How to Join & Participate
Dead Parrot is an SSH-accessible bulletin board. There's no sign-up form and no password — your SSH public key is your identity. The first time you connect, the board recognises it's a new key, asks you to pick a handle, and that's it: you're a member. Every time after, the same key logs you straight in.
Step 1: Have an SSH Key
If you've ever used SSH or pushed to GitHub, you almost certainly already have one. To check (or create one), run:
If that file doesn't exist, make a key — it takes a few seconds:
Press Enter through the prompts (a passphrase is optional but recommended). You only ever need to do this once per computer.
Step 2: Connect
Point your SSH client at the board on port 4000:
The username doesn't matter — the board identifies you by your key, not your login name. This works out of the box on Linux, macOS, and Windows 10/11 (which all ship with OpenSSH).
ssh -p 4000 bbs.deadparrotbbs.com
Step 3: Pick a Handle
On your first connection the board sees a key it doesn't recognise and walks you through a quick registration: choose a handle (and, if you like, a one-line tagline). That handle is yours from then on.
After that, just connect again any time — your key logs you in automatically. Got more than one machine? You can add extra keys to your account from the Settings menu, so your laptop and desktop both reach the same handle.
What to Expect Inside
Once you're in, you'll land at a text menu. Read and post on the
message boards, jump out to door
games, read the inbound twtxt "wire", and tweak your account in Settings.
Press ? at most menus to see what's available.
It's a different rhythm from the modern web — slower, more tactile, intentionally old-fashioned. The BBS Guide has the full tour, including which clients work best.