Glossary of Technical Terms

  • BBS – Bulletin Board System; early online platforms accessed via modem and precursor to modern forums and community sites.
  • PCBoard – Professional-grade BBS software used by ExecNet.
  • Sysop – System operator; the administrator of a BBS.
  • ASCII / ANSI Art – Text-based graphics used for welcome screens, menus, and branding.
  • SLIP/PPP – Protocols used to connect BBS systems to the internet.
  • Modem – Device that converts digital data into analog signals over phone lines.
  • Baud Rate – Speed of modem communication (e.g., 1200, 2400, 14.4k, 28.8k baud).
  • QWK/REP – Compressed mail packets for offline reading and replying; used in message exchange networks.
  • Node – A connection slot for a caller into a BBS.
  • Ilink – A message network allowing BBSes to exchange mail/conferences.
  • LANtastic – Peer-to-peer networking system developed by Artisoft for small LANs.
  • FidoNet – Worldwide message exchange system using address-based routing like “1:272/111”.
  • Email – Electronic mail; both the delivery system and individual messages.
  • EchoMail – Public, forum-style messages shared across BBSes.
  • NetMail – Private messages routed between BBSes or directly to users.
  • FTP – File Transfer Protocol; a method for moving files between computers on a network.
  • Gopher – Protocol for distributing, searching, and retrieving documents over the Internet.
  • Usenet – Distributed messaging system created in 1980 allowing users to post and read articles.
  • Novell NetWare – Network operating system widely used in the 1980s and 1990s for LAN file sharing, printing, and resources.
  • DOS – Disk Operating System; command-line interface used widely in the 1980s and early 1990s.
  • Door – External application opened from the main BBS (often games or utilities).
  • RBBS-PC – First free and open-source BBS software for MS-DOS, written in BASIC.
  • WWIV – Modular and customizable BBS platform originally written in Turbo Pascal.
  • Wildcat! BBS – Commercial BBS system with graphical DOS interface and multi-line support.
  • BASIC – Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code; popular programming language for early BBS software.
  • BASICA – Microsoft’s advanced version of BASIC for IBM PCs.
  • Assembly – Low-level programming language translating directly to machine code.

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