Curated collection
Door games and sysop tools by Dennis Maidon · The Parole Board BBS · Clayton, North Carolina · 1990 to 1997
Dennis Maidon ran The Parole Board BBS in Clayton, North Carolina for exactly seven years, from 2:01 pm on March 27, 1990 to 2:01 pm on March 27, 1997. He also wrote door games and tools for other boards under the name PAROLE Software. This is everything we could find: games you can play right here, and all 150 releases to download.
Before the web, people used their modems to call bulletin board systems, or BBSes. A BBS was usually one PC in someone's house, run by a sysop. A door was a program the BBS let you use while you were connected, like a game or a classified ads section. Your keys went over the phone line to the door, and its colorful ANSI screens came back.
The doors on this page run in your browser the same way a caller saw them. You're logged in as a guest, and almost every door is registered to The Parole Board BBS.
Start here. Click Play, then Start, then click the screen so you can type.
Over 300 questions on every Star Trek series up to Deep Space Nine, plus questions that translate Klingon to English. Tom Walker of The Tholian Web BBS wrote the questions, with help from Robert Ferguson.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 151.7 KB
A free door Dennis put out on his birthday in 1993. It's a prank. Every answer you give is wrong ("if you put ball, it was going to say strike"), and then it pretends to format your hard drive. Nothing actually happens to your files.
Answer the questions, then watch the "format". Press Enter when it stops.
▶ Play Details Download 98.1 KB
Look over the horses, place your bets and borrow from the bank if you need to. The bank "wants and will get its money back." Then watch the race.
Answer the two setup questions, then place your bets.
Dennis started his trivia doors in 1992 and kept adding topics: sports, baseball, movies, the Oscars, famous people, Star Trek, American history, quotes, geography, the fifty states and coins. Scores reset every month, and each door posted a "Trivia Royalty" bulletin for the board. The manuals thank Ned Attayek of Free Advice BBS in Smithfield for "coming up with all these questions."
A free version of OnLine Trivia that runs on its own, without a BBS, with 1,750 questions. This is the original release from December 23, 1991, from one of Dennis's own floppy disks.
Answer with 1 to 4. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 229.6 KB
Dennis's first trivia door, from January 1992. Over 1,700 questions in four categories.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 208.8 KB
College sports. Version 3.1 from 1993 was cracked by a warez group. See From the underground below.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 134.3 KB
Questions about movies and the people who make them.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 137.8 KB
Baseball, "our national pastime".
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 132.7 KB
Oscar questions. This was the first door in the trivia series, in April 1992.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 131.9 KB
Famous people from around the world.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 137.5 KB
The history of North America.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 133.8 KB
Guess who said it. It started out as "Who Said That" by Angi Wigle, and PAROLE Software took it over in 1994.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 138.8 KB
Added to the series in 1995.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 132.8 KB
Over 300 questions about the fifty states.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 140 KB
U.S. coins and mints. The last new trivia door, dated March 3, 1997, three weeks before the board shut down.
No registration key exists for this door, so it pauses for a few seconds at the start. Then answer with 1 to 4.
Adults only. Over 200 questions.
Answer with 1 to 4 before the timer runs out. Press Q to quit.
▶ Play Details Download 137.7 KB
A baby pool for the whole BBS. Callers guess the baby's birth date and time, weight and length.
Make your guesses when the door asks.
▶ Play Details Download 156.6 KB
"Everything but the smell of burning rubber." Bet on quarter mile drag races and watch them run.
Place a bet, then watch the race.
▶ Play Details Download 121.5 KB
Pro wrestling. One of Dennis's oldest doors. Version 1.0 came out in May 1991.
Pick your wrestlers and follow the prompts.
▶ Play Details Download 125.7 KB
Dennis's first door, which he wrote on a Commodore 128 before redoing it as he learned QuickBasic. Guess which die comes up next. He gave it away for free. The oldest version, 1.0 from March 1991, survived only as loose files on one of Dennis's floppy disks; we packaged it with his OK.
Press 1 to 9 to guess the next die. You get 25 tries.
▶ Play Details Download 101.6 KB
Bet up to five quarters and win five different ways. Version 1.3 is dated March 25, 1997, two days before The Parole Board BBS shut down. It's the last PAROLE release we have found.
Bet from 1 to 5 quarters, then pull the handle.
▶ Play Details Download 124.8 KB
Keno and a weekly lotto, with Las Vegas payouts.
Pick your numbers, or let the computer pick them for you.
▶ Play Details Download 134.2 KB
Adults only. A 500 question purity test.
Answer each question yes or no.
▶ Play Details Download 156.7 KB
Adults only. The 1,000 question version.
