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Unit 14: Web Portal

religion, music, dating, and alternative lifestyles. Many SysOps also adopted a theme in which Notes
they customized their entire BBS (welcome screens, prompts, menus, and so on.) to reflect that
theme. Common themes were based on fantasy, or were intended to give the user the illusion of
being somewhere else, such as in a sanatorium, wizard’s castle, or on a pirate ship.
In the early days, the file download library consisted of files that the SysOps obtained themselves
from other BBS and friends. Many BBSes inspected every file uploaded to their public file download
library to ensure that the material did not violate copyright law. As time went on, Shareware CD
ROMs were sold with up to thousands of files on each CD ROM. Small BBS copied each file individually
to their hard drive. Some systems used a CD ROM drive to make the files available. Advanced BBS
used Multiple CD ROM disk changer units that switched 6 CD ROM disks on demand for the
caller(s). Large systems used all 26 DOS Drive letters with multi-disk changers housing tens of
thousands of copyright free shareware or freeware files available to all callers. These BBSes were
generally more family friendly, avoiding the seedier side of BBSes. Access to these systems varied
from single to multiple modem lines with some requiring little or no confirmed registration.
Some BBSes, called elite, warez or pirate boards, were exclusively used for distributing pirated software,
phreaking, and other questionable or unlawful content. These BBSes often had multiple modems and
phone lines, allowing several users to upload and download files at once. Most elite BBSes used some
form of new user verification, where new users would have to apply for membership and attempt to
prove that they were not a law enforcement officer or a lamer. The largest elite boards accepted users
by invitation only. Elite boards also spawned their own subculture and gave rise to the slang known
today as leetspeak.
Another common type of board was the “support BBS” run by a manufacturer of computer products
or software. These boards were dedicated to supporting users of the company’s products with
question and answer forums, news and updates, and downloads. Most of them were not a free call.
Today, these services have moved to the web.
Figure 14.1: Access group editor in a developer build of Open TG BBS

Some general purpose Bulletin Board Systems had special levels of access that were given to those
who paid extra money, uploaded useful files or knew the sysop personally. These specialty and pay
BBSes usually had something special to offer their users such as large file libraries, warez, pornography,
chat rooms or Internet access.
Pay BBSes such as The WELL and Echo NYC (now Internet forums rather than dial-up), ExecPC, and
MindVox (which folded in 1996) were admired for their tightly-knit communities and quality discussion
forums. However, many “free” BBSes also maintained close knit communities, and some even had
annual or bi-annual events where users would travel great distances to meet face-to-face with their
on-line friends. These events were especially popular with BBSes that offered chat rooms.
Some of the BBSes that provided access to illegal content did wind up in trouble. On July 12, 1985,
in conjunction with a credit card fraud investigation, the Middlesex County, NJ Sheriff’s department
raided and seized The Private Sector BBS, which was the official BBS for grey hat hacker quarterly

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