BBS Flashbacks
Written on June 13, 2009 by Katherine W. Prawl
Back in the olden days, before the Web and blogs, the way people expressed themselves and held interactive discussions was by using Bulletin Board Systems, or BBSs. Since I acquired my first modem-equipped computer in 1983, a TRS-80 Model 100, that’s how I started my online life. My dad gave me one for my birthday on July 16th, which happened to be the first day this marvelous device was available at the Radio Shack in Honolulu.
The way a BBS worked was that a geek somewhere would install special software and at least one modem that allowed incoming calls to connect to his computer (it was almost always a guy), where the visitor could see the “board” and post his or her own messages in a thread, or start a new topic. These systems were text-based, mostly due to bandwidth limitations, but also because most personal computers in those days were not capable of displaying much if anything in the way of graphics beyond ASCII art.
So why am I dredging up these ancient memories? It’s because this week I started an online Master’s program, and the software used for that, called Blackboard, reminds me sooooooooo much of the old BBS!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not disparaging the use of this technology. It seems to work pretty well, and of course it is not anywhere near as primitive as my comparison implies. With the new software it is possible to embed videos and other multimedia (do people talk about “multimedia” anymore?), and of course we can include links to other sites in our posts since the Web has been invented, which adds another whole dimension to what was possible back in the day. But the general structure, with hierarchically organized message threads and primarily text communications, is very dejá vu-inducing.
So, I’m feeling right at home. And I don’t miss the static-y whine of the carrier tone at all.
