======================================================================
= Bulletin_board_system =
======================================================================
Introduction
======================================================================
A bulletin board system (BBS), also called a computer bulletin board
service (CBBS), is a computer server running software that allows
users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged
in, the user performs functions such as uploading and downloading
software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages
with other users through public message boards and sometimes via
direct chatting. In the early 1980s, message networks such as FidoNet
were developed to provide services such as NetMail, which is similar
to internet-based email.
Many BBSes also offered online games in which users could compete with
each other. BBSes with multiple phone lines often provided chat rooms,
allowing users to interact with each other. Bulletin board systems
were in many ways a precursor to the modern form of the World Wide
Web, social networks, and other aspects of the Internet. Low-cost,
high-performance asynchronous modems drove the use of online services
and BBSes through the early 1990s. 'InfoWorld' estimated that there
were 60,000 BBSes serving 17 million users in the United States alone
in 1994, a collective market much larger than major online services
such as CompuServe.
The introduction of inexpensive dial-up internet service and the
Mosaic web browser offered ease of use and global access that BBS and
online systems did not provide, and led to a rapid crash in the market
starting in late 1994 to early 1995. Over the next year, many of the
leading BBS software providers went bankrupt and tens of thousands of
BBSes disappeared. Today, BBSing survives largely as a nostalgic hobby
in most parts of the world, but it is still a popular form of
communication in Taiwan (see PTT Bulletin Board System). Most
surviving BBSes are accessible over Telnet and typically offer free
email accounts, FTP services, and IRC. Some offer access through
packet switched networks or packet radio connections.
Precursors
============
A precursor to the public bulletin board system was Community Memory,
which started in August 1973 in Berkeley, California. Microcomputers
did not exist at that time, and modems were both expensive and slow.
Community Memory ran on a mainframe computer and was accessed through
terminals located in several San Francisco Bay Area neighborhoods. The
poor quality of the original modem connecting the terminals to the
mainframe prompted Community Memory hardware person, Lee Felsenstein,
to invent the Pennywhistle modem, whose design was influential in the
mid-1970s.
Community Memory allowed the user to type messages into a computer
terminal after inserting a coin, and offered a "pure" bulletin board
experience with public messages only (no email or other features). It
did offer the ability to tag messages with keywords, which the user
could use in searches. The system acted primarily in the form of a buy
and sell system with the tags taking the place of the more traditional
classifications. But users found ways to express themselves outside
these bounds, and the system spontaneously created stories, poetry and
other forms of communications. The system was expensive to operate,
and when their host machine became unavailable and a new one could not
be found, the system closed in January 1975.
Similar functionality was available to most mainframe users, which
might be considered a sort of ultra-local BBS when used in this
fashion. Commercial systems, expressly intended to offer these
features to the public, became available in the late 1970s and formed
the online service market that lasted into the 1990s. One particularly
influential example was PLATO, which had thousands of users by the
late 1970s, many of whom used the messaging and chat room features of
the system in the same way that would later become common on BBSes.
The first BBSes
=================
Early modems were generally either expensive or very simple devices
using acoustic couplers to handle telephone operation. The user would
pick up the phone, dial a number, then press the handset into rubber
cups on the top of the modem. Disconnecting at the end of a call
required the user to pick up the handset and return it to the phone.
Examples of direct-connecting modems did exist, and these often
allowed the host computer to send it commands to answer or hang up
calls, but these were very expensive devices used by large banks and
similar companies.
With the introduction of microcomputers with expansion slots, like the
S-100 bus machines and Apple II, it became possible for the modem to
communicate instructions and data on separate lines. These machines
typically only supported asynchronous communications, and synchronous
modems were much more expensive than asynchronous modems. A number of
modems of this sort were available by the late 1970s. This made the
BBS possible for the first time, as it allowed software on the
computer to pick up an incoming call, communicate with the user, and
then hang up the call when the user logged off.
The first public dial-up BBS was developed by Ward Christensen and
Randy Suess, members of the Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists' Exchange
(CACHE). According to an early interview, when Chicago was snowed
under during the Great Blizzard of 1978, the two began preliminary
work on the Computerized Bulletin Board System, or CBBS. The system
came into existence largely through a fortuitous combination of
Christensen having a spare S-100 bus computer and an early Hayes
internal modem, and Suess's insistence that the machine be placed at
his house in Chicago where it would be a local phone call for more
users. Christensen patterned the system after the cork board his local
computer club used to post information like "need a ride". CBBS
officially went online on 16 February 1978. CBBS, which kept a count
of callers, reportedly connected 253,301 callers before it was finally
retired.