Answer each question yes or no. This version pauses for a few seconds at the start because Dennis's key doesn't match it.
▶ Play Details Download 153.9 KB
Dennis wrote this home version because "SysOps as well as users" asked for one. Two people can compare their answers.
Press any key, then answer each question yes or no.
▶ Play Details Download 130.9 KB
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- --+/\____________ /\ _____/\____________/\____________
|\ _____ \/ \___/ \ _____ \ _____ \
:/\/ / / / /\/ / /\/ / /
/ / / / / / /
/ / / / / / / / /
/ /__ / /____/\/ /__ / /__ /
\_____/ \ /\____________ \_____/ \ /\_____/ \ /+-- -
(*--------------------\/--------------\/----------\/------------\/-|---*) SLUM
NATIONAL UNDERGROUND APPLICATION ALLIANCE :
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ NCAA Sports Trivia v3.1 │
├────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┤
│ CRACKER :Cookie │ SUPPLIED BY :Cookie │
│ RELEASE DATE :9/26/93 │ COMPANY/BY :PAROLE Software │
│ SIZE :1 720K │ ENVIRONMENT :DOS │
├────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┤
│ A college sports BBS door program from PAROLE Software. Automatically │
│ resets each month. Create full color ANSI, WC!3.x, PCBoard and RIP graphic│
│ bulletins. Registered SysOps may DL an editor to allow questions to be │
│ added to the database. │
│ │
│ Disk Killer │
│ NUAA 93'/SWaT 93' │
│ │
│Other Notes: We are ON THE MOVE!!!!! │
│ │
│Greets Go To: TRC, TWK, THG, RAZOR and of course SiN!!! │
│Personal Yo's to: Rifleman, CyberChrist, White Viper, Skybum, Mooncrow, │
│ Ram Chip & Asmodeus (Gimme, Gimme :)) │
│Special Thanks To Cookie for the assistance! │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
NUAA GROUP NOTES ----- THE GROUP AND ITS BOARD HAVE CHANGED....
TNT IS THE NEW WHQ!!!!!!!
NUAA welcomes our newest affiliates:
Mooncrow's Aeyrie (Dist Site)
The Liquor Cabinet (Member Site)
SUPPORT THESE BOARDS!!!!
ALL NUAA MEMBERS MUST CONTACT AVALON...NO EXCEPTIONS AS OF THE NEXT RELEASE
IF HE HAS HAD CONTACT WITH YOU, YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST. THIS
ALSO INCLUDES ALL DIST SITES. HE CAN BE REACHED ON TNT, M.L.O.R., Or STATE
OF DEVOLUTION.
Disk Killer
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ - NUAA DISTRIBUTION SITES - │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ TNT WHQ 4 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE Disk Killer │
│ M.L.O.R. Courier HQ 10 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE Escape Key │
│ Craft World Canadian HQ 3 node(s) 418-623-3092 Slum-Dweller │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Cloud Nine Elite Member Site 4 node(s) ITS-NOT-DOWN Nimbus │
│ Dust N' Bones Member Site 2 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE Groo │
│ HELL Multinode Member Site 2 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE Asmodeus │
│ Savage Empire Member Site 1 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE General Zennor │
│ The Liquor Cabinet Member Site 2 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE White Viper │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Ascii Express Dist. Site 1 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE Captain Over │
│ Harmony Skates Dist. Site 2 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE SkaTeMasTer │
│ Maximum Overdrive Dist. Site 3 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE Twin Turbo │
│ Mooncrow's Aeyrie Dist. Site 4 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE Mooncrow │
│ State of Devolution Dist. Site 2 node(s) ITS-PRI-VATE Marauder │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ - NUAA SENIOR STAFF - │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Avalon..Our Chief And Leader...................Waiting For A Good Wargame.
Rupert..Second In Command......................50 Something
Disk Killer..What Rykor Is To Picard...........Keepin' it Up in 93' :)
General Zennor..Head Of The NUAA Update Div....Used To Be Captain Zennor
Butcher..Not Sure Where He Falls In............Fell Off The Face Of The Earth
Snake..Courier Director........................Drink a Case of Bud!!!!!
