A bulletin board system (BBS) is a computer-hosted service where people connect to read and exchange stored messages. Classic BBSs were often reached by dialing a host computer over a telephone line, and some also offered private messages or file transfers. A BBS was a service—not the Internet itself.
What is a bulletin board system?
A bulletin board system is an electronic place to post and retrieve information stored on a host computer. The name draws on the familiar physical noticeboard: users leave information for others to read. As the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) explains, a computer bulletin board stores posted information on a computer rather than a wall. Messages could also be directed to one person instead of being visible to all users. NIST’s Computer Security Bulletin Board System: User’s Guide
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Messages were central, but features varied by system. Depending on the board, users might find public discussions, private messages, shared information, or downloadable data and program files. No single extra feature was required for a service to be a BBS.
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How did a classic BBS work?
- Connect: A user typically used a modem and terminal or communications program to call the host computer over a telephone line.
- Use the board: The host displayed text or menus. The caller could read stored messages, post a message, and, where supported, use private messaging or transfer files.
- Disconnect: The host kept the messages so other users could access them later.
Early systems had practical capacity limits. In the original CBBS setup, callers took turns using one telephone line; additional capacity required more lines or other arrangements. That describes this early setup, not every BBS. The BBS Preservation Project’s history
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Was a BBS the same as the Internet?
No. A BBS was a hosted service, while the Internet is a network that connects computers and services. A classic dial-up BBS could be reached through a direct telephone connection without Internet access, as the U.S. Government Accountability Office describes in its report on electronic dial-up bulletin boards. GAO report
Some boards operated on their own; others exchanged messages with separate systems. FidoNet, for example, connected computers through dial-up, according to RFC 1941. That kind of networking let messages travel between boards, but it did not make every BBS part of the Internet. BBSs and commercial online services could offer overlapping communication or information features, yet they were distinct kinds of services. A National Academies chapter on networked communities
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When did bulletin board systems begin?
The BBS Preservation Project identifies CBBS, short for “Computerized Bulletin Board System,” as the original system and dates its launch to February 16, 1978. Its account credits Ward Christensen and Randy Suess. BBS Preservation Project history
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The Computer History Museum places BBS access in the broader dial-up landscape by 1979, when some personal-computer owners connected to boards hosted on another person’s minicomputer or PC. Computer History Museum timeline
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What to remember
- A BBS is a computer-hosted service for storing and sharing messages and, often, other information.
- Dial-up was a common historical way to reach a BBS, not the defining requirement for every system.
- A board could stand alone or exchange messages with other systems; neither arrangement made it synonymous with the Internet.
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