BBS
/ˌbiːbiːˈɛs/
RareBulletin Board System. A pre-web computer server you dialed into via modem to read messages, share files, and chat.
Used almost entirely in historical or nostalgic contexts today. Someone who ran or frequented a BBS in the 80s-90s will have very strong feelings about it.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | my uncle ran a bbs out of his bedroom in 1991 with two phone lines | A family member operated a home bulletin board system during the BBS era. | |
| 02 | the drama on local bbs boards was way more intense than anything on twitter | Small local online communities had surprisingly heated conflicts. | |
| 03 | if you know what a bbs is you're probably old | Familiarity with BBSs signals a certain age or deep internet history interest. | x, 2023 |
| 04 | discord is just a bbs for gen z when you think about it | Discord fills the same local community role that BBSs did in the 80s-90s. | reddit, 2022 |
Use it when
- Discussing the origins of online community culture.
- Referencing pre-web computer networking history.
- Explaining where online norms and vocabulary come from.
Do not use it when
- You mean any modern message board or forum.Use “forum” instead.
- You mean Discord or Slack.
BBS vs Usenet
BBS
A BBS was a single server with its own community, usually local, accessed by phone.
usenet
Usenet was a global distributed network of topic groups accessible across many systems.
Origin and context
The first BBS was created by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess in Chicago in 1978. By the 1980s thousands existed across North America, mostly run by hobbyists. Peaked in the early 1990s and declined rapidly after the commercial internet launched around 1995.
- First seen
- 1978
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/bbs