PcConnect

PcConnect was a shareware bulletin board system created by Gary Smith of Columbia, Maryland, with version 3.00 released in August 1989. It was a full-featured BBS package for IBM PC compatibles that supported multiple nodes, a wide range of file transfer protocols (Zmodem, Ymodem, Xmodem, Kermit, and others via external modules), large message and user capacities, and compatibility with popular multitaskers and local area networks. Key features included organized file and message areas, a file point system for managing upload/download ratios, voting booths, questionnaires, a trivia game, support for multiple archive formats (ARC, ZIP, LHARC, PAK), and 9600 baud/MNP modem support. Registration cost $75 for the software alone or $100 with a printed manual, and Smith ran a support BBS called The Programmer's Corner out of the Baltimore/Columbia, MD area.