PCBoard

Clark Development Company
Company type	Private
Industry	Software
Founded	1983
Founder	Fred Clark
Defunct	1997
Fate	Bankruptcy
Products	PCBoard (BBS software)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article PCBoard, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 August 2025

PCBoard (PCB) was a bulletin board system (BBS) software launched for DOS in 1983 by Fred Clark's Clark Development Company. As one of the earliest commercial BBS programs for DOS, PCBoard established itself as a premier "high-end" option throughout the early 1990s BBS boom, operating prominent platforms such as Canada Remote Systems.

Designed to handle extensive multi-line BBS environments, PCBoard operated multiple instances on multitasking platforms like DESQview or across several machines sharing storage. Licensing fees corresponded to the number of supported lines, ranging from simple two-line setups up to configurations supporting 1000 lines. A native 32-bit IBM OS/2 edition debuted with PCB version 15.22 and subsequent releases, accompanied by dedicated utilities for OS/2 2.0 and OS/2 Warp.

The emergence of the WWW around 1994 profoundly affected the BBS industry, culminating in Clark Development’s bankruptcy in 1997.

Multinode support

PCBoard was compatible with advanced UARTs such as the 16550 UART, enabling multiple BBS nodes on a single multitasking machine running IBM OS/2 or DOS multitasking environments like DESQview, often paired with memory managers including QEMM. Efforts to run PCBoard under early Microsoft Windows versions (for example, Windows 95) produced inconsistent results due to stability problems; Windows 95 was never officially supported by CDC.

Since conventional PCs generally offer a limited number of serial (COM) ports for modem connections, sysops frequently employed multiport cards like G-Tek’s "BlackBoard", "BBS550", "SmartCard", and Digi International’s "DigiBoard". Alternatives included internal multi-modem cards or networks composed of multiple computers.

PCBoard also accommodated ISDN and Telnet connectivity via the Internet. The open-source terminal emulator SyncTERM, compatible with platforms such as Win32, Linux, and Mac OS X, allows users to access remaining PCBoard BBS systems online.

Multi-BBS networks

Beginning in 1988, RelayNet (RIME for RelayNet International Mail Exchange) facilitated message exchanges among PCBoard BBSs within a network structure, functioning similarly to the earlier FidoNet system.

History

The initial release of PCBoard occurred in 1983.

Clark Development Company (CDC) introduced the widely adopted FILE_ID.DIZ format and developed a robust scripting language known as PPL, which permitted extensive customization and replacement of default commands. Compiled PPL scripts, referred to as PPEs (PCBoard Programming Executables), were created using the PCBoard Programming Language Compiler (PPLC). The PPLC was sold separately for under $100 or bundled with any BBS license for less than $50, enabling developers to produce PPEs without needing a full PCBoard license.

Printed manuals for both PCBoard and PPLC were optionally available for purchase separately.

The scripting language debuted with version 15.0, significantly enhancing PCBoard’s appeal beyond version 14.5.

Numerous door programs, such as Sam Smith’s Prodoor, expanded functionality by adding features like full-screen editing, which were later incorporated directly into PCBoard.

The introduction of PPL and PPEs contributed to PCBoard becoming the standard BBS platform for warez communities on IBM PCs by the mid-1990s. Many warez BBS operators used pirated copies, so official sales figures did not fully represent its widespread use.

Despite its premium pricing, Clark Development Company sold in excess of 50,000 PCBoard licenses by 1995.

The final complete CDC release was version 15.3 in September 1996.

On July 29, 1996, Clark Technologies (a CDC subsidiary) announced that source code and OEM licenses for PCBoard software were now available.

The last release was version 15.4 beta, which included a one-month trial limitation. The lead engineer later revealed a method to circumvent this timeout, intended only as a reminder rather than a permanent restriction.

Clark Development Company filed for bankruptcy in July 1997 and abruptly shut down operations without notifying customers. Numerous license holders were left without refunds or access to their purchased software.

PCBoard Post-CDC Era

Following CDC's shutdown and the end of official support, system operators across the globe continued to utilize PCBoard. Various community members stepped in to provide ongoing maintenance, support, and utility tools for the platform.

Despite the company's dissolution occurring before the Year 2000 problem, PCBoard encountered minimal Y2K-related complications. Any minor issues were promptly addressed through patches contributed by the user community.

