Glossary

Short definitions of common terms used in QWK.NET documentation.

Format Terms

BBS - Bulletin Board System. A computer system that provided message boards, file downloads, and online services in the 1980s and 1990s.

QWK - Quick BBS Mail Packet format. The original offline mail packet format for BBS systems.

REP - Reply packet format. A QWK-compatible format for offline readers to send replies back to BBS systems.

QWKE - QWK Extended. An extension to the QWK format that adds long headers, file attachments, and reader configuration.

CONTROL.DAT - Required metadata file in QWK packets containing BBS information, user details, and conference listings.

MESSAGES.DAT - Required file containing all message headers and bodies in a QWK packet.

.NDX - Index file extension. Conference-specific binary files providing random access to messages (e.g., 0.NDX, 1.NDX).

Conference - A message board or forum area within a BBS. Each conference has a numeric identifier.

Message Header - A 128-byte record containing message metadata (sender, recipient, subject, date, etc.).

Message Body - The text content of a message, stored in 128-byte blocks with 0xE3 line terminators.

CP437 - Code Page 437, also known as DOS Latin US or OEM-US. The character encoding used by DOS-era BBS systems.

0xE3 - The byte value used as line terminator in QWK message bodies. Represents π (pi) in CP437 encoding.

Validation Mode - The strictness level for parsing and validation: Strict, Lenient, or Salvage.

Strict Mode - Validation mode that throws exceptions immediately on any specification violation.

Lenient Mode - Validation mode that logs warnings but continues parsing with default values. Default and recommended for most scenarios.

Salvage Mode - Validation mode that attempts best-effort recovery from damaged or corrupted packets.

Validation Report - A collection of validation issues (errors, warnings, informational messages) found during packet parsing.

Archive - A container file (typically ZIP) holding QWK packet files. QWK packets are distributed as archives.

Archive Extension - A separate package that adds support for archive formats beyond ZIP (e.g., TAR, RAR).