GT-Power
Encyclopedia
GT Power is a bulletin board system
(BBS) and dial-up telecommunications
/terminal application for the DOS
family of operating systems. It was first introduced in the 1980s by P & M Software, founded by Paul Meiners. GT Power can be used both to host a BBS as well as to connect to other BBS systems via its full-featured dial-up "terminal mode." GT Power was a shareware
package that required a registration fee in order to access its proprietary
network
mail transport/handling software and, by default, the GT Power Network. The software is distributed in two "flavors"; a terminal-only version, nicknamed GTO, and the full-featured host and terminal version.
The source code
for GT Power was sold twice during the late 1990s, again in 2008 and is currently the property of Tom Watt.
Although GT Power was written to run under DOS, it is also quite capable under the Microsoft Windows
(versions with DOS support) and OS/2
/ eComStation
operating systems. When it is running under OS/2 or eComStation, GT Power can also be used as a telnet
BBS host and terminal program via use of an OS/2 shareware virtual modem
application called VMODEM.
was written into the application which allowed the user to accept incoming data calls. Before the release of version 13.00 (released Autumn, 1987), the host mode portion of the application had been expanded to become a full-blown BBS host application, complete with message and file areas, file uploading and downloading
, the capability to host BBS door
programs, and a sysop
-to-user chat mode.
The name was shortened to GT Power sometime before the release of version 14.03 in the Autumn of 1988.
With version 13.00, P & M software began offering a proprietary Netmail Suite; a set of applications which allow GT Power BBS systems to connect and exchange routed person-to-person netmail. By the time version 14.03 was released, the suite was expanded to include the ability to also exchange echomail between systems, similar to FidoNet
echomail. Upon registering GT Power, the user obtained a special password
which enabled the Netmail Suite applications, and a key code
that disabled any registration reminder delays in GT Power.
The Netmail Suite consisted of a mail transfer program and two mail handling programs. The mail transfer program, called MDRIVer, was used to dial other GT Power systems, to authenticate their identity, and to transfer mail between the two systems. The mail handling programs were used to "bag" mail and prepare it for transfer (MBAGger), and to unpack received mail and distribute it to the proper message areas (MDIST).
P & M Software released its last version of GT Power, version 19.00, in September, 1994. In mid-February, 1998, it was announced that P&M Software had sold the GT Power source code to New Millennium Software. New Millennium renamed the project GT 2000 but, by the end of April, it was announced that New Millennium would not develop the product. The source was sold again to Dennis Berry, a GT Power sysop.
In late 1999, Berry released a Y2K bug fix for the Netmail Suite. A third party Y2K fix for the Suite, as well as other third party companion software, was also released. The GT Power application itself appeared to have no Y2K issues, and the latest release remains at 19.00.
The source code and rights were sold to Tom Watt in June 2008 and he has resumed development of GT-Power. For the first time since Paul stopped development, the source code has been made to compile the EXEs as they were last released in 1994.
Features of both the terminal and host modes:
In addition, the BBS host mode has the following features:
Other features can be added via the use of third-party software and add-ons.
of telnet
compatibility, in both BBS host and terminal mode, when used with a virtual modem software package called VMODEM under the OS/2 and eComStation operating systems.
A third-party mail transfer program, called Mailrun, was developed which allows GT Power Network systems to transfer mail using the bi-directional HS/Link protocol. In theory, the use of the bi-directional protocol (which sent and received files at the same time) will shorten the length of dial-up netmail calls, saving the sysop some long-distance phone charges. This program can be used as a replacement for the proprietary MDRIVer program, but requires the use of the proprietary MBAGger & MDIST programs. With proper setup, Mailrun can co-exist with MDRIVer, allowing systems to use both programs to transfer mail. Mailrun is freeware
, but does require a free key code from the developer in order to connect with other systems. Mailrun is stated to be compatible with GT Power versions 17.00 through 19.00, but can work with earlier versions.
In addition, in 1989, a third-party mail handling application, called JDMAL, was released. It was developed by James Davis, who had previously worked with Meiners in developing the proprietary suite. It could be used as a replacement for the proprietary MBAGger & MDIST programs, but did not replace the MDRIVer program. The last few releases of JDMAL, versions 8.1 and later, were freeware, and were compatible with GT Power versions 13.00 through 14.03.
