Mastodawn

the idea is each #Meshtastic node is running the peer-to-peer #BBS client and every encrypted channel can become a #decentralized BBS with email, daily #wordle, rpg, #chess, SOS location services for families. It's a modern take on primitive software of the 80s that runs on a meshtastic node. This is off grid tech so it works without internet or gird power. you can power a node with a small solar panel.

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Mark

2h ago

I've been fleshing out this idea. It's called #TinyBBS #SideClique: A peer-to-peer decentralized #Meshtastic #BBS for families and friend groups. We have daily Wordle, chess by mess, and a daily LORD based multiplayer RPG based on the game Wastelad which is a meta game inside the #Fallout world. the wasteland is hashed so it's a daily social game take on an 80s classic Legend Of the Red Dragon type RPG. The RPG is on TinyBBS too, but I was able to move it to SideClique.
https://github.com/GoatsAndMonkeys/SideClique

GitHub - GoatsAndMonkeys/SideClique: TinyBBS SideClique - a peer-to-peer decentralized Mesh BBS for Meshtastic

TinyBBS SideClique - a peer-to-peer decentralized Mesh BBS for Meshtastic - GoatsAndMonkeys/SideClique

GitHub

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Mark

4h ago

This is really a vague idea so I'd love to hear from people who travel or go to festivals in groups with #meshtastic about the features you would want for a Peer to Peer #BBS client?
there could be features where if a family member goes missing you can send a message that changes their node to broadcast location every minute. stuff like that.

Mark

5h ago

I have a vague idea for a fork for my #TinyBSS. a #Meshtasdtic firmware where every client host a sort of #BBS. it would be for families or groups of friends at festivals. I would want stuff like persistent emergancy messages. If someone drops off the mesh or has their node off you can send a DM to them automatically once they get back online and you get an Ack from the DM. also stuff where parents can store all the GPS movements of the people in their family and store it int he external flash.

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Mark

6h ago

I have a Full version where you use a #python script to send the knowledge files on the the BBS to external flash. There is a Lite version that's just flash and dash. some NRF boards have less flash and can only run the lite version.
I also wanted to show the minimum hardware requirements for a fully functioning #meshtastic node #BBS. These are so low power you can retro fit a solar light into a solar powered node. the #ESP32 have way more capabilities but are power hogs
https://www.seeedstudio.com/XIAO-nRF52840-Wio-SX1262-Kit-for-Meshtastic-p-6400.html

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Mark

6h ago

I also want to flag #blind and #disability because the entire project is text based. A blind person can load the firmware entirely in text terminal or even use claude code to install everything. The #BBS itself is entirely text. unlike traditional BBS that have more resources I don't have a lot of ASCII/ANSI art that a reader can't deal well with. it's just text.
#meshtastic #firmware #nRF52 #nrf52840

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Mark

7h ago

I was running the #BBS on #ESP32 and making a companion mobile BBS #firmware that ran on NRF. I realized I could actually fit 85% of the BBS functionality on the NRF52.

You can't write to the enormous 2MB of external flash from terminal. however you can connect to the node with BT or serial so I wrote some code that takes up less than 2kb that allows you to send the files to the node and have the node write it to external flash.

Mark

7h ago

I want to give an update about my project #TinyBBS, a #Meshtastic #BBS that runs on the meshtastic firmware itself without an rpi. It is now NRF52 based. The NRF is a more lightweight and efficient.
The BBS has Email, bulletins, daily wordle, a pretty rich LORD style multiplayer RPG, survival skills, chess, QSLboard, and Airplane QSL Board. The BBS is about 70KB and I do a neat party trick to store knowledge files like a full 12k #wordle dictionary on the external flash.

https://github.com/GoatsAndMonkeys/TinyBBS

Josh Renaud 18h ago

In an alternate universe somewhere, nobody has heard of “webcomics.” Instead, there are thousands of “telecomics.”

In 1992, Don Lokke Jr. coined the term “telecomics” to describe his new digital comic strips, drawn primarily in the ANSI art format and distributed online through BBSes.

This is the final in-depth profile in my "ANSI art and webcomics" series!

https://breakintochat.com/blog/2026/03/25/don-lokke-and-mack-the-mouse/

#webcomics #comics #retrocomputing #bbs #ansiart #textmode #longreads #history #computerhistory