Glossary of Technical Terms

  • BBS – Bulletin Board System; early online platforms accessed via modem. (more)

  • PCBoard – Professional-grade BBS software used by ExecNet. (more)

  • Sysop – System operator; the admin 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 – A device that converted 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. (more)

  • Ilink Message Network – was a distributed message-sharing system that allowed multiple BBSes (Bulletin Board Systems) to exchange forum-style messages across different locations — similar to how modern forums or chat servers sync data. (more)

  • FidoNet – A worldwide message exchange system using address-based routing like “1:272/111”.

  • Email – Electronic mail, commonly shortened to “email,” is a communication method that uses electronic devices to deliver messages across computer Networks. “Email” refers to both the delivery system and individual messages that are sent and received.

  • EchoMail – Public, forum-style messages shared across BBSes.

  • NetMail – Private messages routed between BBSes or directly to users.

  • Front-End Mailer – Software used to schedule, route, and handle packet delivery (e.g., FrontDoor, D’Bridge).

  • Polling – Automated dialing to another BBS to exchange data like mail packets.

  • Conference – A message area or topic category in a BBS (similar to a forum thread).

  • FTP – File transfer protocol (FTP) is a method for moving files between computers on a network. It’s a set of instructions that computers use to communicate and exchange files. You can use FTP to upload files to a server, download files from a server, or transfer data between computers on a local network.

  • File Base – The downloadable file library of a BBS. ExecNet’s file base was award-winning.

  • Gopher – is a protocol designed for distributing, searching, and retrieving documents over the Internet. It predates the World Wide Web.

  • Usenet – (short for “User Network”) is a distributed messaging system created in 1980 that allows users to post and read messages (called articles) organized into newsgroups.

  • Novell NetWare – was a network operating system widely used in the 1980s and 1990s to manage file sharing, printing, and networked resources in local area networks (LANs). (more)

  • Door – A separate application “door” opened from the main BBS — often games or utilities.

  • Door Game – External game programs that could be launched from the BBS (e.g., TradeWars 2002)

See Also: