Editing Bulletin board system (section)

=== 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.