Smartmodem
============
A key innovation required for the popularization of the BBS was the
Smartmodem manufactured by Hayes Microcomputer Products. Internal
modems like the ones used by CBBS and similar early systems were
usable, but generally expensive due to the manufacturer having to make
a different modem for every computer platform they wanted to target.
They were also limited to those computers with internal expansion, and
could not be used with other useful platforms like video terminals.
External modems were available for these platforms but required the
phone to be dialed using a conventional handset. Internal modems could
be software-controlled to perform outbound and inbound calls, but
external modems had only the data pins to communicate with the host
system.
Hayes' solution to the problem was to use a small microcontroller to
implement a system that examined the data flowing into the modem from
the host computer, watching for certain command strings. This allowed
commands to be sent to and from the modem using the same data pins as
all the rest of the data, meaning it would work on any system that
could support even the most basic modems. The Smartmodem could pick up
the phone, dial numbers, and hang up again, all without any operator
intervention. The Smartmodem was not necessary for BBS use but made
overall operation dramatically simpler. It also improved usability for
the caller, as most terminal software allowed different phone numbers
to be stored and dialed on command, allowing the user to easily
connect to a series of systems.
The introduction of the Smartmodem led to the first real wave of BBS
systems. Limited in speed and storage capacity, these systems were
normally dedicated solely to messaging, private email and public
forums. File transfers were extremely slow at these speeds, and file
libraries were typically limited to text files containing lists of
other BBS systems. These systems attracted a particular type of user
who used the BBS as a unique type of communications medium, and when
these local systems were crowded from the market in the 1990s, their
loss was lamented for many years.
Higher speeds, commercialization
==================================
Speed improved with the introduction of 1200 bit/s asynchronous modems
in the early 1980s, giving way to 2400 bit/s fairly rapidly. The
improved performance led to a substantial increase in BBS popularity.
Most of the information was displayed using ordinary ASCII text or
ANSI art, but a number of systems attempted character-based graphical
user interfaces (GUIs) which began to be practical at 2400 bit/s.
There was a lengthy delay before 9600 bit/s models began to appear on
the market. 9600 bit/s was not even established as a strong standard
before V.32bis at 14.4 kbit/s took over in the early 1990s. This
period also saw the rapid rise in capacity and a dramatic drop in the
price of hard drives. By the late 1980s, many BBS systems had
significant file libraries, and this gave rise to leechingusers
calling BBSes solely for their files. These users would use the modem
for some time, leaving less time for other users, who got busy
signals. The resulting upheaval eliminated many of the pioneering
message-centric systems.
This also gave rise to a new class of BBS systems, dedicated solely to
file upload and downloads. These systems charged for access, typically
a flat monthly fee, compared to the per-hour fees charged by 'Event
Horizons BBS' and most online services. Many third-party services were
developed to support these systems, offering simple credit card
merchant account gateways for the payment of monthly fees, and entire
file libraries on compact disk that made initial setup very easy.
Early 1990s editions of 'Boardwatch' were filled with ads for
single-click install solutions dedicated to these new sysops. While
this gave the market a bad reputation, it also led to its greatest
success. During the early 1990s, there were a number of mid-sized
software companies dedicated to BBS software, and the number of BBSes
in service reached its peak.
Towards the early 1990s, BBS became so popular that it spawned three
monthly magazines, 'Boardwatch', 'BBS Magazine', and in Asia and
Australia, 'Chips 'n Bits Magazine' which devoted extensive coverage
of the software and technology innovations and people behind them, and
listings to US and worldwide BBSes. In addition, in the US, a major
monthly magazine, 'Computer Shopper', carried a list of BBSes along
with a brief abstract of each of their offerings.
GUIs
======
Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was considerable
experimentation with ways to develop user-friendly interfaces for
BBSes. Almost every popular system used ANSI-based color menus to make
reading easier on capable hardware and terminal emulators, and most
also allowed cursor commands to offer command-line recall and similar
features. Another common feature was the use of autocomplete to make
menu navigation simpler, a feature that would not re-appear on the Web
until decades later.
