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In modern usage (primarily in Japan) the term BBS may be used to refer to any online forum or message board. See Internet forum.
Bulletin board systems were in many ways a precursor to the modern form of the World Wide Web and other aspects of the Internet. BBSes were a highly social phenomenon and were used for meeting peopleAlternate meaning People (magazine) In general, the English word people refers to a specific group of humans, or to persons in a general sense. A people may also be a group of humans which possess a common characteristic, for example nationality, skin col and having discussions in message boards. The BBS was also a local phenomenon, as one had to dial into a BBS with a phone line and would have to pay long distance charges for a BBS out of the local area . Thus, many users of a BBS lived in the same area and it was common for them to hold a BBS Meet, where everyone from the same board would gather and meet face to face.
The world's largest BBS was MBnet ( 19941994 is a common year starting on Saturday, and was designated the International year of the Family''. Events January events January 1 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect January 6 Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an– 20022002 is a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2002 was the first palindromic year since 1991 and the last until 2112. 2002 was also designated: International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains National Science Year in the United Kingdom), located in FinlandSuomen TasavaltaRepubliken Finland ( In Detail) ( In Detail) National motto: None Official languages Finnish and Swedish Capital Helsinki President Tarja Halonen Prime minister Matti Vanhanen Area Total % water Ranked 64th 337,030 km˛ 9. 4% Population Tot. MBnet ran PCBoard and had the most licensed nodes of any BBS in the world, 1000.
The first BBS, CBBSCBBS (Computerized Bulletin Board System) was a computer software program created by Ward Christensen to allow him and other computer hobbyists to exchange information between one another. In January of 1978, Chicago was hit with a record blizzard, which, went online on February 16February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 318 days remaining (319 in leap years). Events 1742 Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister. 1804 First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to b, 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.
With the original 110– and 300 baud modems of the early 1980s, BBSes were painfully slow, but speed became acceptable with the introduction of 1200 bit/s modems in and around 1985, and this led to a substantial increase in popularity. The lack of autodial and autoanswer capabilities in many 110-300bps modems was also an obstacle to their use in unattended BBS installations.
Most of the information was presented using ordinary text or ANSI art, though some offered graphics, particularly after the rise in popularity of the GIF image format. Such use of graphics taxed available bandwidth, which in turn propelled demand for faster modems. Towards the early 1990s, the BBS industry became so popular that it spawned a monthly magazine, Boardwatch , which devoted extensive coverage and listings to international BBSs. In addition, a major monthly magazine, " Computer Shopper ", carried a list of BBSes along with a brief abstract of each of their offerings.
Before commercial Internet access became common, networks of BBSes provided regional and international e-mail and message bases. Some even provided gateways by which members could send/receive e-mail to/from the Internet. Elaborate schemes allowed users to download binary files, search gopherspace, and interact with distant programs, all using plaintext e-mail. Most BBS networks were not linked in realtime. Instead, each would dial up the next in line, and/or a regional hub, at preset intervals to exchange files and messages. The largest BBS network was Fidonet, which is still widely used outside of the United States.
However, with the rise of the Internet in the middle/late 1990s BBSes rapidly declined in popularity.
Several BBS systems connected directly to the Internet, removing the necessity of direct dial-up and consequently attracting a more geographically-diverse user base. Most of these systems ran on derivations of a free code package called Citadel. A few are still extant ( as of 2004).
Some general purpose bulletin board systems had special levels of access that were given to those who paid extra money or knew the sysop personally. BBSs that charged money usually had something special to offer their users such as games, a large user base, or pornography. While many pay BBSes had pornography, some of the largest BBSs charged users merely for discussion boards. Pay BBSes such as The WELL and Echo NYC (both of which exist to this day) were admired for their tightly-knit communities and quality discussion forums.
As with all forms of new media, BBS technology was used to distibute pornography. Bulletin boards were also used for software piracy.
Some BBSs, called elite boards, were exclusively used for distributing pirated software. 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 weren't a law enforcement officer or a lamer. The largest elite boards accepted users by invitation only.
Today, BBSing survives as a niche hobby for those who enjoy running BBSes and those users who remember BBSing as an enjoyable pastime. Many BBSes are now accessible through telnet and offer free email accounts. Some BBSes are Web-enabled and have a Web-based user interface, allowing people who have never used a BBS before to use one easily via their favorite web browser. For those even more nostalgic for the true BBS experience, one can use DOSBox and its modem emulation via TCP/IP to dial up Telnet BBS's with 1980's and 1990's era modem software, like Q-Modem and ProComm+.