The last comprehensive version released was 15.3, which saw only modest uptake; the majority of installations after 1997 remained on versions within the 15.2x series.

PCBoard still holds appeal among retro BBS aficionados. The freeware FOSSIL driver known as NetFoss facilitates telnet connectivity on Windows systems, while a DOS-based extension named "PCB Internet Collection" offered comparable capabilities via packet driver interfaces.

Accolades

PCBoard Programming Language / PPLC Compiler

1994 - Awarded the Dvorak Prize for "Outstanding PC Telecommunications Technology"

BBS Software

1995 - Received PC Magazine Editors Choice Award (August 1995)
1995 - Honored with Dvorak Award for "Best OS/2-based BBS software"
1997 - Entered into the Shareware Hall of Fame by the SIAF board

Capabilities

Support for packet switching
Complete internationalization including date formats and code pages
Compatibility with FOSSIL drivers for nearly all intelligent serial cards
Ability to attach files to messages
Scheduling of multiple daily events
Support for double-byte international character sets
.QWK message packet handling
Jukebox functionality alongside "slow" CD-ROM support
Reception of incoming faxes
Features such as carbon-copy and return receipt for messages
Integration of Caller-ID services
ALIAS functionality configurable per conference area
RIPscrip graphics support for remote users
Optional PPL (PCBoard programming language compiler) integration
Automatic detection and support of 16550 UARTs
Compatibility with multi-port serial cards, both intelligent and non-intelligent
Full-screen text editor featuring ANSI graphics and full color display
Threaded message reading capabilities
Support for up to 65,535 conference areas (message bases)
Compatibility with 36 file transfer protocols
Allowance of up to 32,767 DOORS per conference area
Real-time chat supporting up to 255 channels (CB-style chat)
Extended message headers compatible with NetMail, Internet mail, Usenet, and others
Local network login support enabling in-house email functionality
Direct connect options for serial networks and PADS systems
OS/2 COMM driver integration facilitating multiple nodes under OS/2 with time-slicing control
Full networking support for any NetBIOS-compatible system including NetWare, LANtastic, 3-Com, Vines, among others
Remote DOS access available for system operators if preferred
Comprehensive multilingual language support

System Requirements

IBM PC compatible hardware
A minimum of 320k RAM required
Operating system: DOS version 3.1 or newer
A modem capable of remote dial-in, a virtual modem such as NetSerial, or the Windows-based NetFoss telnet FOSSIL driver

PCBoard/M

A processor equivalent to or faster than an 80386 CPU is necessary since the software utilizes 80386 instructions for enhanced performance

PPLC Versions

PCBoard V15.00 PPLC V1.00
PCBoard V15.10 PPLC V2.00
PCBoard V15.20 PPLC V3.00
PCBoard V15.21 PPLC V3.10
PCBoard V15.22 PPLC V3.20
PCBoard V15.30 PPLC V3.30
PCBoard V15.40 PPLC V3.40 (beta)

PPE/PPL groups

Numerous PPEs were created and shared, frequently at no cost, by individual developers and scene collectives; certain commercial PPEs were distributed under shareware agreements. Notable specialized release teams included the French Aegis Corp, the Russian group Brutal PPE/PCE/PRO Coders (BPC), and the German collectives Peanuts (PNS) and Paranoia (PNA).

Warez organizations such as PWA and DOD launched widely used PPEs favored by many system operators, including PWA’s "NewScan" and "Files-Reverse," alongside DOD’s "LARS Upload Processor."

Aegis Corp produced a PPE de-compiler named PPLX, developed by Lone Runner, which allowed PPE binaries to be reverted into readable PPL source code. Lone Runner also designed an enhanced Aegis PPL compiler that generated code more compact and faster than the original compiler from Clark Development. Additionally, CHiCKEN from the Swiss Coding Division of Electronic Rats (EcR) created another utility called PPLDecompiler (PPLD).

PCBoard Metaworlds

Metaworlds represented CDC’s effort to evolve from traditional BBS platforms to Internet-based services by implementing a secure HTML mailbox system requiring user login. This system functioned in parallel with the conventional ANSI-based PCBoard BBS software and employed Microsoft SQL Server as its database engine; a runtime edition of SQL Server was included with the package. Unfortunately, CDC discontinued operations before Metaworlds reached completion.