A number of systems also made forays into GUI-based interfaces, either
using character graphics sent from the host, or using custom GUI-based
terminal systems. The latter initially appeared on the Macintosh
platform, where TeleFinder and FirstClass became very popular.
FirstClass offered a host of features that would be difficult or
impossible under a terminal-based solution, including bi-directional
information flow and non-blocking operation that allowed the user to
exchange files in both directions while continuing to use the message
system and chat, all in separate windows. Will Price's "Hermes",
released in 1988, combined a familiar PC style with Macintosh GUI
interface. (Hermes was already "venerable" by 1994 although the Hermes
II release remained popular.) Skypix featured on Amiga a complete
markup language. It used a standardized set of icons to indicate mouse
driven commands available online and to recognize different filetypes
present on BBS storage media. It was capable of transmitting data like
images, audio files, and audio clips between users linked to the same
BBS or off-line if the BBS was in the circuit of the FidoNet
organization.
Other efforts extended the original terminal concept, with the GUI
being described in the information on the host. "Instant Graphics and
Sound" for the Atari ST, for example, was a plain-text graphics
language introduced in 1988 which encoded information for drawing
vector art, playing sound effects, and receiving mouse interactions.
The Remote Imaging Protocol brought similar functionality to the PC
several years later. Both protocols remained relatively obscure.
Probably the ultimate development of this style of operation was the
dynamic page implementation of the University of Southern California
BBS (USCBBS) by Susan Biddlecomb, which predated the implementation of
the HTML Dynamic web page. A complete Dynamic web page implementation
was accomplished using TBBS with a TDBS add-on presenting a complete
menu system individually customized for each user.
Rise of the Internet and decline of BBS
=========================================
The demand for complex ANSI and ASCII screens and larger file
transfers taxed available channel capacity, which in turn increased
demand for faster modems. 14.4 kbit/s modems were standard for a
number of years while various companies attempted to introduce
non-standard systems with higher performancenormally about 19.2
kbit/s. Another delay followed due to a long V.34 standards process
before 28.8 kbit/s was released, only to be quickly replaced by 33.6
kbit/s, and then 56 kbit/s.
These increasing speeds had the side effect of dramatically reducing
the noticeable effects of channel efficiency. When modems were slow,
considerable effort was put into developing the most efficient
protocols and display systems possible. TCP/IP ran slowly over 1200
bit/s modems. 56 kbit/s modems could access the protocol suite more
quickly than with slower modems. Dial-up Internet service became
widely available in the mid-1990s to the general public outside of
universities and research laboratories, and connectivity was included
in most general-use operating systems by default as Internet access
became popular.
These developments together resulted in the sudden obsolescence of
bulletin board technology in 1995 and the collapse of its supporting
market. Technically, Internet service offered an enormous advantage
over BBS systems, as a single connection to the user's Internet
service provider allowed them to contact services around the world. In
comparison, BBS systems relied on a direct point-to-point connection,
so even dialing multiple local systems required multiple phone calls.
Internet protocols also allowed a single connection to be used to
contact multiple services simultaneously; for example, downloading
files from an FTP library while checking the weather on a local news
website. Even with a shell account, it was possible to multitask using
job control or a terminal multiplexer such as GNU Screen. In
comparison, a connection to a BBS allowed access only to the
information on that system.
Estimating numbers
====================
According to the FidoNet Nodelist, BBSes reached their peak usage
around 1996, the same period when the World Wide Web and AOL became
mainstream. BBSes rapidly declined in popularity thereafter, and were
replaced by systems using the Internet for connectivity. Some of the
larger commercial BBSes, such as MaxMegabyte and ExecPC BBS, evolved
into Internet service providers.
The website 'textfiles.com' is an archival history of BBSes. It
includes a list of over 100,000 BBSes that once existed during a span
of 20 years. The creator and maintainer of 'textfiles.com', Jason
Scott, also produced 'BBS: The Documentary', a film that chronicles
the history of BBSes and has interviews with well-known figures from
the BBS heyday.
In the 2000s, most traditional BBS systems migrated to the Internet
using Telnet or SSH protocols. As of September 2022, between 900 and
1000 are thought to be active via the Internet fewer than 30 of these
being of the traditional "dial-up" (modem) variety.
