Subj : Re: Synchronet vs. Mystic
To   : Juan Gonzalez
From : Dan Clough
Date : Tue May 03 2022 08:04 pm

-=> Juan Gonzalez wrote to All <=-

 JG> As I have re-stumbled upon the "modern" BBS scene today, it seems
 JG> to me that the two most popular and actively maintained BBS
 JG> packages are Synchronet BBS (home-based at Vertrauen) and Mystic
 JG> BBS (home-based at the Agency BBS). Both seem to be very similar,
 JG> but have different stylistic takes on the user interface.

 JG> My Questions: For an old SysOp from the 1980s looking to
 JG> experiment with setting up a BBS today, mostly for fun and
 JG> hobbying --

 JG> 1. Which of the two systems would you recommend, and why?

I have not run Mystic other than to "take a look" a couple of times.  I 
prefer Synchronet because it has more features and is kind of a "kitchen 
sink" that includes everything.  Also a big thing for me is that as a 
Linux-only user, SBBS is open source and can be tinkered with at the 
source code level for ultra-fine customization.  You don't need to 
be a professional developer to do that, either.  Also the author is VERY 
accessible (in IRC especially) and OFTEN provides literally INSTANT 
fixes and feature additions.  

 JG> 2. What are some of the unique differences that you like about
 JG> the two systems?

Mystic seems to be more preferred by the "scene" folks, for reasons that 
escape me.  I think SBBS appeals more to the "tinkerer" types.  Also as 
mentioned above, SBBS is open-source and Mystic is not.  They both do 
what they do very well, and either is a great choice.

 JG> 3. Can the two systems coexist and run in parallel with the same
 JG> userbase (as showcased by at least a couple of active BBS'es)?

You can certainly run both on the same computer at once, using different 
ports, of course.  The actual userbase files would not be 
interchangeable/shareable.

 JG> Definitely looking for opinions, chatter, and educational
 JG> perspectives from those of us who are active on the BBS community
 JG> today.  Thanks!

Hope this helps, and good luck with whatever you decide!


.... 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2.
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