30 years of CompuServe dialup
On September 24, 1979, the world's first dialup provider, CompuServe, began operations. In those days, digital content did not exist, so the developer had to create it himself. For example, CompuServe entered into contracts with newspapers to provide their content in digital form. Here is how the online news service looked back in 1981 at 300 bps.
By 1982, the information package included more than ten major American newspapers, including The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.
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It all began in 1969, when Compu-Serve was established, later CompuServe, it specialized in leasing processor time through a dial-up for commercial enterprises. Innovative business was very successful, and ten years later, the owners of the company expanded the scope of their activities. In 1979, they opened a similar service called MicroNET for individuals. It was a very risky step, because in those days personal computers were still a wonder.
C September 24, 1979 MicroNET envelopes began to be sold in stores Radio Shack. The service was unexpectedly successful. Perhaps due to the hit of sales of the time - the new miniature personal computers Tandy Model 100 with a built-in 300 baud modem. The modem was very helpful.
In 1980, MicroNET was renamed the CompuServe Information Service.
The hit service that brought CompuServe to a new level was not a news service at all, but chat. The so-called “CB Simulator” was launched in 1980 and became the world's first real-time text chat program. Very soon, CB Simulator captured 20% of the time users spent online. Here is an ad for that time promoting online parties.
Soon, CompuServe launched a variety of additional services: stock quotes in real time, weather forecast (with downloadable maps), chat forums and even online booking of air tickets. And of course, email, which has become another hit.
CompuServe’s email addresses were a strange set of octal numbers separated by commas, for example, 77241.443. With the advent of the Internet, this address looked like 72241.443@compuserve.com, and all CompuServe users have been keeping such addresses for many years.
In early 1981, 10,000 people already used CompuServe services. By the mid-90s, the bill had already gone into the millions, and the mass service began to bring the company more money than the corporate line.
The golden age of CompuServe was the beginning of the 90s, when they were the largest and most famous online service in the United States. However, the text interface and per-minute billing became an easy target for the competitor AOL (America OnLine). He provided a nice graphical user interface and a very low monthly subscription fee for unlimited use. With the help of aggressive marketing (mailing millions of CDs with its own software, with each disc including a certain number of free hours), AOL quickly gained popularity and forced CompuServe to the side of the story.
CompuServe also introduced a monthly fee and anlim, but it was too late. However, after a few years, both of these information services fell before the emergence of the “big Internet” and Internet providers that offered access to the Network, while the subscribers of CompuServe and AOL did not have such access.
After much anguish, the CompuServe dialup provider was sold to AOL, which even tried to sell this information package right up to the present. Only on June 30, 2009, the legendary CompuServe Classic service was finally closed , a little short of its 30th anniversary. However, under the CompuServe brand, unlimited dial-up access for $ 18 per month is still being sold.
By 1982, the information package included more than ten major American newspapers, including The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.
')
It all began in 1969, when Compu-Serve was established, later CompuServe, it specialized in leasing processor time through a dial-up for commercial enterprises. Innovative business was very successful, and ten years later, the owners of the company expanded the scope of their activities. In 1979, they opened a similar service called MicroNET for individuals. It was a very risky step, because in those days personal computers were still a wonder.
C September 24, 1979 MicroNET envelopes began to be sold in stores Radio Shack. The service was unexpectedly successful. Perhaps due to the hit of sales of the time - the new miniature personal computers Tandy Model 100 with a built-in 300 baud modem. The modem was very helpful.
In 1980, MicroNET was renamed the CompuServe Information Service.
The hit service that brought CompuServe to a new level was not a news service at all, but chat. The so-called “CB Simulator” was launched in 1980 and became the world's first real-time text chat program. Very soon, CB Simulator captured 20% of the time users spent online. Here is an ad for that time promoting online parties.
Soon, CompuServe launched a variety of additional services: stock quotes in real time, weather forecast (with downloadable maps), chat forums and even online booking of air tickets. And of course, email, which has become another hit.
CompuServe’s email addresses were a strange set of octal numbers separated by commas, for example, 77241.443. With the advent of the Internet, this address looked like 72241.443@compuserve.com, and all CompuServe users have been keeping such addresses for many years.
In early 1981, 10,000 people already used CompuServe services. By the mid-90s, the bill had already gone into the millions, and the mass service began to bring the company more money than the corporate line.
The golden age of CompuServe was the beginning of the 90s, when they were the largest and most famous online service in the United States. However, the text interface and per-minute billing became an easy target for the competitor AOL (America OnLine). He provided a nice graphical user interface and a very low monthly subscription fee for unlimited use. With the help of aggressive marketing (mailing millions of CDs with its own software, with each disc including a certain number of free hours), AOL quickly gained popularity and forced CompuServe to the side of the story.
CompuServe also introduced a monthly fee and anlim, but it was too late. However, after a few years, both of these information services fell before the emergence of the “big Internet” and Internet providers that offered access to the Network, while the subscribers of CompuServe and AOL did not have such access.
After much anguish, the CompuServe dialup provider was sold to AOL, which even tried to sell this information package right up to the present. Only on June 30, 2009, the legendary CompuServe Classic service was finally closed , a little short of its 30th anniversary. However, under the CompuServe brand, unlimited dial-up access for $ 18 per month is still being sold.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/70693/
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