BiModem
Encyclopedia
BiModem was one of the last file transfer protocol
s developed for use in Bulletin Board System
s. It was created by Erik Labs, and was revolutionary for its day.
Unlike the predominant protocols of the day (XModem
, YModem
, ZModem
), BiModem allowed BBS users to upload and download files at the same time. This resulted in significant time savings when a 1 megabyte file would take more than an hour to transfer using 130 to 250 characters per second over a 1200 or 2400 baud
modem. In addition, it had a chat feature. This would allow the user and the sysop
to converse during the upload/download of files.
BiModem never received widespread acceptance. It had to be manually patched into both BBS and terminal emulator
packages, and it was incompatible with some programs. It was released in the end of 1989, and before it saw widespread use, HSLINK
was created which was easily added to BBSs and allowed for file lists and bidirectional transfers.
The final version (BiModem 1.25) was released in 1991.
In 1995 a program was released in Argentina
called BiModem Pro 4.0. This was a user modified version of BiModem 1.25 with some minor bugfixes.
File Transfer Protocol
File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
s developed for use in Bulletin Board System
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
s. It was created by Erik Labs, and was revolutionary for its day.
Unlike the predominant protocols of the day (XModem
XMODEM
XMODEM is a simple file transfer protocol developed as a quick hack by Ward Christensen for use in his 1977 MODEM.ASM terminal program. XMODEM became extremely popular in the early bulletin board system market, largely because it was so simple to implement...
, YModem
YMODEM
YMODEM is a protocol for file transfer used between modems. YMODEM was developed by Chuck Forsberg as the successor to XMODEM and MODEM7, and was first implemented in his CP/M YAM program...
, ZModem
ZMODEM
ZMODEM is a file transfer protocol developed by Chuck Forsberg in 1986, in a project funded by Telenet in order to improve file transfers on their X.25 network...
), BiModem allowed BBS users to upload and download files at the same time. This resulted in significant time savings when a 1 megabyte file would take more than an hour to transfer using 130 to 250 characters per second over a 1200 or 2400 baud
Baud
In telecommunications and electronics, baud is synonymous to symbols per second or pulses per second. It is the unit of symbol rate, also known as baud rate or modulation rate; the number of distinct symbol changes made to the transmission medium per second in a digitally modulated signal or a...
modem. In addition, it had a chat feature. This would allow the user and the sysop
SysOp
A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community. It may also be used to refer to administrators of other Internet-based network services....
to converse during the upload/download of files.
BiModem never received widespread acceptance. It had to be manually patched into both BBS and terminal emulator
Terminal emulator
A terminal emulator, terminal application, term, or tty for short, is a program that emulates a video terminal within some other display architecture....
packages, and it was incompatible with some programs. It was released in the end of 1989, and before it saw widespread use, HSLINK
HSLINK
HS/Link is a file transfer protocol developed by Samuel H. Smith in 1991-1992. HS/Link is a high speed, full streaming, bidirectional, batch file transfer protocol with advanced Full-Streaming-Error-Correction. Each side of the link is allowed to provide a list of files to be sent...
was created which was easily added to BBSs and allowed for file lists and bidirectional transfers.
The final version (BiModem 1.25) was released in 1991.
In 1995 a program was released in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
called BiModem Pro 4.0. This was a user modified version of BiModem 1.25 with some minor bugfixes.