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Hello everyone, welcome to the ValorosoIT channel, the channel dedicated to retrocomputers and vintage electronics. We are at Varese Retrocomputing 2023, in the company of Francesco Sblendorio. HI. HI. We've already made videos together, eh... Then look for them in the channel, or if not I'll put them in the description. What are you talking to us about today, Francesco?
So, today I'm telling you about my BBS, which I think you've already heard of. We also made a video of that too, huh? Exact.
We took her to these beautiful objects which are the Minitels or Videotels, called Italian style. Because the Minitels are the French ones. They are very nice objects, very beautiful, let's say aesthetically. They were used in the 80s and early 90s, they are terminals that were used to connect to services, to book air travel or train travel, in short, what is done today on the internet, but without the internet.
They were, essentially, terminals that connected to the telephone network. Clearly, today they are just nice ornaments. They would be nice ornaments if... Francesco hadn't been there! If it hadn't been for my crazy initiative to create the BBS service for Videotel too.
The difference is in… technically in the protocol used, which is a little different. While that of the Commodore 64, where you can see Amedeo's site... My site... uses Commodore coding, these objects use the coding called Teletel. So I studied it, I thank my friend Nicola Avanzi who is here somewhere, who gave me a big hand in studying the protocol. And we managed to get the BBS working, so, the news, ChatGPT, both the chat with people and the Chat GPT, there are video games. That is, practically everything that is on the classic RetroCampus BBS, even these objects. Imagine a nice new office with a little corner and a Minitel on the table that looks a bit like 70s Science Fiction. So, it gives a very pleasant experience too.
This is the starting menu with the classic Videotel style. That is, the logo, compared to the usual RetroCampus logo, has been redesigned to give a more appropriate appearance to the presentation. Yes, we can also have the Teletext page here. This has been redesigned by us, but the contents are the authentic ones taken from the site. So the page is designed by you, but the content is original today. In fact, September 17, 2023, so everything is strictly up to date. If you leave it for a few seconds it automatically scrolls like a slide show.
Then we made a small museum page, in which we collected various historical screenshots of what the real Videotel was. And here are some examples, these are the chats that were there and the various services.
No, this one is talking about the Philips Telematico, which was a dedicated Philips color device that we have nearby. This is a chat, let's say, to meet people. Oh well, the classics. That too, at the time, could have been useful... For a killer application, the Tinder of the past, let's say. These are somewhat fake historical pages, while the services are real. For example, we can use the Teletext we have seen. There are games, right? There is the classic Zork game, the Dungeon. There's a door... Ah, so it's a text adventure, an Open Mailbox text adventure. And the great thing is that we can also save and record games. They are saved and recorded on the Cloud. Yes, that's right, because the terminal here anyway, he doesn't have anything inside. Everything is done in the cloud and instead here we only see the output, the result. Exactly, he acts as input-output and that's it. Everything else comes remotely on the cloud. Okay. And in this case, the cloud is a, it's just one small server because really. Yes, just text here. You don't need big powers. Instead, regarding ChatGPT, which, while we're at it, let's look at it for a moment. Absolutely there is ChatGPT, being a remote service, I have incorporated it into these services. For example, with W I enter ChatGPT, I need to authenticate. Basically, I reserved access to this function to Patreon subscribers, for the reason that I pay the bill for this service anyway. OpenAI charges me costs and, aside from, let's say, supporting development, I also manage to pay my own bill. Now I get a password on my cell phone. Yes, on email. Then, register with your email. First of all. Exact. And this is done by subscribing to Patreon. Exact. Then, after you have your login, you type the email, so the computer knows it's you. That's right, you get a password on your phone, a password that changes from time to time and at this point, you can chat with Chat GPT.
Tell me about Tradate: let's see what ChatGPT has to say about Tradate, it takes its time because oh well, obviously, obviously... Well, it's a town in Lombardy, etc., etc. Then, since the answer is long, it tells me to press a button, it's paginated, and lo and behold, that is, this is the classic GPT Chat function. I'll show you the last thing, you can chat from one machine to another. I'm writing here, here's another one. Then these two machines, obviously, can be as far apart as you like. Absolutely, one can also stay in Australia. Having a Videotel, I could chat with you. But, obviously, it can be either on the Commodore 64, then your BBS can also be reached from a PC. Even from a web browser, from Commodore 64, from VIC-20, from any platform. It's a pretty universal BBS. Yes, we imagine these distant computers. Well, not exactly that they are attacked. They are not attached, they are computers far from each other and are able to communicate because they are connected to the internet, simply. But they are machines that would normally only serve as ornaments. That's the interesting thing. That's right, because they wouldn't have games, they wouldn't have anything. Instead, now, with the BBS, yes, there is an application. Exactly, there are applications that can be used and enjoyed actively, because... that is, one asks me, is it useful? It sure is fun. That's right, but that's the basis. The main thing is fun, then usefulness, well, come on, we know it's relative. Using a computer that is 40 years old in 2023 can't be called useful, it can be called fun. Funny, exactly!
Do you see this? This is a Commodore 6499: it is a modem for Commodore 64 that only runs on the telephone line. That's right, it's a little harder to use now! It's a little more difficult, but we at RetroCampus BBS have worked for you and, through the number you read at the moment (+39 0522750051), which is the POP of Reggio Emilia, you can also connect with old modems on the PSTN line. This is truly a retro experience. This is retro in every way. For example, look at this. This one is connected with a normal telephone cable. Oh. We have emulated it here, but from home you can actually connect. If you get closer, you hear the classic sound that modems once made... of the handshake, because there really is a modem in here. Yes, feel this, feel it. Yes, I do, but from the video I don't think our friends will hear it now. It's connecting now. This one here, the only connection it has, is via modem, via classic modem. Unlike the others who use an ESP32. Here, now he says to go to Prestel. And here is the Prestel screen. And you entered with dial-up connection. What's his name? This is dial up. Yes, this is pure dial-up. So, it is possible even today. Optimal. Hey, do you want to support the development of RetroCampus BBS? Sign up to the Patreon too. I am waiting for you. We are waiting for you. HI!