As Dylan Smith describes it:

Programs like BinkleyTerm provided the 'front end' to many BBSes (and ended up launching the BBS software etc). Bink did some very important work for the BBS - it was responsible for doing the FidoNet stuff (Echomail, Netmail etc). which was a very big part of the BBS scene. BinkleyTerm and similar programs really deserve a mention because it's what made FidoNet possible.