Software and hardware
======================================================================
Unlike modern websites and online services that are typically hosted
by third-party companies in commercial data centers, BBS computers
(especially for smaller boards) were typically operated from the
system operator's home. As such, access could be unreliable, and in
many cases, only one user could be on the system at a time. Only
larger BBSes with multiple phone lines using specialized hardware,
multitasking software, or a LAN connecting multiple computers, could
host multiple simultaneous users.
The first BBSes each used their own unique software, quite often
written entirely or at least customized by the system operators
themselves, running on early S-100 bus microcomputer systems such as
the Altair 8800, IMSAI 8080 and Cromemco under the CP/M operating
system. Soon after, BBS software was being written for all of the
major home computer systems of the late 1970s erathe Apple II, Atari
8-bit computers, Commodore PET, TI-99/4A, and TRS-80 being some of the
most popular.
In 1981, the IBM Personal Computer was introduced and MS-DOS soon
became the operating system on which the majority of BBS programs were
run. RBBS-PC, ported over from the CP/M world, and 'Fido' BBS,
developed by Tom Jennings (who later founded FidoNet) were the first
notable MS-DOS BBS programs. Many successful commercial BBS programs
were developed, such as PCBoard BBS, RemoteAccess BBS, Magpie and
Wildcat! BBS. Popular freeware BBS programs included Telegard BBS and
Renegade BBS, which both had early origins from leaked WWIV BBS source
code.
BBS systems on other systems remained popular, especially home
computers, largely because they catered to the audience of users
running those machines. The ubiquitous Commodore 64 (introduced in
1982) was a common platform in the 1980s. Popular commercial BBS
programs were Blue Board, Ivory BBS, Color64 and CNet 64. There was
also a devoted contingent of BBS users on TI-99/4A computers, long
after Texas Instruments had discontinued the computer in the aftermath
of their price war with Commodore. Popular BBSes for the TI-99/4A
included Techie, TIBBS (Texas Instruments Bulletin Board System),
TI-COMM, and Zyolog. In the early 1990s, a small number of BBSes were
also running on the Commodore Amiga. Popular BBS software for the
Amiga were ABBS, Amiexpress, C-Net, StormforceBBS, Infinity and
Tempest. There was also a small faction of devoted Atari BBSes that
used the Atari 800, then the 800XL, and eventually the 1040ST. The
earlier machines generally lacked hard drive capabilities, which
limited them primarily to messaging.
MS-DOS continued to be the most popular operating system for BBS use
up until the mid-1990s, and in the early years, most multi-node BBSes
were running under a DOS based multitasker such as DESQview or
consisted of multiple computers connected via a LAN. In the late
1980s, a handful of BBS developers implemented multitasking
communications routines inside their software, allowing multiple phone
lines and users to connect to the same BBS computer. These included
Galacticomm's MajorBBS (later WorldGroup), eSoft The Bread Board
System (TBBS), and Falken. Other popular BBS's were Maximus and Opus,
with some associated applications such as BinkleyTerm being based on
characters from the Berkley Breathed cartoon strip of Bloom County.
Though most BBS software had been written in BASIC or Pascal (with
some low-level routines written in assembly language), the C language
was starting to gain popularity.
By 1995, many of the DOS-based BBSes had begun switching to modern
multitasking operating systems, such as OS/2, Windows 95, and Linux.
One of the first graphics-based BBS applications was Excalibur BBS
with low-bandwidth applications that required its own client for
efficiency. This led to one of the earliest implementations of
Electronic Commerce in 1996 with replication of partner stores around
the globe. TCP/IP networking allowed most of the remaining BBSes to
evolve and include Internet hosting capabilities. Recent BBS software,
such as Synchronet, Mystic BBS, EleBBS, DOC, Magpie or Wildcat! BBS,
provide access using the Telnet protocol rather than dialup, or by
using legacy DOS-based BBS software with a FOSSIL-to-Telnet redirector
such as NetFoss.
Presentation
======================================================================
BBSes were generally text-based, rather than GUI-based, and early
BBSes conversed using the simple ASCII character set. However, some
home computer manufacturers extended the ASCII character set to take
advantage of the advanced color and graphics capabilities of their
systems. BBS software authors included these extended character sets
in their software, and terminal program authors included the ability
to display them when a compatible system was called. Atari's native
character set was known as ATASCII, while most Commodore BBSes
supported PETSCII. PETSCII was also supported by the nationwide online
service Quantum Link.
