07-07-2026, 09:37 AM
Just some thoughts I've been turning over since being interested in doing a BBS-like:
I first got interested in the idea from Primeagen's coffee store (just launch from any terminal that can run ssh). It reinvigorated an idea I had years earlier when I wanted to write a LotRD-like that would run from an emulated terminal in a browser, except this time it would run over ssh in an actual terminal. That then morphed into "well why don't I put my blog and maybe other projects on it as well?".
SSH vs Telnet
I really like the idea of using SSH and not Telnet. I love retro stuff (why else would I be thinking about this?), but I also want the accessibility of something more modern and secure. SSH also allows for using ssh keys for authentication, which is attractive because I don't like to manage user accounts (though the more I think about it, if I want users to be able to connect from any device, I would need to offer an easy way to migrate ssh keys - that might actually end up more complicated than user account management, lol).
The challenge is also a factor in my interest - and also a big stumbling block. While I could easily check out one of the several solutions for offering a BBS over telnet (like Synchronet) and either fork it or roll my own based on it, I'm more interested in doing something "new". I had found a Medium article that breaks down doing something similar to terminal.shop, but it uses a tech stack based entirely around Wish which is written in Go and is completely foreign to me. I considered spinning up a machine to see if I could get it set up, but I haven't got around to it.
I feel stuck in a way because I want to build it all myself, knowing that is probably a bigger bite than I can take, but still not wanting to relent and just use what's out there.
I first got interested in the idea from Primeagen's coffee store (just launch
Code:
ssh terminal.shopSSH vs Telnet
I really like the idea of using SSH and not Telnet. I love retro stuff (why else would I be thinking about this?), but I also want the accessibility of something more modern and secure. SSH also allows for using ssh keys for authentication, which is attractive because I don't like to manage user accounts (though the more I think about it, if I want users to be able to connect from any device, I would need to offer an easy way to migrate ssh keys - that might actually end up more complicated than user account management, lol).
The challenge is also a factor in my interest - and also a big stumbling block. While I could easily check out one of the several solutions for offering a BBS over telnet (like Synchronet) and either fork it or roll my own based on it, I'm more interested in doing something "new". I had found a Medium article that breaks down doing something similar to terminal.shop, but it uses a tech stack based entirely around Wish which is written in Go and is completely foreign to me. I considered spinning up a machine to see if I could get it set up, but I haven't got around to it.
I feel stuck in a way because I want to build it all myself, knowing that is probably a bigger bite than I can take, but still not wanting to relent and just use what's out there.