X-News

Headlines from X-bit BBS News Feed, a feed about BBSes, BBS software, door games and the scene. The list is rebuilt once a day.

• Synchronet termgfx doors: retro and modern games

  2026-08-17

  Digital Man playing DOOM, Duke Nukem 3D, several SCUMM titles, EasyRPM, Intellivision, NES, and Arcade games as BBS doors using JXL and Sixel graphics, SyncTERM audio (music and sound effects), mouse and evdev/kitty native keyboard input. This is the BBS in 2026!

• IcyBoard 0.2.0-lsp1 released

  2026-08-15

  IcyBoard's goal is to re-create PCBoard, one of the most famous DOS BBS systems of its time. Version 0.2.0-lsp1 is a large update with many new features, improvements, and fixes. For more information about the IcyBoard project and the 0.2.0-lsp1 update, visit: [https://github.com/mkrueger/icy_board]

• On this day in Tech History: The IBM PC

  2026-08-13

  IBM introduces its Personal Computer (PC) also known as the IBM Model 5150, lending legitimacy to microprocessor-based computers. IBM's first PC ran with a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor and used Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system. Steve Jobs was quoted in a 1985 interview, “If … IBM wins, my personal feeling is that we are going to enter sort of a computer Dark Ages for about 20 years.”

• New Door Game: Family Feud (2026)

  2026-08-08

  From the maker of BBS Wordle comes Family Feud - 2026! FAMILY FEUD 26 v2026.8.5 [Door Game] Daily survey-guessing door. Everyone on your BBS plays the SAME board each day - real competition, real leaderboards. 14,600 questions = 5 YEARS no repeats. 3 rounds + Fast Money, make-up days, play-ahead, 5 scoreboard views, optional timers, ANSI music w/ SyncTERM autodetect. DOS/Win32/Win64/Linux/Pi. No DB, no DLLs. By Alexander Corris -- bbswordle.com For more info and to download your FREE copy visit: [https://bbswordle.com/feud/]

• PCBoard-X updates

  2026-08-07

  PCBoard-X is a working revival of PCBoard 15.3, the DOS bulletin board system originally published by Clark Development Company and one of the most respected commercial BBS packages of the dial-up era. The project takes the original source code, rebuilds it on authentic period tooling, repairs what time had broken, and carries it forward under a new name: PCBoard-X. The monumental task of the 16-bit -> 32-bit port is done. Many bugs discovered and fixed. For more info on this project visit: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/455333335058324]

• ANetMRC - Multi-Relay Chat for DOS

  2026-08-06

  ANetMRC is a full MRC (Multi-Relay Chat) 1.3 client for any DOS-native BBS that produces a DOOR.SYS dropfile and runs a FOSSIL driver. It lets users on your BBS join the live MRC chat network (na-multi.relaychat.net:5000) and talk in real-time with users on other connected BBSes worldwide. For more info and to download visit: [https://github.com/anetonline/ANetMRC]

• NoCarrierMail - offline mail packet reader

  2026-08-06

  NoCarrierMail is an offline mail packet reader with a curses-based interface, for Unix / Linux, macOS, Windows, and other systems. It reads and replies to messages in the Blue Wave, QWK, OMEN, SOUP, and OPX formats. Available for Win32/64, Linux, macOS Apple Silicon, and DOS.

• SyncTERM v1.9rc4 released

  2026-08-05

  This is the fourth release candidate for SyncTERM v1.9. If there are no bugs, reported in the next week or two, this will become the official SyncTERM release.

• Spitfire BBS Lives Again in 2026+

  2026-08-04

  TLDR: Spitfire is once agina working in 2026+ And it has a few tools to help it on its way: 1) Months of binary review to locate/fix the Y2K & Y2K25 issues 2) SFNetAdd32 is a win32 tool that reads .NA files and auto-add to your msg DB 3) SFToss32 is a win32 tosser so you can once again join FTN nets 4) SFPack32 is the new SF message packer - old one could corrupt the messages 5) SFPckUsr32 is SF's new user backer - old one would delete real users 6) SFAME & SFSME (full screen msg editor) Y2K patching 7) Y2K/Y2K25 patched the official shareware version 8) etc.. etc Would you like to know more? In short, i had a hard time giving up on my first BBS software I used and reg'ed in the early 90s. If you still have your reg'ed copy and would like to try and get it going again see below!

