Interviews

Scott Jibben of Jibben Software
By Frank Vest

As Editor of the Fidonews, a publication of the Fidonet mail network, I'm trying to interview various Authors of BBS related programs and other software for the Fidonews.

With your permission, I'd like an E-Mail address and Web page, if available, to publish in the Fidonews.

Q: Tell us a little about Scott. Just who are you? :)

I don't do much with the BBS anymore. I've been consulting for database enabled web sites using Cold Fusion since I got out of the BBS market. My software is essentially freeware now. I give out keys to anyone who asks for them. Someday I will produce versions that don't need keys (one of the packages is already in this state). If the demand gets too high to produce free keys, I'll convert these doors more quickly or I'll just put out public keys that anyone can use.

Q: What got you first interested in BBS?

I started using BBS when 2400 baud modems where the affordable option. 9600 baud was just getting introduced but the cost was prohibitive. I suppose that this would be back around 1987 or so. I started a BBS with my friend, Travis Carter, called The Warehouse in 1990 or 1991. It had just about everything and quickly went from a 2-line system to a 10-line system. Travis then quit the BBS to pursue a new opportunity, US Internet. US Internet is one of the largest regional Internet ISP's in our area (http://www.usinternet.com). Travis turned over the BBS to me. The BBS market kept shrinking. At first I dropped to six lines, then three. Finally, it was simply not cost effective to keep a BBS running for only about 100 people.

Q: How long have you been programming?

I have been programming in one form or another since about 1982.

Q: What prompted you to begin writing Doors and other utilities?

I saw doors as an opportunity to write games that I wouldn't have been able to publish commercially against Sierra On-Line and Origin Systems. It was really fun to figure out how to squeeze a full dungeon that was similar to Wizardry into about 400K of memory and support multiple users and inter-node combat.

Q: What do you see as the strong points of your programs? Give us a quick review.

I tried to make my doors be multi-node friendly so that you could have real inter-node chat and combat. In Mines of Gorr, I still believe that I have some of the best ANSI graphics for a D&D door available. FYI, these were all drawn by a fellow named David Cates from Arizona on a voluntary basis.

Q: Where do you see door games going in the future?

Well, I haven't followed door games that much in the last few years. The days of BBS making large amounts of money are gone. Almost all of the large BBS systems that I used to like playing with/on are either gone or have moved entirely over to be an ISP. So, the BBS market and doors will revert back to the people who have the time to make door games for fun and fame instead of money. My time has to be divided between family and revenue so I don't see an opportunity for myself to get back into the BBS door game market.

Q: Where do you see BBS systems going in the future?

I see them reverting back to the 'good old days' where the BBS was maintained by the hobbyist. Since many of the door games are now free to use and even many of the BBS software packages are free it isn't that expensive to start a BBS. The real problem is getting users to know you exist. Running a BBS for a profit will be difficult to do unless you have a unique feature that no one else has and it is something that people want. Another good option is to get a DSL connection and wire the BBS to the Internet.

Q: Anything else you want to add or tell the readers?

I was amazed at how quickly the BBS market shrank with the emergence of the Internet. So, don't get into a BBS with the idea that you'll make tons of money via subscriptions. Go into it with the full realization that the SysOp will fund most, if not all of the costs. If you don't want to run it as a hobby then perhaps you should find something else to do. The BBS has come full circle and is back at the hobbyist level. Enjoy the relationships that you start and build through a BBS because that is now the reward of running one.

If you want to use my doors to help attract people to your BBS, be my guest! You can download them at http://www.jibbensoftware.com.

Scott Jibben
12133 Norway Street NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55448

[EMAIL] scott@jibben.com
[VOICE] 763-757-5626
[FAX] 763-862-8371