As use of GT Power increased, the network grew. At various times during the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Network included hundreds of nodes in the continental United States
, Canada
, Hawaii
, China
, Australia
, New Zealand
, Bermuda
, the Caribbean
and much of Europe
. The proprietary nature of the networking software, combined with the lack of easy-to-configure built-in support for other networking methods, has held the number of nodes below those found on Fidonet
.
Like Fidonet, the GT Power Network offered both netmail and echomail. Where netmail is usually system-to-system, person-to-person mail, echomail was intended to be read & possibly replied to by users on all GT Power Network BBS systems. Each echo had a different topic, such as politics, computer technical support, and ANSI art. The GT Power Network's application of echomail was different from Fidonet in that echomail messages traveled back to the moderator's (or "sponsor's") BBS before being distributed to the rest of the network. This had the advantage of allowing the moderator to review every message before it was allowed to echo to the rest of the network, creating the potential for a truly moderated echo conference. On the downside, a slight disruption in network routing could cause active echos to appear quite stale.
Around the beginning of 1990, there was a rift in the GT Power Network, resulting in the formation of a second network based on GT Power. The Alliance of Free Sysops Network, or AFSN, was formed, with some GT Power sysops finding ways to participate in both networks. By 1992, as AFSN sysops began migrating to other BBS software, the network had expanded to include both GT Power and QWK networking nodes, some of which had never run GT Power software. The AFSN either folded, or merged with another QWK network, sometime in the late 1990s.
Like many other BBS networks, as use of the Internet increased, the GT Power network began a decline. Today, the GT Power Network continues on, albeit on a much smaller scale than before. Many nodes on the network today participate in echomail via QWK networking as the former GT Power sysops have migrated to Windows and Linux
native BBS applications. These other applications do not support the GT Power proprietary mail programs.
At least one dial-up GT Power BBS still exists in North America
. The Capitol City Online BBS, which has been online for over 20 years, currently offers both dial-up and telnet access to its callers.
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
(BBS) and dial-up telecommunications
Plain old telephone service
Plain old telephone service is the voice-grade telephone service that remains the basic form of residential and small business service connection to the telephone network in many parts of the world....
/terminal application for the DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
family of operating systems. It was first introduced in the 1980s by P & M Software, founded by Paul Meiners. GT Power can be used both to host a BBS as well as to connect to other BBS systems via its full-featured dial-up "terminal mode." GT Power was a shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
package that required a registration fee in order to access its proprietary
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
mail transport/handling software and, by default, the GT Power Network. The software is distributed in two "flavors"; a terminal-only version, nicknamed GTO, and the full-featured host and terminal version.
The source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
for GT Power was sold twice during the late 1990s, again in 2008 and is currently the property of Tom Watt.
Although GT Power was written to run under DOS, it is also quite capable under the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
(versions with DOS support) and OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
/ eComStation
EComStation
eComStation or eCS is a PC operating system based on OS/2, published by Serenity Systems. It includes several additions and accompanying software not present in the IBM version of the system.-Differences between eComStation and OS/2:...
operating systems. When it is running under OS/2 or eComStation, GT Power can also be used as a telnet
TELNET
Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
BBS host and terminal program via use of an OS/2 shareware virtual modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
application called VMODEM.
History
GT Power was originally a telecommunications/terminal application, known as GT Powercomm, which could be used to dial-up other BBS systems. As time passed, a host modeBulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
was written into the application which allowed the user to accept incoming data calls. Before the release of version 13.00 (released Autumn, 1987), the host mode portion of the application had been expanded to become a full-blown BBS host application, complete with message and file areas, file uploading and downloading
Uploading and downloading
In computer networks, to download means to receive data to a local system from a remote system, or to initiate such a data transfer. Examples of a remote system from which a download might be performed include a webserver, FTP server, email server, or other similar systems...
, the capability to host BBS door
BBS door
A door is a computer program, on a bulletin board system, that runs outside of the main bulletin board program. Sometimes called external programs, doors are the most common way to add games, utilities, and other extensions to BBSes. From the 1990s on, most BBS software had the capability to...
programs, and a sysop
SysOp
A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community. It may also be used to refer to administrators of other Internet-based network services....
-to-user chat mode.
The name was shortened to GT Power sometime before the release of version 14.03 in the Autumn of 1988.
