en.wikipedia.org
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Submitted URL: http://bbs.zip/
Effective URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system
Submission: On November 21 via api from LU — Scanned from US
Effective URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system
Submission: On November 21 via api from LU — Scanned from US
Form analysis 6 forms found in the DOM
/w/index.php
<form action="/w/index.php" id="searchform" class="cdx-search-input cdx-search-input--has-end-button">
<div id="simpleSearch" class="cdx-search-input__input-wrapper" data-search-loc="header-moved">
<div class="cdx-text-input cdx-text-input--has-start-icon">
<input class="cdx-text-input__input" type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search Wikipedia" aria-label="Search Wikipedia" autocapitalize="sentences" title="Search Wikipedia [alt-shift-f]" accesskey="f" id="searchInput" autocomplete="off">
<span class="cdx-text-input__icon cdx-text-input__start-icon"></span>
</div>
<input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search">
</div>
<button class="cdx-button cdx-search-input__end-button">Search</button>
</form><form id="frb-form">
<div class="frb-step frb-step-1">
<button class="frb-icon-btn frb-close skin-invert" aria-label="Close"></button>
<fieldset class="frb-frequency">
<legend class="frb-numbered error-highlight"> How often would you like to donate? </legend>
<ul>
<li>
<input class="frb-radio" type="radio" name="frequency" id="frb-frequency-onetime" onclick="frb.toggleMonthly(false);" value="onetime" checked="">
<label class="frb-radio-label" for="frb-frequency-onetime">One time</label>
</li>
<li>
<input class="frb-radio" type="radio" name="frequency" id="frb-frequency-monthly" onclick="frb.toggleMonthly(true);" value="monthly">
<label class="frb-radio-label frb-frequency-monthly-label" for="frb-frequency-monthly">Give monthly</label>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="frb-monthly-pitch">
<svg class="frb-monthly-pitch-arrow" aria-hidden="true" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="18" width="18" viewBox="0 0 57.3 50.8">
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</path>
</svg> Sustain our mission long term
</div>
<div class="frb-monthly-pitch-thanks">
<svg class="frb-monthly-pitch-thanks-heart" aria-hidden="true" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 31 31">
<circle fill="#e8e9eb" cx="15.5" cy="15.5" r="15"></circle>
<path fill="#ff3079"
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</path>
</svg> Thanks for your generous support
</div>
</fieldset>
<fieldset class="frb-amounts">
<legend class="frb-numbered">
<span class="error-highlight">Please select an amount (<span class="frb-replace-currencycode">USD</span>)</span><br> The average donation in <span class="frb-replace-countryname">the United States</span> is around <span
class="frb-replaced">$13</span>.
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<ul>
<li>
<input class="frb-radio" name="amount" type="radio" id="frb-amt-ps1" value="2.75">
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<li>
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<label for="frb-amt-ps2" class="frb-radio-label">$10</label>
</li>
<li>
<input class="frb-radio" name="amount" type="radio" id="frb-amt-ps3" value="15">
<label for="frb-amt-ps3" class="frb-radio-label">$15</label>
</li>
<li>
<input class="frb-radio" name="amount" type="radio" id="frb-amt-ps4" value="25">
<label for="frb-amt-ps4" class="frb-radio-label">$25</label>
</li>
<li>
<input class="frb-radio" name="amount" type="radio" id="frb-amt-ps5" value="50">
<label for="frb-amt-ps5" class="frb-radio-label">$50</label>
</li>
<li>
<input class="frb-radio" name="amount" type="radio" id="frb-amt-ps6" value="75">
<label for="frb-amt-ps6" class="frb-radio-label">$75</label>
</li>
<li>
<input class="frb-radio" name="amount" type="radio" id="frb-amt-ps7" value="100">
<label for="frb-amt-ps7" class="frb-radio-label">$100</label>
</li>
<li class="frb-amt-other">
<label for="input_amount_other" class="sr-only">Other amount</label>
<input class="frb-radio" name="amount" type="radio" id="input_amount_other" value="Other">
<input name="otherAmount" type="text" inputmode="decimal" id="frb-amt-other-input" size="3" autocomplete="off" value="" placeholder="Other" tabindex="-1" maxlength="10">
<label for="frb-amt-other-input" class="frb-amt-other-label sr-only">Other</label>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="frb-ptf frb-checkbox-wrapper" style="display: none;">
<input class="frb-checkbox" type="checkbox" name="ptf" id="frb-ptf-checkbox" value="true" onclick="frb.updateFeeDisplay();">
<label class="frb-checkbox-label" for="frb-ptf-checkbox">I'll generously add <span class="frb-ptf-fee frb-replaced">a little</span> to cover the transaction fees so you can keep 100% of my donation.</label>
</div>
</fieldset>
<fieldset class="frb-methods">
<legend class="frb-numbered error-highlight"> Please select a payment method </legend>
<div class="frb-payment-options">
