Forum 80

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Forum 80 refers to a BBS software created in 1980 in the US for running a BBS on a Tandy (Radio Shack) TRS 80 machine. The software, and the name is most notable for being the first BBS in the UK.

The Forum 80 BBS was set up in late 1980/early 1981 in Kinston upon Hull in the north of England by Frederick Brown, a computer enthusiast. It featured in many articles in computer magazines at the time, not just for being the first BBS, but also for Frederick Brown's way of treating the delicate computer equipment. It was noted on several occasions that he had removed the covers from the two 5 1/4" that contained the system and that they were under an open window in a shed in his back garden and all the equipment was covered in a layer of cigarette ash.

Frederick Brown later went on to creat AFPAS, the Association of Free Public Access Systems, which was set up to bring together sysops and BBS users and became an information service for people to contact for help in accessing UK BBS's. He did this was co-sysop Neil Douglas Barnby, who also went on later to create other BBS systems.

The Forum 80 software was used by many of the first bulletin boards setup in the UK but was later replaced by Fidonet.