ruohki
4464774c7a
8 files: index.md with wiki-links, features overview, navigation guide, markdown showcase (all constructs), about page, changelog, and two guides (sysop handbook, writing content) in a subdirectory. Includes ANSI art splash.txt for the index page header.
2.6 KiB
description
| description |
|---|
| About BBS-MD and its design philosophy |
About BBS-MD
What Is This?
BBS-MD is a terminal-based markdown vault reader that channels the aesthetic of 1990s bulletin board systems. It turns a folder of markdown files into a navigable, interlinked information system — like a personal wiki you browse over SSH.
Design Philosophy
Terminal-Native
BBS-MD is built for the terminal. No web browser, no Electron, no GUI toolkit. Just your terminal emulator, a monospace font, and 16 colors. It runs over SSH, in tmux, on a Raspberry Pi, on a VPS — anywhere you have a shell.
Vault as Filesystem
Your content is just markdown files in a directory. No database, no proprietary format, no lock-in. Edit with vim, VS Code, or echo >>. BBS-MD watches for changes and refreshes live.
Retro Aesthetic
The CGA 16-color palette isn't a limitation — it's a feature. Box-drawing characters for code blocks and tables. ANSI art on the landing page. Reverse-video status bar. Every design choice asks: would a SysOp in 1994 approve?
Safe by Default
BBS-MD is designed to run as a login shell. That means:
- A panic must never leave the terminal broken
- A disconnect must never corrupt state
- The user must always be able to exit
- The app must always restore the terminal
These aren't nice-to-haves. When your app is the shell, safety is the foundation.
Tech Stack
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Language | Rust (Edition 2024) |
| TUI Framework | ratatui 0.30 |
| Terminal | crossterm |
| Markdown | pulldown-cmark (GFM) |
| Highlighting | syntect |
| ANSI Art | ansi-to-tui |
| File Watching | notify 6.1 |
| Dir Traversal | walkdir 2.5 |
Architecture
bbs-md/
src/
main.rs Entry point, terminal init, event loop
app.rs App state, navigation, key handling
config.rs TOML config loading (bbs.toml)
vault.rs Document loading, wiki-link resolution
renderer.rs Markdown-to-styled-lines pipeline
highlighter.rs Syntax highlighting with CGA colors
splash.rs ANSI art splash screen loader
signals.rs Unix signal handlers (SIGHUP, SIGTERM)
terminal.rs Terminal init/restore, panic hook
vault/
index.md Landing page (splash.txt prepended)
splash.txt ANSI art header (optional)
*.md Your content lives here
BBS-MD is a single binary with no runtime dependencies. Compile it, drop it on a server, point it at a vault.