Whois & Analysis for os2bbs.com

OS/2 is a series of computer operating systems, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively.

The name stands for "Operating System/2", because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 (PS/2)" line of second-generation personal computers.

The first version of OS/2 was released in December 1987 and newer versions were released until December 2001.

Shareware is a type of proprietary software which is initially provided free of charge to users, who are allowed and encouraged to make and share copies of the program.

Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a magazine.

Shareware is available on all major personal computer platforms.

The term shareware is used in contrast to open-source software, in which the source code is available for anyone to inspect and alter; and freeware, which is software distributed at no cost to the user but without source code being made available.

Freeware is software that is available for use at no monetary cost.

In other words, while freeware may be used without payment it is most often proprietary software, as usually modification, re-distribution or reverse-engineering without the author's permission is prohibited.

Two historic examples of freeware include Skype and Adobe Acrobat Reader.

There is no agreed set of rights or a license or an EULA which would define "freeware" unambiguously; every Freeware publisher defines their own rules for their Freeware.

For instance, redistribution of Freeware by third-parties is often permitted but there is a significant portion of Freeware which prohibits redistribution.

A bulletin board system, or BBS, is a computer server running software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program.

Once logged in, the user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages with other users through email, public message boards, and sometimes via direct chatting.

Many BBSes also offer on-line games, in which users can compete with each other, and BBSes with multiple phone lines often provide chat rooms, allowing users to interact with each other.

Bulletin board systems were in many ways a precursor to the modern form of the World Wide Web, social networks and other aspects of the Internet.

Low-cost, high-performance modems drove the use of online services and BBSes through the early 1990s.

Infoworld estimated there were 60,000 BBSes serving 17 million users in the United States alone in 1994, a collective market much larger than major online services like CompuServe.

A computer is a device that can be instructed to carry out an arbitrary set of arithmetic or logical operations automatically.

The ability of computers to follow a sequence of operations, called a program, make computers very applicable to a wide range of tasks.

Such computers are used as control systems for a very wide variety of industrial and consumer devices.

This includes simple special purpose devices like microwave ovens and remote controls, factory devices such as industrial robots and computer assisted design, but also in general purpose devices like personal computers and mobile devices such as smartphones.

The Internet is run on computers and it connects millions of other computers.