Internet Bulletin Board Systems

ALSO CALLED: Bulletin Board Systems, Online Bulletin Board Systems, BBS, Bulletin Boards
DEFINITION: A bulletin board system (BBS) is a computer or an application dedicated to the sharing or exchange of messages or other files on a network. Originally an electronic version of the type of bulletin board found on the wall in many kitchens and work places, the BBS was used to post simple messages between users. The BBS became the primary kind of online community through the 1980s and early 1990s, before  … 
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INTERNET BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEMS DEFINITION (continued): …  the World Wide Web arrived. A BBS may be accessible from a dial-up modem, Telnet, or the Internet. Because it originated before the graphical user interface (GUI) became prevalent, the BBS interface was text-based. Although recent Web-based versions have a graphical, interactive user interface, the text-only interface preferred by BBS purists can often be accessed by Telnet. According to Justin Scott, co-founder of Sceiron Interactive and a former sysop, a Web-based BBS is essentially a Web site that is powered by BBS software rather than a Web server. Most BBSes are devoted to a particular … 
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