BBS is an acronym for Bulletin Board System.  This is software that allows
a computer to be used as a message posting and reading system that has
some similarities to a bulletin board you might find in an office
or in a grocery store.  Users of the system can post messages and read
messages posted by others.  Many computer BBSes also allow the users to
send private messages to other users, and to "download" files that are
stored on the computer.  Some BBSes also allow users to run other
programs (such as games) in addition to the BBS program.

Some BBS programs allow the individual BBS systems to share messages by
using a communications medium to exchange the messages via a standard
protocol which the BBSes understand.  Such systems are "networked"
BBSes.  There are several BBS Networks around the world. Among them are
FIDOnet, WWIVnet, RIMEnet, VNET and Usenet.

Some of the commercial computer service providers (e.g. CompuServe,
Prodigy, America OnLine, etc.) provide BBS systems in addition to their
regular services.

Care should be taken to distinguish between the "public" messages of a
BBS system and "private" Electronic Mail message services that may be
provided by a computer service.