Introduction ============ What is a BBS? -------------- A **BBS** (`Bulletin Board System `_) is a computer system that hosts an online meeting place accessible over a network connection. Users connect to a BBS using terminal software and interact through text-based menus, message boards, file libraries, and sometimes online games -- all presented as text, sometimes with color and `ANSI art `_. The first BBS, `CBBS `_, was created in 1978 by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess in Chicago. During the 1980s and 1990s, tens of thousands of BBSes operated worldwide, most reachable over dial-up modem connections. BBSes were the primary way people communicated online before the World Wide Web: they hosted discussion forums, shared files, played `door games `_, and exchanged mail through networks like `FidoNet `_. Although the Web displaced most dial-up BBSes, hundreds remain active today over Telnet (and some over SSH or the Web). Modern sysops run BBSes as a hobby, preserving the culture and aesthetics of the pre-Web internet. What is Telnet? --------------- **Telnet** is a network protocol from 1969 (`RFC 854 `_) that establishes a two-way text connection over the internet. Despite its age, Telnet remains widely deployed and used all over the world for embedded systems. Its longevity comes from its simplicity: it is portable, accessible, and easy to develop for, which is why BBS communities have adopted it for so long. BBS Server Software ------------------- Many BBS software packages persist in their historical form, but some software continues to be updated and can run modern platforms (Linux, Windows, and Mac) and architectures (x86-64/arm64): - https://www.synchro.net/ - https://mysticbbs.com/ - https://enigma-bbs.github.io/ BBS Client Software ------------------- The most popular BBS Telnet clients are: - Icy Term https://github.com/mkrueger/icy_tools - SyncTERM https://syncterm.bbsdev.net/ As BBS's are telnet-accessible, you would think you could just telnet to it, and you can, but you will find corrupted screen draws and characters on most bbs's that feature non-ascii artwork. And that is why these special emulators are suggested as they negotiate about these legacy codepages. The python ``telnetlib3-client`` CLI can translate CP437, allowing use of telnet with your preferred terminal emulator instead of any of these special emulators:: telnetlib3-client --force-binary --encoding=cp437 See Also: MUDs -------------- BBSes are related to **MUDs** (Multi-User Dungeons) -- both use Telnet, but BBSes typically operate **character-at-a-time** with legacy encodings like CP437, while MUDs use **line mode** with ASCII or UTF-8. A companion MUD census is at `muds.modem.xyz `_. About This Site --------------- This site is a census of Telnet-accessible Bulletin Board Systems. It provides a search interface to browse BBSes, preview their login banners, and examine their Telnet protocol behavior without connecting to them individually. It was created by the author of the Python `telnetlib3 `_ library, and uses the ``telnetlib3-fingerprint`` client to gather the results shown here. The list of BBSes scanned is sourced from the `IPTIA BBS Directory `_ relay.cfg, cross-referenced against the MUD list at `muds.modem.xyz `_ to exclude MUD servers. The resulting list is github-managed at `bbslist.txt `_. Feel free to suggest any changes by pull request. BBS Resources ------------- If you are looking for more comprehensive BBS directories, historical information, or ANSI art archives, these other sites are excellent resources: - https://www.ipingthereforeiam.com/bbs/ - https://sixteencolors.net/ - https://www.telnetbbsguide.com/