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Msg 46114 is 30 line(s) on 03/01/93 from WARD CHRISTENSEN to JANET BALAS re: IN THE BEGINNING... Gee, I'm getting Carpal Tunnel answering that question, seems the 15th anniversary is generating a lot of "tell me how it all started" messages, heh. Sorry if that came across negative.. I should have a "canned answer" for you, but I don't... Actually it all began simply because the technology was there - i.e. Randy Suess (co-inventor) and I each had an "extra" machine, Hayes had come up with a hobbyist modem that could be computer controlled, and I had the skills to write the thousands of lines of assembly language code to make it all happen. I conceived it as strictly a message system, in spite of the fact that I'd invented what became the XMODEM protocol about 6 months before. This was because file transfers would be a significant impedement to the folks wanting to do messaging. To this day, this system still doesn't support file transfers (except for myself to back it up or upload new versions of the software). As to how it has changed over time, well, THIS system is a bit of history and really HASN'T changed over time... I have a lot of ideas for the future - for example, why not allow true "meetings" to be done electronically. Lets take a computer club for example. Ours has a "random access" period in which people can talk about anything they want, then we have a formal speaker - or a panel of club members, etc. So, I ask myself: can this be done ONLINE? It would have the advantage of being more ecological - people not having to drive - and could be done in a way that a real meeting couldn't - i.e. it is often too hard for "everyone to make it on the same day and same time". Folks could prepare "presentations", with the BBS downloading graphics, etc. In an "ideal" environment, they could make annotations on the graphics, or point to something and ask a question, etc. <cont'd> Msg 46115 is 22 line(s) on 03/01/93 from WARD CHRISTENSEN to WARD CHRISTENSEN re: (CONT'D) <cont'd> Thus the idea is, you could, via BBS, take something that exists in "real life", and make it more accessible (people need not even live in the same area nor be in the same time-zone). Handicapped people are particularly freed by BBSs - we had a guy on CBBS for years when it came out that he is deaf - yet really a full BBS participant. (not that it solves ALL handicapped problems - though one day I did help a blind guy get a speech synthesizer going on his computer, so he could participate in the BBSs). Libraries: Hmmm. There could be an effort to find the BBSs that specialize - such as a geneological based BBS. There are many BBSs dedicated to specialized hobbies - not all are sort of "pure computer geek" oriented like this one. ---------------- My first job was in a library - we rented the upper flat in the family two-flat to the local librarian, and I worked there for a couple enjoyable years. My how things have changed - from a totally paper card catalog, etc - to - well, I guess it depends upon the budget what the limit is. I imagine some day libraries - at least their reference abilities - will be replaced by CD Roms and "jukebox" players - people can search electronically very quickly, and pull off citations electronically perhaps to a diskette for inclusion in their word processors, etc.