Welcome to the Great Underground Empire B.B.S.
Long before the internet was invented, something called a Bulletin Board System was created for computer systems using dialup 300 -2400 Baud modems. My brothers and I created one called the Great Underground Empire (the Great U.E. for short). The name was inspired by the first interactive fiction game created called Zork.
The most common use of a BBS in the 1980’s was for email (but it was not networked email like how email works today), file sharing, and message boards. Modern day forum software does a pretty good job in recreating the message board experience. We invite all of you to use these pages to share ideas, thoughts, and histories to maintain relationships and preserve our shared history & legacy.
In retrospect, it really was my first business. I was the Sysop (that’s what they called the BBS operators in the 80’s.) I still remember holding the Carina software that came in the mail in my hands in the 8th grade when my mom picked me up from school and shared the package with me. While driving home, I eagerly opened it and started reading. I held the 5 1/4″ floppy disks carefully and with great appreciation. 300 Baud modems were expensive! Later we upgraded to a 1200 baud and then a 2400 baud modem. Each costs between $299-$350 in 1985 dollars. My dear mother sacrificed so much to feed my interests. For that, I am forever grateful.
Our phone number was 801-292-9032
Our Alias’ were James (Gazer), Mark (Megawarrior), and Taylor (Academy Captain.)
We ran it on an upgraded Atari 800xl with 256 memory (for a 192K ramdisk)
w/ a 10 meg HD using Carina, Carina II, & later BBS Express Pro!
Learn more about connecting an Atari 800Xl to the internet here
