The bulletin board originally started out as strips of paper posted up in the supermaket. Later, when computers became more widespread at home, the bulletin board system (BBS) took off - a piece of software that ran on someone's modem-connected computer, that you would dial up and connect to. When online, you could participate in message discussions, download files, e-mail other users, play online ("door") games, and engaged in real time chat with the SysOp, or on really flash BBSes with multiple phone lines, other members connected at the same time. BBSes were the primary precursor to the ZModem protocol (see also: Punter Protocol), ZedZap etc (see FidoNet), a unified modern global email standard, and contributed countless R&D towards modern UseNet and the InterNet as we know it today.

Lots of people involved with Linux (and the WaikatoLinuxUsersGroup) are old BBS people. Here are some people involved with WLUG started out in the HamiltonBulletinBoardScene.

• CraigBox (sysop of Toontown)
• RaymondBurgess (sysop of Blender and Ritual Idea)
• MattCairns
• KyleCarter
• OliverJones (sysop of TheDigitalDream)
• DanielLawson
• PerryLorier (co-sysop of TheDigitalDream and Toontown)
• PaulMacDonald (Wellington scene)
• IanMcDonald (sysop of Kononia)
• GreigMcGill (sysop of EchoesBbs)
• JonPurvis
• AndrewThrift (sysop of Euphoria BBS [Whakatane], The Realm Of the Skull [Gisborne] and ex maintainer of the New Zealand BBS List)
• MarcelVanDeSteeg
• zcat(1), sysop of Cherrybomb (and later Cherrybomb Voicemail)

Feel free to add your name to the list.