With version 13.00, P & M software began offering a proprietary Netmail Suite; a set of applications which allow GT Power BBS systems to connect and exchange routed person-to-person netmail. By the time version 14.03 was released, the suite was expanded to include the ability to also exchange echomail between systems, similar to FidoNet
FidoNet
FidoNet is a worldwide computer network that is used for communication between bulletin board systems. It was most popular in the early to mid 1990s, prior to the introduction of easy and affordable access to the Internet...
echomail. Upon registering GT Power, the user obtained a special password
Password
A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource . The password should be kept secret from those not allowed access....
which enabled the Netmail Suite applications, and a key code
Key code
A key code is a series of alphanumeric characters used by locksmiths to create a key. There are two kinds of key codes: blind codes and bitting codes.-Blind codes:...
that disabled any registration reminder delays in GT Power.
The Netmail Suite consisted of a mail transfer program and two mail handling programs. The mail transfer program, called MDRIVer, was used to dial other GT Power systems, to authenticate their identity, and to transfer mail between the two systems. The mail handling programs were used to "bag" mail and prepare it for transfer (MBAGger), and to unpack received mail and distribute it to the proper message areas (MDIST).
P & M Software released its last version of GT Power, version 19.00, in September, 1994. In mid-February, 1998, it was announced that P&M Software had sold the GT Power source code to New Millennium Software. New Millennium renamed the project GT 2000 but, by the end of April, it was announced that New Millennium would not develop the product. The source was sold again to Dennis Berry, a GT Power sysop.
In late 1999, Berry released a Y2K bug fix for the Netmail Suite. A third party Y2K fix for the Suite, as well as other third party companion software, was also released. The GT Power application itself appeared to have no Y2K issues, and the latest release remains at 19.00.
The source code and rights were sold to Tom Watt in June 2008 and he has resumed development of GT-Power. For the first time since Paul stopped development, the source code has been made to compile the EXEs as they were last released in 1994.
Features
The following list of features applies to the most-recent version of GT Power (19.00).Features of both the terminal and host modes:
- ANSIAnsiAnsi is a village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia....
and VT-52 terminal emulation; - ANSIANSI artANSI art is a computer art form that was widely used at one time on BBSes. It is similar to ASCII art, but constructed from a larger set of 256 letters, numbers, and symbols — all codes found in IBM code page 437, often referred to as extended ASCII and used in MS-DOS and Unix environments...
color graphics and music support that does not require ANSI.SYSANSI.SYSANSI.SYS is a device driver in the DOS operating system that provides extra console functions through ANSI escape sequences. It is partially based upon a subset of the text terminal control standard proposed by the ANSI X3L2 Technical Committee on Codes and Character Sets .-Usage:To use ANSI.SYS...
(introduced version 12.20); - RIPRemote imaging protocolThe Remote Imaging Protocol Scripting Language, more commonly known as the Remote Imaging Protocol or RIPscrip, is a scripting language created by Jeff Reeder, Jim Bergman, and Mark Hayton to enhance bulletin board systems and other applications.RIPscrip was introduced in 1993 and consisted of...
graphics support (ver. 19.00); - support for multiple dialing directories, with up to 999 entries each (terminal mode);
- circular dialing queue, and redial-on-busy (terminal mode);
- a script language, for creating dialing and other scripts;
- user-assignable function key/macro support;
- built-in file-transfer protocolsFile Transfer ProtocolFile Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
, including XmodemXMODEMXMODEM is a simple file transfer protocol developed as a quick hack by Ward Christensen for use in his 1977 MODEM.ASM terminal program. XMODEM became extremely popular in the early bulletin board system market, largely because it was so simple to implement...
, WXmodemWXMODEMWXmodem, short for "Windowed Xmodem", is a variant of the Xmodem file transfer protocol developed by Peter Boswell optimized for high-latency data links. It supports block sizes of up to 512 bytes.-External links:* *...
, YmodemYMODEMYMODEM is a protocol for file transfer used between modems. YMODEM was developed by Chuck Forsberg as the successor to XMODEM and MODEM7, and was first implemented in his CP/M YAM program...
, SEAlinkSEAlinkSEAlink is a file transfer protocol that is backward compatible with XMODEM but features a sliding window system for improved throughput. SEAlink was written in 1986 as a part of the SEAdog FidoNet mailer written by System Enhancement Associates, creators of the famous ARC program...