<div data-name="Trustly" class="frb-button frb-pm-trustly" style="">
<input id="frb-pm-trustly" type="radio" name="frb-methods" class="frb-radio" onchange="frb.setMethod({ method:'dd', submethod:'ach', gateway:'gravy' });">
<label for="frb-pm-trustly" class="frb-label">
<img class="trustly-logo-light" width="90" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/donate/b/bc/Trustly_Online_Banking_light.svg" alt="Online Banking">
<img class="trustly-logo-dark" width="90" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/donate/6/69/Trustly_Online_Banking_dark.svg" alt="Online Banking">
</label>
</div>
<div data-name="Credit Card" class="frb-button frb-pm-cc frb-cctypes-vmad">
<input id="frb-pm-cc" type="radio" name="frb-methods" class="frb-radio" onchange="frb.setMethod({ method:'cc', gateway:'gravy' });">
<label for="frb-pm-cc" class="frb-label">
<span class="frb-pm-cc-label">Credit / Debit Card</span>
<span class="frb-cc-logo-wrapper">
<svg class="frb-cc-logo-visa" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-labelledby="frb-cc-logo-visa-title" viewBox="0 0 200 120">
<title id="frb-cc-logo-visa-title">Visa</title>
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<title id="frb-cc-logo-mastercard-title">MasterCard</title>
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CONTENTS
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* (Top)
* 1 History
Toggle History subsection
* 1.1 Precursors
* 1.2 The first BBSes
* 1.3 Smartmodem
* 1.4 Higher speeds, commercialization
* 1.5 GUIs
* 1.6 Rise of the Internet and decline of BBS
* 1.7 Estimating numbers
* 2 Software and hardware
* 3 Presentation
* 4 Content and access
* 5 Networks
* 6 Shareware and freeware
* 7 Features
* 8 See also
* 9 Notes
* 10 References
Toggle References subsection
* 10.1 Citations
* 10.2 Sources
* 11 External links
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BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Computer server
Not to be confused with Internet forum software.
A welcome screen for the Free-net bulletin board, from 1994
A bulletin board system (BBS), also called a computer bulletin board service
(CBBS),[1] 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.[2]
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.[3] Today, BBSing survives
largely as a nostalgic hobby in most parts of the world, but it is still a
popular form of communication for Taiwanese youth (see PTT Bulletin Board
System).[4] 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.[1]
HISTORY
[edit]
PRECURSORS
[edit]
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.[5][6] 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
[edit]
Ward Christensen holds an expansion card from the original CBBS S-100 host
machine.
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.[7] 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.[8][9] CBBS, which kept a count of callers, reportedly connected 253,301
callers before it was finally retired.[citation needed]
SMARTMODEM
[edit]
The 300 baud Smartmodem led to an initial wave of early BBS systems.
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.[a] Internal modems could be
software-controlled to perform both 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 both speed and storage capacity, these systems were normally
dedicated solely to messaging, both 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.[citation needed]
HIGHER SPEEDS, COMMERCIALIZATION
[edit]
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 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
leeching – users 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.[10]
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.[11]
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
[edit]
ANSI art BBS logo
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.[12]
(Hermes was already "venerable" by 1994 although the Hermes II release remained
popular.[13][14]) 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.
On the PC, efforts were more oriented to extensions of the original terminal
concept, with the GUI being described in the information on the host. One
example was the Remote Imaging Protocol, essentially a picture description
system, which 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
[edit]
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 performance – normally
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
[edit]
According to the FidoNet Nodelist, BBSes reached their peak usage around 1996,
which was the same period that 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 serves as an archive that documents the history of the
BBS. The historical BBS list on textfiles.com contains over 105,000 BBSes that
have existed over a span of 20 years in North America alone.[15] The owner of
textfiles.com, Jason Scott, also produced BBS: The Documentary, a DVD film that
chronicles the history of the BBS and features interviews with well-known people
(mostly from the United States) from the heyday BBS era.
