To log into a BBS, a caller would need communication software. In the early days of bulletin board systems, callers would use a modem and a terminal program to dial into a BBS. Later, with the rise of the Internet, callers typically connected through Telnet or even through a browser-based terminal client.
There are still dialup BBSes, and many others will offer the old-school option of dialing into the BBS rather than accessing it through the Internet.
Any website that focuses on the topic of communicating with a BBS is appropriate for this category, as there may be options that I am not familiar with.
An early character-based display terminal executed standard ANSI commands to control the cursor, clear the screen, and set colors. These commands were preceded with an escape character, known as ANSI escape codes, and were widely used in the 1980s. This was known as an ANSI terminal. Prior to the ANSI standard, terminals used proprietary commands.
Most operating systems include a terminal program, but there are also third-party options that were used by some BBS users in the 1980s and 1990s.
Whatever the communications program used, it would need to be able to change communications parameters (speed, parity, and the number of start, stop, and data bits) quickly, as these parameters were likely to be different from one BBS to another.
Communications programs were usually able to save screen information to a disk file or to the printer. When a caller logs into a BBS, a lot of valuable information about the type of BBS software, the focus of the BBS, and how to use the BBS, would appear on the screen. A screen capture system allows the user to save this information for reading later. Screen capture is also useful for copying help files, messages, and file lists.
Communications programs were designed to send and receive files using one of several transfer protocols. Essential protocols of traditional BBSes includes ASCII, XModem, and ZModem, but others existed also, such YModem.
To serve callers who accessed multiple BBSes, communications programs often included a dialing directory, which was a list of numbers that were called frequently.
Commonly used since the 1990s, Telnet is a terminal program for the Internet. It allows the user's computer to talk to the BBs computer over the Internet as if the user were logged into the BBS directly through a modem connection. Simply speaking then, it allows callers to access a BBS over the Internet, enjoying the added speed that a broadband Internet connection can provide over a dialup BBS connection.
Through a Telnet connection to a BBS, basic Internet features, such as FTP, chatting, and email, can be accomplished through a Telnet connection, and new software tools can make these processes even simpler. Telnet is also used to log into multi-user games.
Of course, a BBS has to be set up to accept Telnet connections, and some modern BBS software programs include this feature.
Inbound Telnet refers to the ability to have Internet users log into the BBS using the Telnet protocol. Not only does this allow BBS users to access the BBS at broadband speeds, as opposed to much slower dialup speeds, but it also bypasses the limitations as to the number of callers who can connect to the BBS at the same time, as long as the software allows for it. An additional advantage is that it allows a BBS to receive international callers without the international calling rates.
Outbound Telnet refers to the ability to allow users of the BBS to Telnet to other systems on the network. With outbound Telnet, a caller can dial up a BBS and use it as a host to connect to other systems. In this way, some BBSes have served as Internet service providers. In fact, many of the early ISPs were BBS systems.
Many BBSes today are set up to allow browser-based Telnet, which allows users to access the BBS through their Internet browser.
Whatever the technology might be, anything relating to connecting to a computer bulletin board system is appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Compatible with Arm, BSD, Linux, OS/X, and Windows, EtherTerm is a portable terminal emulator and telnet/SSH client, differing from standard terminal emulators, like PuTTY, because it provides a common telnet and SSH protocol across platforms, with a focus on font sets appropriate for BBS servers that use CP437 and Amiga Art. An introduction to the utility is given, along with technical notes, project details, demo previews, license data, and download links.
https://github.com/M-griffin/EtherTerm
The browser-based terminal client was designed for use with computer bulletin board systems. Free for non-commercial use, its archives may be redistributed so long as they remain in their original, unmodified state. Offering support for all modern browsers, desktop and mobile, a full list of its features is presented, along with a basic demo, RIP demo, proxy demo, and My fTelnet, download options are given, and browser-based, as well as other forms of documentation, are provided.
https://www.ftelnet.ca/
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https://www.iterm2.com/
InterSoft International produces products for Microsoft Windows workstations, providing connectivity to IBM, UNIX, Windows, and VMS-based host computers, used by individuals and companies. Its flagship product is NetTerm, a configurable terminal emulator designed for Internet and Intranet connections, offering support for Telnet, rlogin, dialup, and other connection protocols, delivering several terminal emulations, including ANSI. Its features are highlighted and may be purchased online.
http://www.securenetterm.com/
Qodem is a public domain reimplementation of the DOS Qmodem serial communications package that was widely used to access computer bulletin boards in the 1980s. OS-specific download packages include a Windows installer, a source tarball for BSD, Linux, and Mac, a Mac DMG containing App Bundle, and Debian DEB and Fedora RPM packages for curses and X11. An introduction, features, and instructions are given, and screenshots are provided.
http://qodem.sourceforge.net/
SyncTERM is a BBS terminal program that supports FreeBSD, Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD, OS/X, and Windows, and allows for X/Y/ZModem uploads and downloads, and has full ANSI-BBS support, CGTerm Commodore 64 PETSCII support, and Atari 8-bit ATASCII support. The terminal runs in full-screen mode on all platforms and supports doorways. A full list of features is listed here, along with detailed specifications on its handling of ANSI, and downloads.
http://www.syncterm.net/
The guide is a maintained guide to computer bulletin board systems that includes both Telnet and dial-up BBS systems. Other resources on the site include a guide to accessing a BBS via Telnet, designed particularly for those who are new to Telnet and have never connected to a Telnet BBS system before. Recommended Telnet programs are listed, including the operating systems for which they are compatible, as well as the use of command-line Telnet, although not recommended.
https://www.telnetbbsguide.com/
ZOC is a professional terminal emulation software and SSH client for macOS and Windows, which connects users to hosts and mainframes through a secure shell, telnet, serial cable, and other methods of communication. Its key benefits and features are highlighted, along with an overview of the utility, screenshots, installation instructions and documentation. A thirty-day evaluation is available for download or it may be purchased or upgraded online. Bulk discounts may be available.
https://www.emtec.com/zoc/