The use of these custom character sets was generally incompatible
between manufacturers. Unless a caller was using terminal emulation
software written for, and running on, the same type of system as the
BBS, the session would simply fall back to simple ASCII output. For
example, a Commodore 64 user calling an Atari BBS would use ASCII
rather than the native character set of either. As time progressed,
most terminal programs began using the ASCII standard, but could use
their native character set if it was available.
COCONET, a BBS system made by Coconut Computing, Inc., was released in
1988 and only supported a GUI (no text interface was initially
available but eventually became available around 1990), and worked in
EGA/VGA graphics mode, which made it stand out from text-based BBS
systems. COCONET's bitmap and vector graphics and support for multiple
type fonts were inspired by the PLATO system, and the graphics
capabilities were based on what was available in the Borland Graphics
Interface library. A competing approach called Remote Imaging Protocol
(RIP) emerged and was promoted by Telegrafix in the early to mid-1990s
but it never became widespread. A teletext technology called NAPLPS
was also considered, and although it became the underlying graphics
technology behind the Prodigy service, it never gained popularity in
the BBS market. There were several GUI-based BBSes on the Apple
Macintosh platform, including TeleFinder and FirstClass, but these
were mostly confined to the Mac market.
In the UK, the BBC Micro based OBBS software, available from Pace for
use with their modems, optionally allowed for color and graphics using
the Teletext based graphics mode available on that platform. Other
systems used the Viewdata protocols made popular in the UK by British
Telecom's Prestel service, and the on-line magazine Micronet 800 whom
were busy giving away modems with their subscriptions.
Over time, terminal manufacturers started to support ANSI X3.64 in
addition to or instead of proprietary terminal control codes, e.g.,
color, cursor positioning.
The most popular form of online graphics was ANSI art, which combined
the IBM Extended ASCII character set's blocks and symbols with ANSI
escape sequences to allow changing colors on demand, provide cursor
control and screen formatting, and even basic musical tones. During
the late 1980s and early 1990s, most BBSes used ANSI to make elaborate
welcome screens, and colorized menus, and thus, ANSI support was a
sought-after feature in terminal client programs. The development of
ANSI art became so popular that it spawned an entire BBS "artscene"
subculture devoted to it.
The Amiga 'Skyline BBS' software in 1988 featured a script markup
language communication protocol called Skypix
which was capable of giving the user a complete graphical interface,
featuring rich graphics, changeable fonts, mouse-controlled actions,
animations and sound.
Today, most BBS software that is still actively supported, such as
Worldgroup, Wildcat! BBS and Citadel/UX, is Web-enabled, and the
traditional text interface has been replaced (or operates
concurrently) with a Web-based user interface. For those more
nostalgic for the true BBS experience, one can use NetSerial (Windows)
or DOSBox (Windows/*nix) to redirect DOS COM port software to telnet,
allowing them to connect to Telnet BBSes using 1980s and 1990s era
modem terminal emulation software, like Telix, Terminate, Qmodem and
Procomm Plus. Modern 32-bit terminal emulators such as mTelnet and
SyncTerm include native telnet support.
Content and access
======================================================================
Since most early BBSes were run by computer hobbyists, content was
largely technical, with user communities revolving around hardware and
software discussions.
As the BBS phenomenon grew, so did the popularity of special interest
boards. Bulletin Board Systems could be found for almost every hobby
and interest. Popular interests included politics, religion, music,
dating, and alternative lifestyles. Many system operators also adopted
a theme in which they customized their entire BBS (welcome screens,
prompts, menus, and so on) to reflect that theme. Common themes were
based on fantasy, or were intended to give the user the illusion of
being somewhere else, such as in a sanatorium, wizard's castle, or on
a pirate ship.
In the early days, the file download library consisted of files that
the system operators obtained themselves from other BBSes and friends.
