Searchlight BBS is a

bulletin board system A bulletin board system (BBS), also called a computer bulletin board service (CBBS), is a computer server running list of BBS software, software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, the user perfor ...

(BBS) developed in 1985 by Frank LaRosa for the

TRS-80 The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer developed by American company Tandy Corporation and sold through their Radio Shack stores. Launched in 1977, it is ...

.First Searchlight BBS
/ref> LaRosa formed a company, Searchlight Software, through which he marketed and sold Searchlight BBS. In 1987, LaRosa expanded the software and sold it as

shareware Shareware is a type of proprietary software that is initially shared by the owner for trial use at little or no cost. Often the software has limited functionality or incomplete documentation until the user sends payment to the software developer. ...

written for the PC in Pascal (using

Turbo Pascal Turbo Pascal is a software development system that includes a compiler and an integrated development environment (IDE) for the programming language Pascal (programming language), Pascal running on the operating systems CP/M, CP/M-86, and MS-DOS. ...

). The features of Searchlight BBS included a full screen text editor, a remote DOS

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

, and

file transfer File transfer is the transmission of a computer file through a communication channel from one computer system to another. Typically, file transfer is mediated by a communications protocol. In the history of computing, numerous file transfer protoc ...

via the XMODEM protocol. Searchlight BBS rapidly grew in popularity, and appeared frequently in '' Boardwatch'' magazine and at BBS conventions across the United States. Eventually, Searchlight BBS supported FidoNet, ZMODEM,

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

e-mail Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the ...

and

telnet Telnet (sometimes stylized TELNET) is a client-server application protocol that provides access to virtual terminals of remote systems on local area networks or the Internet. It is a protocol for bidirectional 8-bit communications. Its main ...

connectivity. In 1995 LaRosa began work on Spinnaker Web Server, to compete with Netscape and other web server software. Searchight Software sold Searchlight BBS, along with Spinnaker Web Server, to TeleGrafix Communications in 1998.

References

External links

The Trashcan BBS (Still online in Christchurch, New Zealand)(telnet to bbs.thenet.gen.nz port 2324)The Searchlight BBS Support PageFrank LaRosa's Personal Homepage (Creator of Searchight Software)Telnet BBS GuideThe BBS ArchivesBBS Documentary Video Collection (Internet Archive)The TEXTFILES.COM Historical BBS List
Bulletin board system software {{DOS-stub