It seems like I have been running computer BBSs (Bulletin Board Systems)for an eternity. From the first time a friend showed me some of the nifty things he could do with his Commodore 64 and a 300 baud modem back in 1980,I knew in my mind that THIS was where computers were headed. Long before the days of the Internet, the only places you could connect a computer with the outside world were a few university mainframes, Compuserve, and the local BBSs. The choice was easy. BBSs were free! 
Having spent at least a month patrolling local BBS scene on my friend's computer, I became an expert (in my own mind), bought a used 300 baud modem that was only slightly smaller than my car, connected it to my Texas Instruments TI99/4A computer, and began the task of writing my first BBS program. Two years, 2 kids, the occasional can of Pepsi and unimaginable tons of Cheezies later, the Razor's Edge BBS was one of the busiest BBSs in North Bay, Ontario. (Remember now... this was also long before the days when it was cool to be a computer dork...)

Years passed.(Imagine flipping calendar pages from cheesy black & white movie here.) Another child, a five year posting to Germany, the purchase of an Amiga computer to replace the orphaned TI, a transfer to CFB Shearwater, Nova Scotia, and the Razor's Edge was reborn... a little faster, a little more polished, but nonetheless, still  The Razor's Edge. And so began endless equipment upgrades, software upgrades, broken modems, burned-out hard drives, MANY sleepless nights at the keyboard and a few brushes with divorce from Jackie (AKA Pussy Willow) my unbelievably patient and understanding wife.

I found myself to be a very lucky little sysop (official sounding name for the guy who owns the BBS) over the years. Somehow the Razor's Edge always seemed to attract the very best of users. From the beginning, users like Sue, Q.T.Pie, Misty, and the venerable Bard saw fit to become regular visitors. They attracted their friends to the board, who attracted more, and before I knew it, the BBS was sporting a userbase of well over 600 regular callers, and 150 calls per day. The addition of a couple more modems and phone lines (bringing the total to 4) made it somewhat easier to get online, for a while. 

I recently calculated that with all the comings and goings over the years, we've had in excess of 4000 different people visit us at one time or another. Not bad for a little hobby! Within that 4000, there is a select group that have remained with the BBS since their first log-on and made the Razor's Edge their online "home". For me personally, nothing instills more pride than knowing that many of these users came on here as strangers and have now become inseparable friends. When David Oakes met Velvet Star here, who would have guessed a marriage would be the result? Or Nefarius and Froghollow? Sue and Blain? 

The drawing factor of a BBS is usually the condition of anonymity. You can be who you like, act as you wish and live a few precious minutes of your day in the fantasy of a computer screen. The Razor's Edge was different. The people I've come to know as the best friends I've ever had didn't hide behind a computer screen. We partied, played, drank coffee, solved personal problems, created personal problems, and talked and talked and talked and talked. 

The true "Edgers" dressed in ridiculous outfits and came to the Halloween parties at my house to laugh at their friends. They took bid's to chop off Rasta's handle-bar moustache and donated the proceeds to the BBS. They ganged up on Geco and drank all of his rum. They put up with Bard's jokes. They made fun of Sue's little fruit-bat dog and said goodbye to her when she left us. She couldn't  hear them but she smiled and waved anyway. When the BBS threatened to implode from sheer volume of messages, they pulled together and bought a new hard drive. They ate the breakfasts I made after my bashes, forced a smile and tried to convince me of how good it tasted even though their eyes showed a different story. When MT&T threatened to shut down the phones, they helped pay off the bills. They painted my house. They put up with bugs in the software, lost mail, mouthy kids, vicious rumors and me popping into their screen uninvited to say hi and "chat" for a while at the most inappropriate moments. 

I have the most amazing memories of them all, and I will cherish them always. I've contemplated starting The Razor's Edge back up at my new home in Ontario but it could never be the same. I'll miss it, but I'll remember. Thank you, my friends.

To BBS sysops and those and those contemplating starting one, here's a little tip - One of my users once said "Scott, no matter what you may think, this isn't your BBS. This is "MY" BBS. I'm just letting you run it for me." If you should be blessed with users who feel the same about your board, treat them well. They're right.



( Printed with kind permission of Maritime Computer Connections, and Scott Morrow, the SYSOP of The Razor's Edge BBS - from  Vol 2 No. 6  -  September 1997 