, Telink, & MegaLink; - support for up to 18 additional "external" file-transfer protocols, such as ZmodemZMODEMZMODEM is a file transfer protocol developed by Chuck Forsberg in 1986, in a project funded by Telenet in order to improve file transfers on their X.25 network...
and HS/Link; - support for non-standard COM ports (3-8), & non-standard IRQs (up to IRQ 15);
- support for 300-33.6k baudBaudIn telecommunications and electronics, baud is synonymous to symbols per second or pulses per second. It is the unit of symbol rate, also known as baud rate or modulation rate; the number of distinct symbol changes made to the transmission medium per second in a digitally modulated signal or a...
modems, 16550 UART16550 UARTThe 16550 UART is an integrated circuit designed for implementing the interface for serial communications...
, and locked port speeds up to 115200; - DESQviewDESQviewDESQview was a text mode multitasking program developed by Quarterdeck Office Systems which enjoyed modest popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, DoubleDos, Windows, and OS/2 aware; - caller-id support;
- optional capture mode and scroll-back buffering;
- the ability to use PC-Pursuit to make outgoing calls, both in terminal mode and with MDRIVer.
In addition, the BBS host mode has the following features:
- Built-in QWK mail and QWK networking support (non-proprietary);
- semi-configurable menus and prompts;
- support for multiple message areas (ver. 12.10) and file areas (prior to ver. 12.00);
- proprietary Netmail Suite with netmail and echomail support (ver. 13.00);
- full-screen ANSI message editing;
- CD-ROMCD-ROMA CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
file area support; - FILE.DIZ support for file uploads;
- multinode capable, on a network or under multitaskingComputer multitaskingIn computing, multitasking is a method where multiple tasks, also known as processes, share common processing resources such as a CPU. In the case of a computer with a single CPU, only one task is said to be running at any point in time, meaning that the CPU is actively executing instructions for...
software, such as DESQview or OS/2; - multinode CB chat (users can chat between nodes);
- time banking;
- threaded reading of messages;
- Carbon-Copy list support in messages;
- Return Receipt message support in netmail;
- support for up to 999 external BBS door programs (ver. 19.00; doors introduced ver. 12.20);
- mailboxes for private user-to-user mail exchange (ver. 19.00);
- variable substitution and @ macros for bulletin and menu files;
- user-configurable multiple language support;
- user-configurable questionnaire/voting booth functions (ver. 12.20);
- user-configurable automatic virus scan of uploaded files;
- the ability to set up "freebie" file downloads and file areas;
- user-configurable access levels and controls (introduced before ver. 12.00);
- a task scheduler, for scheduling daily maintenance, etc. (ver. 13.00);
- two distinct varieties of RINGBACK service, one of which allows sysops to run a BBS on a voice line (ver. 13.00);
- a user maintenance program, called SYSOP (ver. 15.00);
- the ability to accept a "hand-off" from front-end programs, such as Binkleyterm.
Other features can be added via the use of third-party software and add-ons.
Telnet use
GT Power also has the undocumented featureUndocumented feature
Undocumented features are frequently found in computer software releases. Sometimes the documentation is omitted through simple oversight, but undocumented features are often elements of the software not intended for use by end users, but left available for use by the vendor for software support...
of telnet
TELNET
Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
compatibility, in both BBS host and terminal mode, when used with a virtual modem software package called VMODEM under the OS/2 and eComStation operating systems.
Third party software
Many third party software packages were developed to support the GT Power BBS. Early distributions of GT Power included a third party application called GTCTL, written by James Davis, followed later by Sysop Tools, written by Chris Smith. Both were later replaced by the P & M SYSOP program. Unlike SYSOP, Sysop Tools had an ANSI-style DOS graphic user interface. All three were used mostly for user and control file maintenance. Other third-party software includes:- external message readers, allowing the sysop to read & enter messages locally without logging in to the BBS;
- a QWK mail application, which could be added as a door or external menu option, that pre-dates and is more configurable than the built-in version (it could also be used for QWK networking);
- Command line/batch fileBatch fileIn DOS, OS/2, and Microsoft Windows, batch file is the name given to a type of script file, a text file containing a series of commands to be executed by the command interpreter....
applications which allow GT Power systems to participate in Fidonet, RIMERimeRime is a coating of ice:*Hard rime, white ice that forms when water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects, such as trees*Soft rime, similar to hard rime, but feathery and milky in appearance...
