S. Raymond, with assistance and illustrations by Guy L. Steele, Jr. 1991 Eric S. Raymond. Published by The MIT Press, Cambridge and London, 1991. Reprinted with permission. In addition to online library catalogs and commercial services, there are many other types of services you can access via remote login. Bulletin Board Systems.
Most BBSs offer a menu of services.
FreeNets are community-based bulletin board systems with email, information services, interactive communications, and conferencing. Access is usually by a local phone call using a modem, and a good number have connections to the Internet. A popular FreeNet is the Tallahassee FreeNet, which is organized like a small city. Thousands of people access this system each day, chatting with each other and visiting the Government Complex, the Library, the Science and Technology Center, or the Home and Garden Center. If you're a first-time user and don't have an account, you can demo the system by selecting the visitor login choice.