Memories Of CompuServe, Prodigy And Other Dinosaurs

Believe it or not, dial-up access to the Internet still exists and up until last week so did CompuServe, one of the few remaining service providers and a pioneer of social networking.

But after a 30-year run, the AOL-owned company sounded the death knell for CompuServe Classic. However, a newer version of the service, CompuServe 2000, will still be available to customers.

The CompuServe 2000 service will include a newly created e-mail system that will allow users to continue using their existing CompuServe Classic e-mail address at no extra charge. E-mail messages from CompuServe Classic accounts will be moved to the new system. Users will need to provide their own Internet access, the company said in post on its Web site.

CompuServe is considered the granddaddy of online service providers. The Columbus, Ohio-based company was founded in 1969 and 10 years later became the first service that provided e-mail capabilities. In 1980, CompuServe became the first online service that offered chat functionality. In 1982, CompuServe formed the Network Services Division, which provided wide-area networking capabilities to corporate customers.

For those of us who were around during those early days of online services -- before Al Gore "invented" the Internet -- those were heady times, and hearing modem connections were anticipated like Top 40 songs.

As an early employee of Prodigy back when it was known as Trintex, I remember both the frustration and the excitement of being a part of a service that let users talk to each other across the country, writing news stories that reached more readers than newspapers, and refereeing arguments between bulletin board members who had decidedly strong opinions.

At the time, internal company communications were conducted on the clunky and frustrating PROFS Notes system from IBM, co-owner of the company along with Sears. Those were the days of black screens and blinking neon-green type.

After Prodigy faced widespread turmoil, I left for a global media conglomerate that was experimenting with providing digital services on CompuServe. The idea was to create original content online, and encourage subscribers to provide their input. Imagine that.

It would be decades before Ashton Kutcher was updating his every move on Twitter and Oprah talked to guests via Skype.

Yes, you could call this the social networking dinosaur age, but remember that without CompuServe, Prodigy and that upstart AOL, there would be no Facebook, no MySpace, or any other social networking site.

Now, CompuServe is dead, AOL continues to struggle mightily and after changing hands several times, Prodigy has become the biggest ISP in Mexico.

Rest in peace, CompuServe and thanks for your early vision.