The heart and engine of a Bulletin Board System (BBS) is the BBS software. Without the software, there is no BBS. Picking the right BBS software is a combination of personal taste of the Sysop and what the Sysop wishes to customize it to make it unique.
As one can imagine, there are many kinds of BBS software in existence. Over the 30 or so years that BBSes have been in existence, there have been many kinds of BBS software for as many computer operating systems and hardware that have existed. Obviously there are way too many to list here, but we will cover the most important ones in the last 15 to 20 years. We will also focus on software that can be used on modern hardware and operating systems (primarily Intel processors and DOS, Windows and Linux).
If you're a brand new Sysop and confused what to run - see what is out there and determine which is right for you. Don't necessarily run what is popular, but you may wish to start with a popular one to get your "feet wet" so to speak. For example, a popular one right now is called Synchronet. But there are many others you can choose from. For more information, please see the Setting Up A New BBS for more details.
The following are two lists of BBS software. The first list is called the "Active Software List" because the software is either actively being supported or has been supported in the recent past and websites still remain to download the software and/or get technical support. The second list is called the "Classic Software List" meaning that the software is no longer being written or supported - and there is limited documentation and support (either from the author and third-parties). These are listed primarily for those seeking support for their systems.
Further Info: Starting a New BBS; Active BBS Software List; Classic BBS Software List
Active BBS Software List
The following is a list of "active" BBS software that is either currently being supported or there is a website where you can still download the software and/or get support from the author. This is not an inclusive list, but if you know of BBS software that is actively being supported, please Contact Us. Note that if your BBS software is not listed here, it may be listed in the Classic BBS Software list. Click on the Active BBS Software List link below to see detailed descriptions of the following BBS software listed below. Active BBS Software ListBBBS Citadel CNet Amiga Pro Enigma 1/2 Hermes II BBS Lightweight BBS (LBBS) MBSE Mystic Renegade Synchronet Talisman Wildcat Winserver Worldgroup WWIV
Classic BBS Software List
The following is a list of "classic" BBS software that is no longer being made or supported by the author. This is not an inclusive list, but if you know of BBS software that you feel should be included on here, please Contact Us and let us know. If your BBS software is not listed here, it could be listed in the Active BBS software list above. Click on the Classic BBS Software List link below to see detailed descriptions of the following BBS software listed below. Classic BBS Software ListApollo BBS Bulletron Concord EleBBS Excalibur Ezycom Falken GAP BBS GT-Power BBS Illusion Impulse BBS Infusion BBS JetBBS LoraBBS Maximus Oblivion/2 O-M-N-I BBS PCBoard PowerBBS ProBoard QuickBBS Raptor RBBS-PC RemoteAccess Sauron Searchlight Shotgun Professional Spitfire TAG TBBS tcRemoteAccess32 Telefinder Telegard Tornado TriBBS TSX-Online Virtual BBS/Virtual Advanced WinBBS Australia Xenoterra
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