats liked some of his actions, they didn't love him. At the end of his presidency, the Whigs were not going to support reelection efforts, and the democrats just liked other people more. This earned him the nickname, "The President Without A Party."

The Dad Joke

At the very end of his presidency, Mrs. First Lady wanted to have celebration. She invited lots of people over, and they all had a good time on Tyler's lawn. Tyler stood on his balcony, looking over all the people have a joyous time when he announced, "Never again can anybody say that I was a president without a party!" and giggled his way into retirement.



--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)