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Site map > Connecting
If you are familiar with telnet and don't mind an ASCII board you can connect immediately telnet://fibs.com:4321. However, most FIBS players today use a graphical interface to allow the easy 'point and click' approach.
Please do not forget your FIBS password. Many Fibsters have changed or updated their interfaces only to find they can no longer remember their original password. There is currently no way for the FIBS administrators to retrieve this information. If you forget your password then you must start again under a new username.
These run directly in your browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Netscape, etc) and are fairly simple: ParlorPlay, JavaFIBS Applet
Reviews below for currently supported download interfaces: JavaFIBS 2001, 3DFiBs, RealFibs
Older interfaces include C4FIBS, BBGT, WinFIBS, Tkfibs, FIBS/W
CocoaFIBS (OS 10.3+), JavaFIBS 2001 (OS 10.x), MacFIBS (OS 7.x-9.x)
JavaFIBS 2001, bacKgammon (KDE), KBackgammon (KDE)
Odesys for mobiles, MobileFIBS, FibsCE
Connect your telnet application to address fibs.com:4321
These commands are useful to all Fibsters and essential to telnet users. How many people know about waitfor or whisper?
Free software: GNU Backgammon, GAMMONLAB Blowfish & Snowfish, fibs2html, Play-O-Matic (only replays)
Software with free trials: Snowie, BGBlitz, Ariston
BGBlitz is the Swiss Army knife of backgammon programs, useful for making match files compatible.
www.parlorplay.com
Author: Rod (rodr) Roark
Latest update: 2005, see its change history
Cost: Currently free
Bottom line: Wide range of features, impressive for a browser based interface. Note: you need to regster with both ParlorPlay and the FIBS server.
www.fibs.com/javafibs
Author: Peter (cthulhu) Nevalainen
Cost: Free
Discussion: JavaFIBS forum
Bottom line: Limited features but very convenient for a quick game on someone else's computer!
www.fibs.com/javafibs
Author: Peter (cthulhu) Nevalainen
Shareware: to register (US$25, €30)
Latest update: 2008
Discussion: JavaFIBS forum
Board: Scaleable, also new window option; good range of board styles including zupinlop's wooden board and Alef's boards.
Chat: Separate chat windows for opponents and public chat (shouts); scaleable; lots of changeable buttons for phrases (and commands) with nice images
Friends: Mark buddies and villains, and choose colours
Save Games: Option to save all matches; can convert to Jellyfish-match-file (.mat)
Statistics: Detailed stats of every match you will play with JavaFIBS 2001
Help: Excellent built-in help menu
Bottom line: Very popular interface, great stats, range of boards, programmable buttons. Requires Java 2.
Author: Maareyes (TusconAZ) Solomon
Latest update: 2007, download
Discussion: 3dFiBs forum
Board: Very nice and big board; not scaleable; given colours
Chat: You can change between opponents window and public chat (shouts)
Friends: Mark your buddies
Save Games: Very good save games functions (Jellyfish-match files or 3DFiBs file); when connection drops game is saved and can be resumed so the session is still there!
Statistics: Saves your stats against players
Help: Has a basic help menu
Extras: Play backgammon and nackgammon offline against gnubg. Save games in JF.mat to analyze later or use the hint function while playing for immediate feedback.
Bottom line: Also popular, great RepBot integration, doesn't require Java. Well worth trying.
www.matikon.de
Author: A. J. Pyka
Open source: sourceforge.net/projects/c4fibs
Latest update: 2006
Discussion: C4FIBS forum
Bottom line: Does the job.
www.realfibs.org
Authors: Patrick (pat_gammon) Hoffmann and Jens (jback) Güther
Latest update: 2003
Discussion: RealFibs forum
Bottom line: Has a flexible design and a nice list of features, including excellent RepBot integration. But there are minor bugs, and there's no longer support.
www.gamercafe.com/bbgt
Author: Matt Reiklatis (Gamer Café)
Shareware: US$29.95 to register (free with limited functions)
Last updated: circa 2000
Board: Not scaleable and a bit small; colours can be changed freely; rather basic style
Chat: Small separate windows for chatting with your opponent and the ongoing public chat (shouts); lots of freely changeable buttons for phrases (and commands)
Friends: Mark your friends and enemies
Save Games: Can save as Jellyfish-match-files (.mat) or BBGT-files but has bugs (often doesn't save full match) and won't save full match when connection drops in the middle; can also save positions as Jellyfish-position-files
Statistics: Gives stats against every opponent you've ever played broken down by match length
Help: Good help function if registered
Has its bugs but is reliable. If you like to chat a lot or have a special tastes in colours BBGT might be your choice.
No longer available for download
Author: John Fahey
Last updated: circa 1998
A classic still used by many. Has a nice board and nice sounds but is rather basic in all other respects. Lacks functions.
No longer available for download
Author: Keith Vetter
Board: Scaleable; colours can be changed if you know the right colour-names in English
Chat: Rather basic windows but special window for chat with opponents can be opened
Uses ActiveTcl which has to be downloaded first, but can therefore run on different platforms. Rather basic style which should be ok if you are in for playing and not so much for socializing.
Last updated: 1995
The original FIBS graphical interface for Windows OS. Freeware but no longer being updated or supported.
To remove the opening nuisance dialogs follow these instructions:
(1) Run FIBS/W.
(2) At the opening dialog, press the "I Agree" button.
(3) At the main FIBS/W screen, press the Control, Alt, Shift and 'R' keys simultaneously (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+'R'). FIBS/W should display the Registration dialog.
(4) In the User Name field of the Registration dialog enter "gamesgrid" (omit the quotes).
(5) In the passcode field enter 24785. Press the OK button.
(6) Make a permanent note of the user name and passcode. If you reinstall FIBS/W on another machine you will need to reenter it. The user name and passcode are stored in the c:\windows\fibsw.ini file.
To display the current value of the Thorp pip counting metric, press the Control, Alt, Shift and 'T' keys simultaneously (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T). FIBS/W also provides a faster version of the pip command by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P.