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Before torrents, before FTP, before high-speed — we had Xmodem, Express! Term, and a whole lot of watching this screen..
Checksum in play
SOH timeouts
NAK’ing blocks like a champ
Mom picking up the phone
If you were there, you know the thrill of waiting 40 minutes for a cracked copy of Donkey Kong to transfer without corrupting.
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After a long hiatus, the same old story is back. From trying to run it, make automated set up, 200 nodes of fury, and more, Russ has posted 20+ FoReM XEP schemes, since 2021. Persistent some would say or something else. This time, Russ or Ai, it’s not clear, will be creating a FoRem XEP “like bbs.” Here you go, the recent AtariAge post from the man himself, Russ:
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Hard to believe it's been five years since Southern AMIS BBS first dialed back into the retro scene! What started as a passion project to preserve and celebrate the golden age of Atari BBSing has grown into a fully functioning time capsule — and a living system — that continues to evolve both on the Southern Amis Project BBSs and here in these online forums.
A lot has been accomplished in the 5 years and a massive amount of effort to generate awareness of our existence and the technical innovations which make this retro->modern experience. Grateful for these years and here to go the distance for many more. Cheers to you for the support! Thanks - Amis
Congratulations Amis on your 5 year milestone! I've said this before and I'll say it again. It feels like you've been around longer! That's because of the impact you've made on our hobby. Thanks for all you do in preserving and publicizing Atari BBSing!
-JP
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+++ Day is a celebration of the Hayes modem escape sequence, first patented on October 22, 1985. It marks the invention of the iconic +++ command that allowed users to switch from data mode to command mode on Hayes-compatible modems without hanging up. On October 22 each year, we honor this essential piece of modem history and all things BBS! ❓ Why celebrate +++?
Because +++ changed the way we connected to the world! Before this invention, sending commands to your modem often meant losing your connection. Hayes' elegant guard-time solution allowed for control without disconnection — a vital innovation in the early days of online communication. Also... it’s just fun to say "Happy +++ Day!" and pretend we’re war dialing again. ❓ What exactly is the +++ escape sequence?
It’s a string of three plus signs (+++) sent to the modem with at least one second of silence before and after. If done…
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The Three-Plus Salute: Iconic, Infamous, and Occasionally Infuriating
The +++ escape sequence — affectionately known as the three-plus salute — is one of the most legendary commands in modem history. It allowed users to switch from data mode to command mode without hanging up, a critical feature that saved many a dial-up session.
But Hayes didn’t just invent it — they patented it. Their version included a one-second pause (called the guard time) before and after the +++ to prevent accidental triggers. If other modem vendors wanted to use this method, they had to pay up… or get sued.
Many budget modem makers chose not to license Hayes’ sequence. Instead, they created a workaround known as the Time Independent Escape Sequence — or TIES, for short. TIES dropped the guard time entirely. It simply triggered command mode if +++ was followed by a valid AT command (like +++ATH0<cr>).
This had consequences. While +++AT sequences were rare…
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FoReM XE Pro is Russ Campbell's "Moby Dick". 😄