What is MIME type "text/x-pcboard"?

A MIME type is a string that tells browsers and other tools how to handle a particular kind of file.

text/x-pcboard is the MIME type for files created by the PCBoard software.
It signals that the file is plain text that includes special formatting codes for message boards.
These files store posts and data from bulletin board systems.
They are mostly found on legacy systems and among retro computing projects.
Files using this type often have the extension PCB.

Key use cases:

Archival of historical BBS messages
Data exchange between legacy bulletin board systems
Conversion to modern text formats for preservation

This MIME type helps software identify and correctly process embedded control codes for display and formatting.
For more on PCBoard, check out PCBoard on Wikipedia.

Associated file extensions

.pcb

Usage Examples

HTTP Header

When serving content with this MIME type, set the Content-Type header:


    Content-Type: text/x-pcboard

HTML

In HTML, you can specify the MIME type in various elements:


    <a href="file.dat" type="text/x-pcboard">Download file</a>

Server-side (Node.js)

Setting the Content-Type header in Node.js:


    const http = require('http');
    
    http.createServer((req, res) => {
      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/x-pcboard');
      res.end('Content here');
    }).listen(3000);

Associated file extensions

.pcb

FAQ

What is a MIME type?

A MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type is a standard that indicates the nature and format of a document, file, or assortment of bytes. MIME types are defined and standardized in IETF's RFC 6838.

MIME types are important because they help browsers and servers understand how to process a file. When a browser receives a file from a server, it uses the MIME type to determine how to display or handle the content, whether it's an image to display, a PDF to open in a viewer, or a video to play.

MIME types consist of a type and a subtype, separated by a slash (e.g., text/html, image/jpeg, application/pdf). Some MIME types also include optional parameters.

How do I find the MIME type for a file?

You can check the file extension or use a file identification tool such as file --mime-type on the command line. Many programming languages also provide libraries to detect MIME types.

Why are multiple MIME types listed for one extension?

Different applications and historical conventions may use alternative MIME identifiers for the same kind of file. Showing them all helps ensure compatibility across systems.