Guides to the BBS era

The BBS explained for people who never heard a modem handshake — written by a board that is still running, so every claim can be demonstrated live.

• What is a BBS? — The plain-language explainer: the computer you called, the sysop who ran it, and what it felt like.
• How BBSes worked — The mechanics: modems, nodes, message bases, file areas, doors and FidoNet.
• BBS etiquette — The unwritten rules: handles, lurking, quoting, no leeching, respect the sysop.
• Connecting in 2026 — How to call this board today — and where the surviving scene lives.