<s>
BNU	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
high-performance	O
communications	O
device	B-Application
driver	I-Application
designed	O
to	O
provide	O
enhanced	O
support	O
for	O
serial	O
port	O
communications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
BNU	B-Protocol
serial	O
port	O
driver	O
was	O
specifically	O
targeted	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
early	O
(	O
late	O
1980s	O
-	O
1990s	O
)	O
DOS-based	O
BBS	B-Application
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reason	O
for	O
BNU	B-Protocol
and	O
other	O
similar	O
enhanced	O
serial	O
port	O
drivers	O
was	O
to	O
provide	O
better	O
support	O
for	O
serial	O
communications	O
software	O
than	O
what	O
was	O
offered	O
by	O
the	O
machine	O
's	O
BIOS	O
and/or	O
DOS	B-Device
being	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
serial	O
port	O
support	O
as	O
provided	O
by	O
BNU	B-Protocol
and	O
other	O
similar	O
drivers	O
allowed	O
the	O
communications	O
software	O
programmers	O
to	O
spend	O
more	O
time	O
on	O
the	O
actual	O
applications	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
depths	O
and	O
details	O
of	O
how	O
to	O
talk	O
to	O
the	O
serial	O
ports	O
and	O
the	O
modems	O
connected	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BNU	B-Protocol
was	O
written	O
by	O
David	O
Nugent	O
as	O
an	O
experimental	O
driver	O
for	O
serial	O
communications	O
following	O
the	O
FOSSIL	B-Protocol
specification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
David	O
released	O
BNU	B-Protocol
to	O
the	O
public	O
in	O
1989	O
and	O
its	O
use	O
in	O
the	O
BBS	B-Application
world	O
spread	O
rapidly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BNU	B-Protocol
was	O
one	O
of	O
only	O
two	O
or	O
three	O
available	O
FOSSIL	B-Protocol
drivers	O
for	O
the	O
IBM	O
PC	O
compatible	O
hardware	O
and	O
MS-DOS/PC	O
DOS	O
operating	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
BNU	B-Protocol
has	O
been	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
widely	O
used	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
FOSSIL	B-Protocol
communications	O
drivers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BNU	B-Protocol
was	O
mainly	O
used	O
with	O
DOS-based	O
Bulletin	B-Application
Board	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
BBS	B-Application
)	O
software	O
written	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
to	O
mid-1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
not	O
used	O
by	O
Windows-based	O
BBS	B-Application
software	O
,	O
but	O
BNU	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
used	O
under	O
Windows	O
NTVDM	O
to	O
run	O
DOS-based	O
BBS	B-Application
software	O
under	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BNU	B-Protocol
and	O
other	O
similar	O
drivers	O
were	O
not	O
limited	O
solely	O
to	O
being	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
BBS	B-Application
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
enhanced	O
capabilities	O
they	O
offered	O
were	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
easily	O
communicate	O
with	O
other	O
serially	O
connected	O
devices	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
reasons	O
that	O
the	O
FOSSIL	B-Protocol
specification	O
and	O
FOSSIL	B-Protocol
drivers	O
were	O
originally	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
"	O
BNU	B-Protocol
"	O
was	O
originally	O
a	O
rip-off	O
of	O
T	O
's	O
"	O
BNU	B-Protocol
UUCP	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
that	O
context	O
meant	O
"	O
Basic	O
Networking	O
Utilities	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
author	O
of	O
BNU	B-Protocol
,	O
David	O
Nugent	O
,	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
acronym	O
was	O
particularly	O
apt	O
for	O
BNU	B-Protocol
's	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BNU	B-Protocol
was	O
also	O
called	O
"	O
Bloody	O
Nugent	O
's	O
Utility	O
"	O
because	O
it	O
was	O
written	O
by	O
David	O
Nugent	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
his	O
many	O
BBS	B-Application
related	O
utilities	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
known	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
what	O
the	O
acronym	O
"	O
BNU	B-Protocol
"	O
actually	O
stood	O
for	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
used	O
to	O
be	O
posted	O
in	O
the	O
Fidonet	O
BNU	B-Protocol
support	O
echo	O
by	O
the	O
author	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
saved	O
text	O
file	O
is	O
the	O
last	O
official	O
posting	O
of	O
this	O
FAQ	O
by	O
David	O
Nugent	O
,	O
BNU	B-Protocol
's	O
author	O
.	O
</s>
