<messaging> (General file) A mid 1980s term for text files, usually short and unpublished found on BBSs. The g-files section on BBSs contain text files of general interest, viewable online; this is as opposed to files in the file transfer section, which are generally downloadable but not viewable online.
When used on the Internet, this term generally refers to the types of file most often associated with old BBSs such as instructions on phreaking or making bombs.
(20 Jun 1996)