Old School : Qlink - Plink - Delphi, etc

[annej]

split from: [webmasterworld.com...]

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I got my start in the online world back in the 1980s with CompuServe

Wow, I thought I must be the only person here that goes that far back online.

[edited by: Brett_Tabke at 3:13 pm (utc) on Jan. 4, 2005]

[Brett_Tabke]

Hi annej - there are alot of us old compuservers, plinkers, Delphi'ers (newbies!), and even a few Quantumlinkers here.

[too much information]

anybody get a start on Prodigy? ;o)

I don't show my URL in my profile, and I don't check to see anyone's URL either. I think it keeps me from forming an opinion of who I am talking to and it allows me to be more honest and helpful in my comments and suggestions.

I come to this forum to learn from others and get opinions about ideas that I have for my own sites. To me WebmasterWorld is about the information not looking at everyone's work. (I created this screen name due to the overwhelming amount of information that I found here... and the fact that everything else I tried was taken.)

[annej]

Us Compuserve members really looked down on Prodigy. I can't for the life of me remember why now. :)

I do remember you had to be careful not to go over the time limit or it started really costing big money.

Our families first experience with Compuserve was looking up some info for a paper and it cost a fortune for just a couple of searches. By the time I was active there it was much more reasonable plus I taught workshops and such which put me free on some forums.

It seems to me before I left it was unlimited time for the price. A big improvement.

[grandpa]

Us Compuserve members really looked down on Prodigy. I can't for the life of me remember why now.

Wasn't it because in order to use Prodigy, you were required to use their hardware also? I remember spending about $1500 for my first computer, and then found I needed their terminal. I think that was Prodigy...

Don't remember who my first ISP was, but I know the web was very different back then. Text only, mostly to educational and govt sites. How many times I found an interesting link, only to discover I could not find my way back to it again. Fidonet was the place to be.

Thinking about it, Delphi was my first link to the web. Ahhh, wonderful times we lived in back then.

[AAnnAArchy]

Naw, I think Prodigy just used a regular PC. My dad got *P way back in the beginning. My parents thought it was cool because they could order from Sears through *P. That wore off quickly. Naturally, my first ISP was Prodigy. I had a Delphi account briefly too, but I didn't like it. Same with Compuserve -- I didn't like being known by a number.

[digitalghost]

I had Compuserve and hated it so I switched to Prodigy. 6 accounts for one signup. Never worried about the charges as there were always hacked accounts circulating on the BBS. You could switch your user name as often as you liked for chat. There were a few roleplaying rooms and a few decent discussion rooms but most rooms were filled with;

>>SuperKewl enters the room.

>>BouncyBetty says, ASL?

>>TerrificTina leaves the room

>>SuperKewl says, hello evryeone

>>ChatroomFlorist says, @}->--`--

>>ResidentBore says, what RU wearing Betty?

>>Lurker enters the room.

>>Lurker leaves the room

>>Lurker enters the room

>>BouncyBetty says, ASL?

>>12yearold says, LOOOSERS!

>>Lurker says, 21 M Hawaii

and so on, and so on...

[jk3210]

First time I went online was through Delphi in about 1993. Wound up going into Gopher and poking around. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew it was cool.

Of course it would have been cooler if I was on something other than a [*?] baud modem.

*(what was the one that the 9600 replaced --was it a 1400 baud?)

[DaveAtIFG]

*(what was the one that the 9600 replaced --was it a 1400 baud?)

300, 1200, 2400, 9600, then 28,800 was how my hardware progressed. I paid nearly $500 for a Hayes 300/1200 baud modem once upon a time. Flirted with Compuserve briefly long ago too, but mostly visited local BBSs with those early modems. Mid to late '80s if I recall.