Today, many can be forgiven for thinking that the digital communications revolution kicked off during the mid-1990s, when there was simply an explosion of media and consumer interest in the World Wide Web. Just a decade earlier, however, the future was now for the hundreds of thousands of users already using home computers to communicate with others over the telephone network. The online culture of the 1980s was defined by the pervasiveness of bulletin board systems (BBS), expensive telephone bills, and the dulcet tones of a 1200 baud connection (or 2400, if you were very lucky). While many Ars readers certainly recall bulletin board systems with pixelated reverence, just as many are likely left scratching their heads in confusion ("what exactly is a BBS, anyway?").
I remember in the late 80s and early 90s if you were a consultant and therefore had a business incentive or just had lots of money, you had a CompuServe account.I was a sysop on the Atari forums there for several years - my signon was 76703,4061 (and I'm amazed my fingers remembered that :P). I wrote an automated system to collect all the new Forum messages, log off, let you reply to everything offline, then connect up and post it as fast as possible. Reduced the revenue for the Forum owners, since they were paid by the minute, but it increased participation... until that Internet thing started taking off. Good times, good times. ;D-MilesAhead (April 11, 2017, 10:00 AM)
Ah... the... wonder... of... the... 300... bored... modem. I... wonder... how... long... this... will... take...-cranioscopical (April 14, 2017, 05:43 AM)
Ah... the... wonder... of... the... 300... bored... modem. I... wonder... how... long... this... will... take...-cranioscopical (April 14, 2017, 05:43 AM)
I wrote an automated system to collect all the new Forum messages, log off, let you reply to everything offline, then connect up and post it as fast as possible.-x16wda (April 13, 2017, 07:45 PM)
Ah... the... wonder... of... the... 300... bored... modem. I... wonder... how... long... this... will... take...-cranioscopical (April 14, 2017, 05:43 AM)
My brother went to Wentworth Institute(if that is not a redundancy.) He had an account on a PDP-11 there. We dialed in on a modem with suction cups similar to the model below. Talk about a dinosaur. :)
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]-MilesAhead (April 17, 2017, 03:13 PM)
I wrote an automated system to collect all the new Forum messages, log off, let you reply to everything offline, then connect up and post it as fast as possible.-x16wda (April 13, 2017, 07:45 PM)
Was that something like OzCIS/OzWin?Pretty much, except this was for Ataris. I didn't get a Win box until several years after that.-mwb1100 (April 18, 2017, 11:56 PM)