Difference between revisions of "Bulletin Board System"
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| − | '''Bulletin Board System''' (also known as '''BBS''') is | + | '''Bulletin Board System''' (also known as '''BBS''') is a message board system that can be accessed by dial-up phone lines or by the internet. These systems grew in popularity in the mid-1980s as more home computer users purchased modems for telecommunications. |
The BBS, from the user's perspective, is segmented into "rooms", each of which is dedicated to a topic. Within each room are a series of posts, marked with date-time stamp from individual users. The user reads all the posts, posts his/her own reply or message, and moves onto the next room. | The BBS, from the user's perspective, is segmented into "rooms", each of which is dedicated to a topic. Within each room are a series of posts, marked with date-time stamp from individual users. The user reads all the posts, posts his/her own reply or message, and moves onto the next room. | ||
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In this manner the message board emulates a "bulletin board", such as roommates in a large house might use to communicate with each other. Entirely text-based (at least in dial-up format), the BBS was the primitive forerunner to the modern thread-based [[forum]]. | In this manner the message board emulates a "bulletin board", such as roommates in a large house might use to communicate with each other. Entirely text-based (at least in dial-up format), the BBS was the primitive forerunner to the modern thread-based [[forum]]. | ||
| − | + | These features were first offered on main frame computers, with users accessing them through "dumb terminals" instead of personal computers. Mainframe users could leave messages for each other in a designated area with the messages retained on the mainframe disk drives for others to read. 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 interconnected users around the world by the late 1970s, many of whom used the messaging and chat features of the system in the same way that would become common on BBSs. | |
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| − | == | + | Citadels and Red Rover were two popular systems for personal computers. "The Well" was a famous bulletin board system because it established a noted online community. |
| − | * [ | + | ==External links== |
| − | + | *[http://thebbs.org/ The BBS organization (longest running bbs services site)] | |
| − | + | *[http://textfiles.com/ Textfiles.com] - Collection of historical BBS documents, files and history | |
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[[Category:Internet culture]] | [[Category:Internet culture]] | ||
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Revision as of 12:26, February 7, 2015
Bulletin Board System (also known as BBS) is a message board system that can be accessed by dial-up phone lines or by the internet. These systems grew in popularity in the mid-1980s as more home computer users purchased modems for telecommunications.
The BBS, from the user's perspective, is segmented into "rooms", each of which is dedicated to a topic. Within each room are a series of posts, marked with date-time stamp from individual users. The user reads all the posts, posts his/her own reply or message, and moves onto the next room.
In this manner the message board emulates a "bulletin board", such as roommates in a large house might use to communicate with each other. Entirely text-based (at least in dial-up format), the BBS was the primitive forerunner to the modern thread-based forum.
These features were first offered on main frame computers, with users accessing them through "dumb terminals" instead of personal computers. Mainframe users could leave messages for each other in a designated area with the messages retained on the mainframe disk drives for others to read. 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 interconnected users around the world by the late 1970s, many of whom used the messaging and chat features of the system in the same way that would become common on BBSs.
Citadels and Red Rover were two popular systems for personal computers. "The Well" was a famous bulletin board system because it established a noted online community.
External links
- The BBS organization (longest running bbs services site)
- Textfiles.com - Collection of historical BBS documents, files and history