What does the acronym FOSSIL stand for in computer networking?
FOSSIL stands for Fido Opus SEAdog Standard Interface Layer. The name derives from three bulletin board systems: FidoNet, Opus-CBCS BBS, and SEAdog.
Questions about Fossil
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was the FOSSIL protocol established by developers?
The year 1986 marked a turning point when developers behind FidoNet, Opus-CBCS BBS, and SEAdog met to create the standard. This meeting birthed the FOSSIL protocol to solve serial communication problems on early computers.
Which document defines how the FOSSIL protocol works today?
A standards document known as FSC-0015 now defines how this protocol works. The Fidonet Technical Standards Committee maintains that document today.
Why did IBM PC compatible machines need the FOSSIL driver?
IBM PC compatible machines ran Disk Operating System or DOS but their built-in BIOS provided very poor support for serial communications. FOSSIL drivers filled this critical gap left by inadequate system-level support for non-trivial tasks.
What specific DOS based drivers were popular implementations of the FOSSIL protocol?
Two popular DOS based drivers were X00 and BNU. These tools allowed applications to communicate with physical serial ports efficiently across different operating environments.