This page contains a list of known Telnet / SSH clients for connecting to a BBS and is a work in progress.
If you spot something that should be added, edited etc. please get in touch: avon@bbs.nz.
MuffinTerm is a terminal program for connecting to bulletin board systems (BBSes) over the Internet via telnet.
It’s designed to visually emulate traditional PC text-mode hardware of the dial-up BBS era: The original MDA and CGA from 1981; EGA from 1984; and the popular VGA introduced in 1987. Starting with version 1.1, it also emulates the VIC-II video generator from 1982, as used by one of the most popular home computers of the 8-bit era.
It interprets the standard terminal sequences for controlling text attributes such as color and screen layout, and supports the most popular file transfer protocols (X/Y/ZMODEM) traditionally used on BBSes.
On iPad or iPhone, an external keyboard is recommended, but not required. You’ll also need an active Internet connection. If you have an iCloud account, you can also use it to sync BBS details between your devices, but that’s optional.
Homepage | MuffinTerm |
---|---|
Compatible | macOS 11 or later or iOS/iPadOS 14 or later |
Transf.Prot. | ZModem, XModem, YModem |
Open Source | No |
NetRunner is a telnet client originally developed in the late 90s in sync with the release of Windows XP. It was intended to be a console telnet client which stayed true to ANSI-BBS emulation and the old school feel of DOS terminals. Some features include telnet, ssh, rlogin, batch upload/download Zmodem and Zmodem 8K, multiple phone book, mTelnet and SyncTerm phone book importers, original MSDOS and Amiga fonts with font switching, full screen mode, basic scripting language, mouse support, and font UPSCALING that (when enabled) provides the highest quality BBS terminal, even at 2K full screen resolutions! 256 color XTERM color support, 80×25, 132×376 terminal sizes, etc
Homepage | NetRunner |
---|---|
Compatible | Windows, Linux |
Transf.Prot. | ZModem, XModem, YModem |
Open Source | No |
PuTTY is a free implementation of SSH and Telnet for Windows and Unix platforms, along with an xterm terminal emulator. It is written and maintained primarily by Simon Tatham.
Homepage | PuTTY |
---|---|
Compatible | Windows, Linux |
Transf.Prot. | No |
Open Source | Yes |
SyncTERM is a BBS terminal program which supports:
Homepage | SyncTERM |
---|---|
Compatible | Windows, Linux, Mac |
Transf.Prot. | X/Y/ZModem |
Open Source | Yes |
mTelnet is a telnet client for OS/2 and Windows that has Z-Modem, Backscroll and a Phonebook. It's great for telneting to bbses.
Homepage | mTelnet |
---|---|
Compatible | Windows |
Transf.Prot. | ZModem |
Open Source | No |
Welcome! Qodem is an open-source re-implementation of the DOS-era Qmodem serial communications package, updated for modern systems. Qodem goes beyond similar DOS-era emulators in many ways:
Homepage | Qodem |
---|---|
Compatible | Windows, Linux, Mac |
Transf.Prot. | Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem, and Kermit |
Open Source | Yes |
Every Linux/Unix system has a native Telnet client program, which can be used to access to BBSes. Compatibility with ANSI graphics depends on your system and settings. No transfer protocols can be used.
Homepage | None |
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Compatible | Unix, Linux |
Transf.Prot. | None |
Open Source | Yes |
Every Windows system has a native Telnet client program, which can be used to access to BBSes. Compatibility with ANSI graphics is not great, but usable. No transfer protocols can be used.
Homepage | None |
---|---|
Compatible | Windows |
Transf.Prot. | None |
Open Source | No |
ConnectBot is a secure shell client for the Android platform. Its ultimate goal is to create a secure connection through which you can use a shell on a remote machine and transfer files back and forth to your phone.
Homepage | ConnectBot |
---|---|
Compatible | Android |
Transf.Prot. | None |
Open Source | No |
Mystic BBS, comes with an utility called NodeSpy. Inside NodeSpy is built a telnet client, that can be used to access BBSes.
Homepage | Mystic BBS |
---|---|
Compatible | Windows, Linux, Mac, RPi |
Transf.Prot. | X/Y/ZModem |
Open Source | No |