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
[edit]
Amiga 3000 running a two-line BBS
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,[b] 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 era – the
Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore PET, 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. Oopular 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. 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
[edit]
Welcome screen of Neon#2 BBS (Tornado)
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.[c]
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.
BBS ANSI Login Screen example
The Amiga Skyline BBS software in 1988 featured a script markup language
communication protocol called Skypix[16] which was capable of giving the user a
complete graphical interface, featuring rich graphics, changeable fonts,
mouse-controlled actions, animations and sound.[17]
Today[when?], 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
[edit]
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.[18] 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.[19]
NETWORKS
[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by
adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and
removed. (January 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
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
[edit]
Main article: Shareware
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
shareware – most 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
[edit]
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:[citation needed]
* 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
SEE ALSO
[edit]
* Internet portal
* ANSI art
* Free-net
* Imageboard
* Internet forum
* Internet Relay Chat
* List of BBS software
* List of bulletin board systems
* Minitel
* Online magazine
* PODSnet
* Shell account
* Terminal emulator
* Textboard
* User-generated content
* Usenet
NOTES
[edit]
1. ^ Technically they could have used an automatic calling unit, but that was
not economically viable.[citation needed]
2. ^ CBBS Chicago (which Ward Christensen programmed) was about 20,000 lines of
8080 assembler.
3. ^ Quantum Link and parts of AppleLink went on to become America Online.
REFERENCES
[edit]
CITATIONS
[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to: a b Derfler Jr., Frank (1980-04-01). "Dial Up Directory".
Kilobaud Microcomputing Magazine. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
2. ^ Bush, Randy (1992). "FidoNet: Technology, Use, Tools, and History".
Fidonet. Archived from the original on 2003-12-03. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
3. ^ "Bulletin-board system". Encyclopedia Britannica. 2023-03-20. Retrieved
2023-04-28.
4. ^ "Thinking Chinese - Chinese BBS – The Social Activity that Never Grows
Old". thinkingchinese.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
5. ^ Crosby, Kip (November 1995). "CONVIVIAL CYBERNETIC DEVICES: From Vacuum
Tube Flip-Flops to the Singing Altair - An Interview with Lee Felsenstein
(Part 1)" (PDF). The Analytical Engine. 3 (1). Computer History Association
of California: 2. ISSN 1071-6351.
6. ^ Crosby, Kip (February 1996). "COMPUTERS FOR THEIR OWN SAKE: From the
Dompier Music to the 1980 Computer Faire - An Interview with Lee
Felsenstein (Part 2)" (PDF). The Analytical Engine. 3 (2). Computer History
Association of California: 8. ISSN 1071-6351. Archived (PDF) from the
original on 2022-10-09.
7. ^ Zelchenko, Peter (30 October 1998). "Jack Rickard, editor of Boardwatch
magazine, saw it coming". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
8. ^ Christensen, Ward; Suess, Randy (November 1978). "Hobbyist Computerized
Bulletin Board System" (PDF). Byte. Vol. 3, no. 11. Peterborough, NH: Byte
Publications. pp. 150–157. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 28,
2018. Retrieved February 16, 2019. The Computerized Hobbyist Bulletin Board
System ... was conceived, designed, built, programmed, tested, and
installed in a 30 day period (January 16, 1978 to February 16, 1978) by the
two of us. Alt URL
9. ^ Collection of Memories of writing and running the first BBS by Ward
Christensen (Circa 1992), BBSDocumentary.com, retrieved June 30, 2007
10. ^ "File Sponges, the BBS nightmare" Archived 2015-01-20 at the Wayback
Machine, Chips 'n Bits
11. ^ Chips 'n' Bits : the Northern Territory Computer Users' newsletter,
catalogue.nla.gov.au, retrieved March 15, 2009
12. ^ Miller, Michael Alyn. "HermesBBS - History". www.hermesbbs.com. Retrieved
2023-03-10.
13. ^ Gram-Reefer, Bill (January 1994). "Macintosh BBS News". Boardwatch
Magazine. Since acquiring the venerable Hermes Macintosh BBS program last
Spring, new owner Lloyd Woodall of Computer Classifieds has developed a
major upgrade package. Programmer Robert Rebbun has added over 70 new
features and enhancements to this widely used program that now supports
color ANSI graphic menus in addition to ASCII menus.
14. ^ Modin, Jörgen (June 1995). "COOCOM: New ways of using Information
Technology for buildings design and management" (PDF). Project SBUF 2087.
The BBS system chosen was Hermes (Price F & Yount Ralph, 1991), a
character-based popular billboard system running on the Mac, but accessible
from any computer system with VT100 terminal emulation.
