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Joined: Aug 2011
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Eddie 1261 mentioned Usenet in +++ THIS +++post. Internet providers (ISP) use to include home pages and access to "extras" like newsgroups and usenet. It ain't that way anymore. Forums evolved from bulletin boards but I really can't think of anything that replaced newsgroups. Newsgroups +++ still exist +++ but are no longer offered by most ISPs. Now newsgroups are a subscription service. I miss providers like Earthlink and BellSouth.
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eddie1261
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eddie1261
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In those days I had an ISP that was strictly UNIX based. It was run by a Polish immigrant and their servers were in his basement. It ended up growing into a 3 million dollar company. He was hired away by Deutche Telekom and sold the business to 2 other guys who were eventually bought out and absorbed by a bigger company. I was ALL OVER those USEnet news groups. Good old NNTP servers on port 119!!! I met a LOT of women on the singles newsgroups. That was a place to run under the radar and do such things. There were music groups, for sale, pets, anything you can imagine. The younger folks don't know what they missed back in the days when the internet was all text, running something called Lynx (links - get it?)? You could telnet to anywhere you knew the domain name of. I used to go to colleges and see what I could see. I once went to the University of Prague and found a bunch of people with my last name. Once turned out to be a math prof there and we talked a lot about ancestry. It was from him that I learned that I would need to knw the 2 block area in Yugoslavia where my grandparents lived to do any good because my last name is a very common Slovenian names.
Those days are long gone. Now it's "Set up an account. Give us your email - name - address - phone number - and we will annoy you forever." Very different time back then. Once browsing included graphics (Was Mosaic the first graphic based browser?) things changed quickly.
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back in the day, my son and I hosted a BBS. We used WWIV BBS software, which was open source and moddable. We mostly subscribed to newsgroups that were oriented toward creativity. All it required was a dedicated phone line. I wrote several freeware online games for our BBS that used ANSI graphics. There was a hangman game, a word jumble game and a few more.
Apparently BBSs are still alive and well, because somebody recently contacted me to ask if my games were still available. If, in fact, BBSes are still a thing, I guess you could get newsgroups by setting up a BBS and subscribing to the feeds.
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Joined: Jul 2000
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I remember newsgroups, including one for Band-in-a-Box, a few for MIDI binaries, and two for saxophone players. They were a little like these forums, but the interface wasn't as slick. I was interested in a couple of BBSs, but never actually found one that was useful enough for my needs at the time. I remember my dial-up modem, but not fondly  Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Anyone remember the online service, +++ Prodigy +++ or +++ Compuserve +++? How about America Online? I use to recycle AOL floppy discs by using them for MIDI file storage. I made a Christmas tree out of AOL CDs and used spare CDs to make colorful wall clocks.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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I remember the problems they had early on. They were down so much they were known as America Offline.
BIAB2026
Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!)
WA6NCB
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I was a user of the Youngstown and Cincinnati freenets.
...Deb
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eddie1261
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eddie1261
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I was BIG on the Cleveland FreeNet. In fact I was the moderator if the MIDI forum. That got me unlimited call length. That was so great to be able to telnet out of there and play!
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Journeyman
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Journeyman
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Not only Usenet but I was really fond of Fidonet. When I first moved to Arkansas we had NO internet. NONE! I talked a local bbs into carrying a couple of feeds. That was when they taleked about the information super highway. We were on the information gravel road!
Dell 610 dual Monitor, win 7-10, Sonar Plat, ProTools 10 & 11, Reaper 4, BIAB/real Band 2022, Easy Drummer, Superior Drummer, Kontact Essentials, Personnel Orchestra, Korg Legacy Analog & Digital
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
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Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
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