, and QWK networking; - applications which create popular door drop file formats, such as DOORINF and DOOR.SYS, allowing GT Power systems access to more BBS door software;
- an application that allowed full-screen message editing, before it was included in GT Power;
- an interface which allowed earlier GT Power systems to run the PCBoardPCBoardPCBoard was a bulletin board system application first introduced for DOS in 1983 by Clark Development Corporation. Clark Development was founded by Fred Clark. PCBoard was one of the first commercial BBS packages for DOS systems, and was considered one of the "high end" packages during the rapid...
door Prodoor; - applications which allow GT Power systems to add UsenetUsenetUsenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
newsgroups and InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
e-mailE-mailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
capability; - an application which allowed GT Power systems to exchange mail via Internet e-mail file attachments;
- applications which allowed GT Power users to change their passwords online (since added to GT Power), as well as to force users to change passwords after a specified time;
- various usage reporting applications;
- various other applications.
A third-party mail transfer program, called Mailrun, was developed which allows GT Power Network systems to transfer mail using the bi-directional HS/Link protocol. In theory, the use of the bi-directional protocol (which sent and received files at the same time) will shorten the length of dial-up netmail calls, saving the sysop some long-distance phone charges. This program can be used as a replacement for the proprietary MDRIVer program, but requires the use of the proprietary MBAGger & MDIST programs. With proper setup, Mailrun can co-exist with MDRIVer, allowing systems to use both programs to transfer mail. Mailrun is freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
, but does require a free key code from the developer in order to connect with other systems. Mailrun is stated to be compatible with GT Power versions 17.00 through 19.00, but can work with earlier versions.
In addition, in 1989, a third-party mail handling application, called JDMAL, was released. It was developed by James Davis, who had previously worked with Meiners in developing the proprietary suite. It could be used as a replacement for the proprietary MBAGger & MDIST programs, but did not replace the MDRIVer program. The last few releases of JDMAL, versions 8.1 and later, were freeware, and were compatible with GT Power versions 13.00 through 14.03.
The GT Power Network
As the GT Power software application evolved to include a BBS host mode, P & M Software developed a Netmail Suite package which allowed registered users of GT Power to participate in the GT Power Network. With this Netmail Suite, GT Power BBS systems could exchange netmail and echomail with each other.As use of GT Power increased, the network grew. At various times during the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Network included hundreds of nodes in the continental United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and much of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The proprietary nature of the networking software, combined with the lack of easy-to-configure built-in support for other networking methods, has held the number of nodes below those found on Fidonet
FidoNet
FidoNet is a worldwide computer network that is used for communication between bulletin board systems. It was most popular in the early to mid 1990s, prior to the introduction of easy and affordable access to the Internet...
.
Like Fidonet, the GT Power Network offered both netmail and echomail. Where netmail is usually system-to-system, person-to-person mail, echomail was intended to be read & possibly replied to by users on all GT Power Network BBS systems. Each echo had a different topic, such as politics, computer technical support, and ANSI art. The GT Power Network's application of echomail was different from Fidonet in that echomail messages traveled back to the moderator's (or "sponsor's") BBS before being distributed to the rest of the network. This had the advantage of allowing the moderator to review every message before it was allowed to echo to the rest of the network, creating the potential for a truly moderated echo conference. On the downside, a slight disruption in network routing could cause active echos to appear quite stale.
Around the beginning of 1990, there was a rift in the GT Power Network, resulting in the formation of a second network based on GT Power. The Alliance of Free Sysops Network, or AFSN, was formed, with some GT Power sysops finding ways to participate in both networks. By 1992, as AFSN sysops began migrating to other BBS software, the network had expanded to include both GT Power and QWK networking nodes, some of which had never run GT Power software. The AFSN either folded, or merged with another QWK network, sometime in the late 1990s.
Like many other BBS networks, as use of the Internet increased, the GT Power network began a decline. Today, the GT Power Network continues on, albeit on a much smaller scale than before. Many nodes on the network today participate in echomail via QWK networking as the former GT Power sysops have migrated to Windows and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
native BBS applications. These other applications do not support the GT Power proprietary mail programs.
GT Power today
Most GT Power sysops have either retired their BBS systems or have migrated to other applications. Nearly all of the remaining GT Power Network BBS systems have replaced their dial-up networking with forms of mail transfer that take advantage of the Internet, by using either e-mail file attachments or some form of automated ftp.At least one dial-up GT Power BBS still exists in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The Capitol City Online BBS, which has been online for over 20 years, currently offers both dial-up and telnet access to its callers.
External links
- GT-Power Homepage, the new home page for GT-Power.
- Capitol City Online homepage, a bbs running GT Power.
- Paul Ratcliffe's GT Utilities page, home of third party companion programs Mailrun and PDQWK.