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ - NUAA MEMBERS - │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ - ASMODEUS - COOKIE - DOGGER - GROO - MIRROR IMAGE- NIMBUS - NUKE EM - │
│ - SLUM DWELLER - SNAKE - TWIN TURBO - WESTBAM - WHITE VIPER - │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ - NUAA SPREADERS - │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│S SKYBUM S│
│W 9 And 9 W│
│A 3 The Special Wares Aquisition Team 3 A│
│T --------------------------------- T│
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HOW TO CONTACT NUAA │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ To get in touch with NUAA call TNT , and leave mail to Avalon or Disk │
│ Killer. If you are intrested in becoming an NUAA Dist. Site and have some- │
│ thing to offer NUAA call TNT. And leave mail to Disk Killer Or Avalon. │
│ │
│ If you would like to become part of the # 1 Courier System in the World... │
│ SWaT!, call TNT and leave a message to Disk Killer, CyberChrist, Snake or │
│ Warchild. │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
-*- -*- -*- -*- -*-
NUAA - KICKIN ASS AND TAKING NAMES!
In September 1993 one of Dennis's doors showed up on the warez scene. The info file credits Cookie of NUAA, the National Underground Application Alliance, with cracking NCAA Sports Trivia 3.1. It was spread by SWaT, "the #1 Courier Team".
It happened fast. Dennis's own files for version 3.1 are dated August 29, 1993. The cracked program is dated September 10, and the group's info file September 26. That's four weeks after the door came out.
There wasn't much to crack. In the manual Dennis wrote: "I am not a subscriber to the 'Crippleware' concept… There is a 10 second delay that is removed once the program has been registered." The cracked program is the only copy that was packed again with a plain version of PKLITE, which means someone unpacked it, changed it and packed it back up. The rest of the files are Dennis's originals, order form included.
The group added its own touches: a fake legal notice in the ZIP comment about a "24 hour" library check out, an ad for their home board ("NO LOCALS EVER!!! WE KILL LAMERS!!!") and a list of their members and boards. A college sports trivia door written in Clayton, North Carolina made it onto a national courier network in under a month.
"First computer was C128D. I just played around with it and always, always loved technology. Never could afford it."
Dennis Maidon
Dennis tried Wildcat!, Spitfire and PCBoard before he picked Wildcat!. The name started as a test name: "The first thing that came to mind just setting up this trial was parole board. Went along with board." He had typed it so many times by the time he went online that he kept it.
He took his first call on March 27, 1990 at 2:01 pm. In seven years the board took more than 80,000 calls, and his doors ran on boards all over the world.
"They were a lot more personal than the Internet is. It's like I told people, it's like you come to my house and visit."
Then the Internet took over. "When the internet cranked up, it was just like a switch." Seven years after the first call, "on the same date, the same time, I switched it off."
PAROLE doors were shareware. You could use them fully before paying, because Dennis didn't believe in "crippleware." Unregistered copies just waited a few seconds when they started. In 1994 a door cost $15, and all 24 cost $200. The nine trivia doors were $77 together. Each registration key only worked with the name of the board and its sysop.
"I had some days I'd go to the mailbox, and there'd be over $1,000 worth of checks or credit card purchases in there."
When a sysop paid, Dennis mailed out the disks in a padded envelope with an orange keychain and a pen.
Dennis still has the keys he made for his own board, and he has posted them on his website. The doors on this page use those keys, so they run registered to The Parole Board BBS, just like they did on his board. Two doors have no key that works, Coin Trivia and Purity 1000, so they still show the short shareware pause.
Dennis also wrote doors and tools that helped a sysop run a board, mostly for Wildcat! and PCBoard. These are here to download.
Callers list their boards, and old listings expire. Dennis's favorite of all the programs he wrote.
Online classified ads that clean up after themselves.
A calendar of upcoming events that callers add to.
A list of files people are looking for.
A graffiti wall for short messages.
Reviews written by callers, sorted by category.
Shows text files in color, by security level.
Shows a screen before or after a door runs.
Asks callers to help pay to register a shareware door for the board.
Lets callers read the RIME Times, the RIME network's newsletter, online.
Adds ANSI color to plain text files.
Makes text files look like tractor feed computer paper.
Makes political joke screens for a board's login.
Adds color to Wildcat! file lists.
Adds color to the RIME conference list.
Turns Wildcat! 3 prompt files into plain text.
Turns Wildcat! 4 prompt files into plain text.
Screens that count down to Christmas.
A Christmas countdown for batch files.
Changes the tagline on mail banners.
Writes notes into the activity log.
Logs each caller's record number.
Makes a batch file wait until a set time.
Makes placeholder files for CD-ROM file areas.
Lets doors written for Spitfire run on a Wildcat! board.
These tools let sysops add their own questions and data. Dennis only sent them to sysops who paid for the door, and the files say DO NOT DISTRIBUTE. They're shared here with his permission.
All 150 files we found are in the PAROLE Software category, most of them in several versions, from ESP! in March 1991 to the last QuarterSlots in March 1997: Games · Community Doors · Sysop Utilities · Sysop Editors. Adult titles are tagged adult*.