Searchlight BBS

Infobox VG
title = Searchlight BBS



developer = Searchlight Software
publisher = Searchlight Software
designer = Frank LaRosa
release = 1985 on TRS-80, 1987 on PC
genre = BBS
modes = BBS
platforms = IBM PC, TRS-80

Origins

Searchlight BBS was created by Frank LaRosa in 1985. Frank wanted to create a BBS for his TRS-80 [ [http://franklarosa.com/trs80/ First Searchlight BBS - TRS-80 on the Internet ] ] and began the process of writing the code to make his BBS a reality.

Commercialization

In 1987, LaRosa decided to expand the BBS project into a shareware PC version written in TurboPascal [ [http://franklarosa.com/trs80/ First Searchlight BBS - TRS-80 on the Internet ] ] At that point, Searchlight Software was born. Their flagship product, Searchlight BBS, offered many features that were desirable for a SysOp at that time including: a full screen text editor, and a built-in remote DOS shell. Upon its arrival, It gained popularity quickly appearing regularly in Boardwatch magazine and at BBS conventions across the country. Eventually, Searchlight supported FidoNet, Zmodem, internet Email and Telnet connectivity.

The End of an Era

With the popularity of the Internet growing, Searchight Software produced the last version of their BBS software in 1998. [ [http://franklarosa.com/trs80/ First Searchlight BBS - TRS-80 on the Internet ] ]

External links

* [http://slbbs.com/ The Searchlight BBS Support Page]
* [http://franklarosa.com/ Frank LaRosa's Personal Homepage (Creator of Searchight Software)]
* [http://www.telnetbbsguide.com/ Telnet BBS Guide]
* [http://archives.thebbs.org/ The BBS Archives]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/bbs_documentary BBS Documentary Video Collection (Internet Archive)]
* [http://bbslist.textfiles.com/ The TEXTFILES.COM Historical BBS List]
*dmoz|Computers/Bulletin_Board_Systems/|Bulletin board systems

References