• BBS Tournament Bowling Solitaire: Update

  2026-08-04

  BBS Tournament Bowling Solitaire has been updated to v2026.8.2 offering a number of quality of life improvements and other enhancements. If you have this awesome game installed, update! If you've yet to check out and install BBS Tournament Bowling Solitaire then nows the time as this is a very fun game. BBS Tournament Bowling Solitaire runs on DOS, Win32/64, Linux and the Pi. For more info and to download visit: [https://bbswordle.com/solitaire/]

• Usurper Reborn hits v1.0.0

  2026-08-04

  A modern remake of the 1993 BBS classic! With version 1.0 the Beta label comes off. A launch event on the live server: world bosses, a Blood Moon, and the crowning of the first monarch of the new age. If you played in the early days and drifted away, understand two things: the flaws that drove you off have been repaired, and your grudges are still remembered. Playable on Linux/Win/Mac/Steam (yes, that steam). For more info visit: Github: [https://github.com/binary-knight/usurper-reborn/] Website: [https://usurper-reborn.net/]

• Immortal Barons - An Open Source Barren Realms Elite Clone

  2026-08-03

  The current state of the OG BRE game is, not good. No support and its not been updated in many years. So this is very exciting news! Immortal Barons is a turn-based strategy game for the terminal. You rule a barony in a ruined, post-apocalyptic world. You buy land, feed your people, build an army, and fight rival empires. The goal is to have the highest net worth when the turns run out, or to conquer everyone else. Inter-BBS is not ready yet but you can download and test the local version now.

• ANetBBS hits v1.0.0

  2026-08-01

  ANetBBS - A self-hosted BBS with FidoNet, web + terminal access, and C64/128 PETSCII support (free, open source). After a long alpha & beta, ANetBBS just hit full release! It's a modern take on the classic multi-node BBS: one user database shared across a web interface (Flask + SocketIO), telnet, SSH, rlogin, FTP, and even native PETSCII support for real (or emulated) Commodore 64/128 hardware. Would you like to know more? [https://tinyurl.com/anetbbs-v1] Also visit ANetBBS on GitHub here: [https://github.com/anetonline/ANetBBS]

• New Door Game: CARNIVAL - Season One

  2026-08-01

  Once again, from the maker of BBS Wordle comes CARNIVAL! Six carnival booths... but only ONE is open tonight. Play, win, and the Barker opens the midway piece by piece. Daily tickets, hidden easter eggs, a prize shelf, three secret endings, and one FINAL NIGHT showdown. Playable on Win64/win32/Linux/RasPi.

• NewWave Software: DRAW32 v2.00

  2026-08-01

  TheDraw clone ANSI Win32 console ANSI editor. Full ANSI Music, MCI Code, Animations, TDF Font usage, and tons more. A full-featured ANSI/ASCII art editor for Win32, built in the spirit of the classic TheDraw. Fully functional shareware - $20 reg. For more info visit: [https://www.reddit.com/r/bbs/comments/1vcap4y/draw32_v200_released/]

• New Door Game: Amiga Empire

  2026-07-24

  From the maker of BBS Wordle comes the classic 1993 C-Net Amiga BBS empire building door, faithfully ported for modern BBSes. Build kingdoms raid neighbors, cast curses, manage you serfs. Runs on Linux, Windows (32/64), and Raspberry Pi. Original by Crazy Cad and Warren Peace. Do you want to know more?

• On this day in Tech History: Commodore Amiga Introduced

  2026-07-23

  The Amiga 1000 is the inaugural model in the Amiga series of personal computers, manufactured by Commodore International and released on July 23, 1985, as a groundbreaking multimedia system designed by engineer Jay Miner. Do you want to know more?

• Happy Birthday Synchronet!

  2026-07-17

  While this might not be the exact date Synchronet was officially born, it’s close - and I have DM’s date approval. Happy birthday, Synchronet!

• ConstructiveChaos BBS hits 20K callers

  2026-07-16

  An amazing milestone from one of the #1 systems I enjoy accessing: ConstructiveChaos BBS hits 20K callers on 6-16-26! Do you want to know more? [https://conchaos.synchro.net/] 20k caller ANSI from code himself: [https://x-bit.org/box/20k-code.png]

• Mystic BBS 1.10 A38 source released on github

  2026-07-08

  Release: 2026-07-07 - base Mystic 1.10 A38, brought up to roughly 1.10 A39 feature level (FidoNet tosser, JAM compatibility, ANSI draw mode, themed message boxes, and the full message base index reader). Builds with Free Pascal 2.6.2 for Windows (XP+, 32-bit) and Linux (i386); macOS/Darwin compiles to objects. A community fork of the Mystic BBS 1.10 alpha 38 source, released under the GNU General Public License v3. The goal is a clean, buildable, well-documented tree that the BBS scene can build, run, study, and carry forward on the platforms that matter to it - Windows XP (32-bit), Debian/Linux (i386), and macOS/Darwin - using the original Free Pascal 2.6.2 toolchain.