15. ^ "The TEXTFILES.COM BBS List". bbslist.textfiles.com. Retrieved
2021-07-01.
16. ^ Michael Cox (1989-05-24). "AtrTerm.DOC" (Software documentation).
Retrieved 2024-05-02. Skypix is a way of sending graphics, fonts, brushes,
and (soon) sound samples over the phone line via modem. It is an extension
of ANSI that takes advantage of the Amiga's graphic power. ... At this
writing (May 24) most of the systems listed will still be running Atredes
1.0, a much less sophisticated system than 1.1. ... ATREDES, SKYPIX, and
SKYPAINT are Copyright © 1988, 1989 Michael Cox. All rights reserved
worldwide.
17. ^ Scott Lee. "An Overview of BBS Programs". Jason Scott. Retrieved 5
December 2017. Skyline BBS, for the Amiga, was originally marketed under
the name 'Atredes BBS'. ... It was, BTW, cool software which allowed for
plain text, ANSI graphics, as well as a proprietary graphical point and
click 'SkyPix' UI using special terminal software ('SkyTerm').
18. ^ This Day in Geek History: July12, thegreatgeekmanual.com, retrieved March
26, 2009
19. ^ Doran, Tim (1996-03-20). "Man Says Kiddie Porno Made Computer Site
Popular". The Flint Journal.
SOURCES
[edit]
* Jones, Steve (2003). Encyclopedia of New Media: An Essential Reference to
Communication and Technology. SAGE Publications. ISBN 0-7619-2382-9.
* Gross, Larry P.; Woods, James D.; Woods, Professor James D. (1999). The
Columbia Reader on Lesbians and Gay Men in Media, Society, and Politics.
Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-10446-4.
* Rathbone, Tina (1993). Modems for Dummies. IDG Books. ISBN 1-56884-001-2.
* Haas, Lou (1984). Going On-Line with Your Micro. Tab Books.
ISBN 0-8306-0746-3.
* University of Michigan (October 1989 – September 1994), Compute, Compute!
Publications
* Cane, Mike (1986). The Computer Phone Book. New American Library.
* Gene Edward Veith, Jr; Stamper, Christopher L. (2000). Christians in a .Com
World: Getting Connected Without Being Consumed. Crossway.
ISBN 1-58134-218-7.
* Pippen, Patrick (July 2004). Beam Me Up Scottie. Lulu.com.
ISBN 1-4116-0987-5.
EXTERNAL LINKS
[edit]
Bulletin board system at Wikipedia's sister projects
* Definitions from Wiktionary
* Media from Commons
* Data from Wikidata
* The BBS Corner
* The BBS Documentary – (Video Collection)
* BBSmates community and resource site[usurped] (archive from 2013[usurped])
* The Telnet BBS Guide (BBSes available via the Internet)
* Textfiles.com – Collection of historical BBS documents, files and history
* The BBS organization (longest running bbs services site)
* The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems (The Atlantic, 2016)
* Color64 - official project website
* Color64 documentation - OasisBBS
hide
* v
* t
* e
Bulletin board systems
* List of bulletin board systems
* List of bulletin board system software
Culture
* ANSI art
* Chat room
* File sharing
* Protocols
* Timeline
* MUD
* Sysop
* Virtual community
Technologies
* ANSI escape code
* Door
* Internet outdial
* Remote Imaging Protocol
* Skypix
Networks
* FidoNet
* RelayNet
* WWIVnet
Media coverage
* Boardwatch
* Computer Shopper
* textfiles.com
* BBS: The Documentary
People
* Ward Christensen
* Randy Suess
* Chuck Forsberg
* Tom Jennings
* Steve Punter
* Jason Scott
show
* v
* t
* e
Computer-mediated communication
* Online chat
* Online discussion
* Communication software
* Collaborative software
* Social network service
* Virtual learning environment
Asynchronous conferencing
* Email
* Electronic mailing list
* FidoNet
* Usenet
* Internet forum
* Textboard
* Imageboard
* Bulletin board system
* Online guestbook
Synchronous conferencing
* Data conferencing
* Instant messaging
* Internet Relay Chat
* LAN messenger
* Talker
* Videoconferencing
* Voice over IP
* Voice chat in online gaming
* Web chat
* Web conferencing
Publishing
* Blog
* Microblogging
* Wiki
Authority control databases: National
* United States
* Japan
* Czech Republic
* Israel
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