Many BBSes inspected every file uploaded to their public file download
library to ensure that the material did not violate copyright law. As
time went on, shareware CD-ROMs were sold with up to thousands of
files on each CD-ROM. Small BBSes copied each file individually to
their hard drive. Some systems used a CD-ROM drive to make the files
available. Advanced BBSes used Multiple CD-ROM disc changer units that
switched 6 CD-ROM disks on demand for the caller(s). Large systems
used all 26 DOS drive letters with multi-disk changers housing tens of
thousands of copyright-free shareware or freeware files available to
all callers. These BBSes were generally more family-friendly, avoiding
the seedier side of BBSes. Access to these systems varied from single
to multiple modem lines with some requiring little or no confirmed
registration.
Some BBSes, called elite, WaReZ, or pirate boards, were exclusively
used for distributing cracked software, phreaking materials, and other
questionable or unlawful content. These BBSes often had multiple
modems and phone lines, allowing several users to upload and download
files at once. Most elite BBSes used some form of new user
verification, where new users would have to apply for membership and
attempt to prove that they were not a law enforcement officer or a
'lamer.' The largest elite boards accepted users by invitation only.
Elite boards also spawned their own subculture and gave rise to the
slang known today as leetspeak.
Another common type of board was the 'support BBS' run by a
manufacturer of computer products or software. These boards were
dedicated to supporting users of the company's products with question
and answer forums, news and updates, and downloads. Most of them were
not a free call. Today, these services have moved to the Web.
Some general-purpose Bulletin Board Systems had special levels of
access that were given to those who paid extra money, uploaded useful
files or knew the system operator personally. These specialty and pay
BBSes usually had something unique to offer their users, such as large
file libraries, warez, pornography, chat rooms or Internet access.
Pay BBSes such as The WELL and Echo NYC (now Internet forums rather
than dial-up), ExecPC, PsudNetwork and MindVox (which folded in 1996)
were admired for their close, friendly communities and quality
discussion forums. However, many free BBSes also maintained close
communities, and some even had annual or bi-annual events where users
would travel great distances to meet face-to-face with their on-line
friends. These events were especially popular with BBSes that offered
chat rooms.
Some of the BBSes that provided access to illegal content faced
opposition. On July 12, 1985, in conjunction with a credit card fraud
investigation, the Middlesex County, New Jersey Sheriff's department
raided and seized The Private Sector BBS, which was the official BBS
for grey hat hacker quarterly 2600 Magazine at the time. The notorious
Rusty n Edie's BBS, in Boardman, Ohio, was raided by the FBI in
January 1993 for trading unlicensed software, and later sued by
Playboy for copyright infringement in November 1997. In Flint,
Michigan, a 21-year-old man was charged with distributing child
pornography through his BBS in March 1996.
Networks
======================================================================
Most early BBSes operated as individual systems. Information contained
on that BBS never left the system, and users would only interact with
the information and user community on that BBS alone. However, as
BBSes became more widespread, there evolved a desire to connect
systems together to share messages and files with distant systems and
users. The largest such network was FidoNet.
As is it was prohibitively expensive for the hobbyist system operator
to have a dedicated connection to another system, FidoNet was
developed as a store and forward network. Private email (Netmail),
public message boards (Echomail) and eventually even file attachments
on a FidoNet-capable BBS would be bundled into one or more archive
files over a set time interval. These archive files were then
compressed with ARC or ZIP and forwarded to (or polled by) another
nearby node or hub via a dialup Xmodem session. Messages would be
relayed around various FidoNet hubs until they were eventually
delivered to their destination. The hierarchy of FidoNet BBS nodes,
hubs, and zones was maintained in a routing table called a Nodelist.
Some larger BBSes or regional FidoNet hubs would make several
transfers per day, some even to multiple nodes or hubs, and as such,
transfers usually occurred at night or in the early morning when toll
rates were lowest. In Fido's heyday, sending a Netmail message to a
user on a distant FidoNet node, or participating in an Echomail
discussion could take days, especially if any FidoNet nodes or hubs in
the message's route only made one transfer call per day.
FidoNet was platform-independent and would work with any BBS that was
written to use it. BBSes that did not have integrated FidoNet
capability could usually add it using an external FidoNet front-end
mailer such as SEAdog, FrontDoor, BinkleyTerm, InterMail or D'Bridge,
and a mail processor such as FastEcho or Squish. The front-end mailer
would conduct the periodic FidoNet transfers, while the mail processor
would usually run just before and just after the mailer ran. This
program would scan for and pack up new outgoing messages, and then
unpack, sort and "toss" the incoming messages into a BBS user's local
email box or into the BBS's local message bases reserved for Echomail.
