Editing Bulletin board system (section)

==History==

=== Precursors ===

A precursor to the public bulletin board system was [[Community Memory]], which started in August 1973 in [[Berkeley, California]]. [[Microcomputer]]s 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.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Crosby|first=Kip|date=November 1995|title=CONVIVIAL CYBERNETIC DEVICES: From Vacuum Tube Flip-Flops to the Singing Altair - An Interview with Lee Felsenstein (Part 1)|journal=The Analytical Engine|publisher=Computer History Association of California|volume=3|issue=1|page=2|issn=1071-6351 |url=http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/chac/CHAC_Analytical_Engine/3.1_November_1995.pdf}}<!-- [https://web.archive.org/web/20050825165932/http://opencollector.org/history/homebrew/engv3n1.html An Interview with Lee Felsenstein (Part 1) in the newsletter of the Computer History Association of California] [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/chac/CHAC_Analytical_Engine/3.1_November_1995.pdf pdf][http://www.3kranger.com/HP3000/History/AE1995-11.pdf pdf][https://web.archive.org/web/20060825214122/http://www.chac.org/engine-ascii/engv3n1.txt txt] {{cite journal|last=Crosby|first=Kip|date=November 1995|title=CONVIVIAL CYBERNETIC DEVICES: From Vacuum Tube Flip-Flops to the Singing Altair - An Interview with Lee Felsenstein (Part 1)|journal=The Analytical Engine|publisher=Computer History Association of California|volume=3|issue=1|issn=1071-6351 |url=http://www.opencollector.org/history/homebrew/engv3n1.html|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323072155/http://www.opencollector.org/history/homebrew/engv3n1.html|archivedate=2010-03-23}}--></ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Crosby|first=Kip|date=February 1996 |title=COMPUTERS FOR THEIR OWN SAKE: From the Dompier Music to the 1980 Computer Faire - An Interview with Lee Felsenstein (Part 2) |journal=The Analytical Engine|publisher=Computer History Association of California|volume=3|issue=2|page=8|issn=1071-6351|url=http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/chac/CHAC_Analytical_Engine/3.2_February_1996.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/chac/CHAC_Analytical_Engine/3.2_February_1996.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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 [[Classified advertising|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 computer|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 (computer system)|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===
[[Image:Ward Christensen and the First BBS.jpg|right|thumb|[[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 coupler]]s 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 [[microcomputer]]s 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 serial communication|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]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zelchenko |first=Peter |date=30 October 1998 |title=Jack Rickard, editor of Boardwatch magazine, saw it coming |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-10-30-9901080059-story.html |access-date=8 October 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref name=byte_christensen_suess>{{cite magazine |last1=Christensen |first1=Ward |last2=Suess |first2=Randy |title= Hobbyist Computerized Bulletin Board System|url=http://vintagecomputer.net/cisc367/byte%20nov%201978%20computerized%20BBS%20-%20ward%20christensen.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128141504/http://vintagecomputer.net/cisc367/byte%20nov%201978%20computerized%20BBS%20-%20ward%20christensen.pdf |archive-date= January 28, 2018|access-date=February 16, 2019|url-status=live |quote=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. | magazine = Byte | volume = 3 | issue = 11 | pages = 150–157 | publisher = Byte Publications | location = Peterborough, NH | date = November 1978 }} [https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1978-11 Alt URL]</ref><ref name=ward>[http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/software/AAA/AAA/CBBS/memories.txt Collection of Memories of writing and running the first BBS by Ward Christensen (Circa 1992)], ''BBSDocumentary.com'', retrieved June 30, 2007</ref> CBBS, which kept a count of callers, reportedly connected 253,301 callers before it was finally retired.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

=== Smartmodem ===

[[File:Hayes 300 Baud Smartmodem 02.jpg|right|thumb|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 [[Hayes Microcomputer Products#The Smartmodem|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 terminal]]s. External modems were available for these platforms but required the phone to be dialed using a conventional handset.{{efn|Technically they could have used an [[Modem#Automatic calling units|automatic calling unit]], but that was not economically viable.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=== Higher speeds, commercialization ===
Speed improved with the introduction of 1200 [[Bits per second|bit/s]] asynchronous modems in the [[Modem#Speeds|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 interface]]s (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 drive]]s. By the late 1980s, many BBS systems had significant file libraries, and this gave rise to leeching{{Snd}}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 signal]]s. The resulting upheaval eliminated many of the pioneering message-centric systems.<ref>[http://www.oldgamemags.com/multi-format/non-gaming-magazines/chips-bits/ "File Sponges, the BBS nightmare"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120141625/http://www.oldgamemags.com/multi-format/non-gaming-magazines/chips-bits/ |date=2015-01-20 }}, ''Chips 'n Bits''</ref>

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.<ref name=ChipsnBits>[http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/54469 Chips 'n' Bits : the Northern Territory Computer Users' newsletter], ''catalogue.nla.gov.au'', retrieved March 15, 2009</ref> In addition, in the US, a major monthly magazine, ''[[Computer Shopper (US magazine)|Computer Shopper]]'', carried a list of BBSes along with a brief abstract of each of their offerings.

===GUIs===
[[File:More ANSI art.png|thumb|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Michael Alyn |title=HermesBBS - History |url=http://www.hermesbbs.com/about/ |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=www.hermesbbs.com}}</ref> (Hermes was already "venerable" by 1994 although the Hermes II release remained popular.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://archive.org/details/boardwatch-1994-01 |title=Macintosh BBS News |language=English |date=January 1994 |last=Gram-Reefer |first=Bill |magazine=[[Boardwatch Magazine]] |quote= 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.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Modin |first=Jörgen |date=June 1995 |title=COOCOM: New ways of using Information Technology for buildings design and management |url=http://www.perchristiansson.com/reports/coocom1_6_1995.pdf |journal=Project SBUF 2087 |quote=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.}}</ref>) [[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 [[The Bread Board System|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 performance{{Snd}}normally about 19.2 kbit/s. Another delay followed due to a long [[ITU-T V.34|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&nbsp;kbit/s modem]]s 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 (Unix)|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 provider]]s.

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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The TEXTFILES.COM BBS List|url=http://bbslist.textfiles.com/|access-date=2021-07-01|website=bbslist.textfiles.com}}</ref> The creator and maintainer of ''textfiles.com'', [[Jason Scott Sadofsky|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 {{Snd}}fewer than 30 of these being of the traditional "dial-up" (modem) variety.{{fact|date=April 2025|reason=Is there a list of dial-up modem BBSes?}}