Feb. 16, 1978 -- forty eight years ago today -- the first public dial-up bulletin board system or BBS went online.

Wired: "1978: Ward Christensen and Randy Suess launch the first public dialup bulletin board system. The two unleash the kernel of what would eventually spawn the world wide web, countless online messaging systems..."

https://www.wired.com/2010/02/0216cbbs-first-bbs-bulletin-board/

I got my first modem in the summer of 1986, a Prometheus ProModem 1200A (modem on a card) for the Apple II. The first BBS I logged in to was OxGate, an RBBS/RCPM system the phone number of which I still can remember (my earliest BBS software -- firmware-based on that modem card -- had no phone book). I used BBSs avidly until sometime in 1994, when I subscribed to a local ISP's (Widomaker of Williamsburg, VA) dial-up modem-based PPP service that brought TCP/IP to my 486 PC with Windows 3.1. I could then browse the web from home, and that was basically the end of BBSing for me -- for the moment, anyway.

For those interested in experiencing this early form of online community, there are many BBSs online right now, accessible via telnet on systems old and new. I've enjoyed getting back into BBSing this way, especially when using vintage systems to login.

Most any computer can do it, today. Tips on how: https://bytecellar.com/bbsing

#BulletinboardSystem #BBS #BBSing #telnet #dialup #modem #online #terminals #terminalprograms #computinghistory #history #computers #vintagecomputing #retrocomputing #retrocomputers #nostalgia #ATDT #onlineforums #preinternet #internet #communication #RBBS #AppleII #CRT #memories #Wired #tech #technews #technology

Talking to my parents about when we went sailing around the South Pacific in the 80's and how you kept in touch pre-Internet. They had a ham radio, they did a check-in with a friend once a week.

But then there was Pacific Net. This was one guy, a hobbyist with a big antenna somewhere in Hawaii. He did a broad cast daily at a set time. Gave weather updates and did check-ins. You'd ask to be added to his check-in list. He would ask for your check-in and you would give your location and your heading. Tell about weather conditions and any other news you had. He would give you information about your location he'd gathered from everyone else he talked with. Like "this is what to expect at the port you are headed for" etc.

If you heard someone on the check-in that you wanted to talk to, you'd ask them to switch to another channel for a private chat.

Absolute early Internet vibes.

#sailing #HamRadio #PreInternet

Gah… now you've done it, @brooke. I am sitting here remembering old tech, like bumping into IRC and realizing it was like the weekly Starlink hook-up, only *it was always on!*

And more than one channel.

🤯

#nostalgia #preinternet

📚 Carmen Sandiego & Encyclopedias: The Original Search Engine!

Before Wikipedia, Carmen Sandiego on Nintendo made us flip through encyclopedias just to solve cases! 🕵️‍♂️📖 Who else had to cross-reference a Britannica to catch a thief? 😂

Find more at www.AwesomeCast.com & www.SorgatronMedia.com

#CarmenSandiego #RetroGaming #TechHistory #PreInternet #Encyclopedia #Nintendo #AwesomeCast

"I have no recollection of how I used to waste time."

ojocaliente asks how we used to space out and waste time, pre-internet.

https://ask.metafilter.com/378496/i-just-kind-of-wasted-my-precious-time

#AskMetafilter #daydreaming #PreInternet #technology #TimeWasting #ZoningOut