As such, these mail processors were commonly called
"scanner/tosser/packers".
Many other BBS networks followed the example of FidoNet, using the
same standards and the same software. These were called FidoNet
Technology Networks (FTNs). They were usually smaller and targeted at
selected audiences. Some networks used QWK doors, and others such as
RelayNet (RIME) and WWIVnet used non-Fido software and standards.
Before commercial Internet access became common, these networks of
BBSes provided regional and international e-mail and message bases.
Some even provided gateways, such as UFGATE, by which members could
send and receive e-mail to and from the Internet via UUCP, and many
FidoNet discussion groups were shared via gateway to Usenet. Elaborate
schemes allowed users to download binary files, search gopherspace,
and interact with distant programs, all using plain-text e-mail.
As the volume of FidoNet Mail increased and newsgroups from the early
days of the Internet became available, satellite data downstream
services became viable for larger systems. The satellite service
provided access to FidoNet and Usenet newsgroups in large volumes at a
reasonable fee. By connecting a small dish and receiver, a constant
downstream of thousands of FidoNet and Usenet newsgroups could be
received. The local BBS only needed to upload new outgoing messages
via the modem network back to the satellite service. This method
drastically reduced phone data transfers while dramatically increasing
the number of message forums.
FidoNet is still in use today, though in a much smaller form, and many
Echomail groups are still shared with Usenet via FidoNet to Usenet
gateways. Widespread abuse of Usenet with spam and pornography has led
to many of these FidoNet gateways to cease operation completely.
Shareware and freeware
======================================================================
Much of the shareware movement was started via user distribution of
software through BBSes. A notable example was Phil Katz's PKARC (and
later PKZIP, using the same ".zip" algorithm that WinZip and other
popular archivers now use); also other concepts of software
distribution like freeware, postcardware like JPEGview and
donationware like Red Ryder for the Macintosh first appeared on BBS
sites. Doom from id Software and nearly all Apogee Software games were
distributed as shareware. The Internet has largely erased the
distinction of sharewaremost users now download the software directly
from the developer's website rather than receiving it from another BBS
user "sharing" it. Today, shareware often refers to electronically
distributed software from a small developer.
Many commercial BBS software companies that continue to support their
old BBS software products switched to the shareware model or made it
entirely free. Some companies were able to make the move to the
Internet and provide commercial products with BBS capabilities.
Features
======================================================================
A classic BBS had:
* A computer
* One or more modems
* One or more phone lines, with more allowing for increased concurrent
users
* A BBS software package
* A sysop - system operator
* A user community
The BBS software usually provides:
* Menu systems
* One or more message bases
* Uploading and downloading of message packets in QWK format using
XMODEM, YMODEM or ZMODEM
* File areas
* Live viewing of all caller activity by the system operator
* Voting - opinion booths
* Statistics on message posters, top uploaders / downloaders
* Online games (usually single player or only a single active player
at a given time)
* A doorway to third-party online games
* Usage auditing capabilities
* Multi-user chat (only possible on multi-line BBSes)
* Internet email (more common in later Internet-connected BBSes)
* Networked message boards
* Most modern BBSes allow telnet access over the Internet using a
telnet server and a virtual FOSSIL driver.
* A "yell for SysOp" page caller side menu item that sounded an
audible alarm to the system operator. If chosen, the system operator
could then initiate a text-to-text chat with the caller.
* Primitive social networking features, such as leaving messages on a
user's profile
External links
======================================================================
* [
https://www.bbscorner.com/ The BBS Corner]
* [
http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/ The BBS Documentary] -
[
https://archive.org/details/bbs_documentary/ (Video Collection)]
* ()
* [
https://telnetbbsguide.com/ The Telnet BBS Guide] (BBSes available
via the Internet)
* [
http://textfiles.com/ Textfiles.com] - Collection of historical BBS
documents, files and history
* [
http://thebbs.org/ The BBS organization (longest running bbs
services site)]
*
[
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/11/the-lost-civilization-of-dial-up-bulletin-board-systems/506465/
The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems (The Atlantic,
2016)]
* [
https://color64.com/ Color64 - official project website]
* [
https://theoasisbbs.com/color-64-bbs/ Color64 documentation -
OasisBBS]
License
=========
All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA
License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system
