Compuserve's history (compuserve.com)

Name:

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Product:	compuserve.com
Date:	12/08/01 (448 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a few

Disadvantages: a lot

CompuServe Corporation, company that operates CompuServe Information Service, an online service that provides news and information, Internet access, and electronic mail (e-mail) to users of personal computers. Subscribers connect to the service over telephone lines using a computer and modem. The company also provides computer network services to corporate customers and operates SPRYNET, an Internet access provider. CompuServe Corporation is based in Columbus, Ohio.
Jeffrey Wilkins founded CompuServe in 1969 with his father-in-law Harry Gard, who owned an insurance business in Columbus. CompuServe sold time on the insurance company's mainframe computer, allowing other companies to access and use the system via modem. This service was known as computer time-sharing. Ten years later CompuServe began offering technical support, electronic mail, and electronic discussion groups to personal-computer users via modem.
In 1980 tax-preparation company H&R Block, Inc. bought CompuServe and financed its expansion. By 1989 Compuserve had more than 500,000 subscribers, making it the largest service of its kind. CompuServe expanded to countries on five continents in the late 1980s and early 1990s, teaming up with Fujitsu Limited to launch the NiftyServe online service in Japan.
In the early 1990s CompuServe's discussion groups, or forums, gained popularity as a way for computer enthusiasts to share information and discuss ideas. The forums then branched out to include topics ranging from music and art to sports and politics. These discussion forums helped popularize online services.
In 1991 CompuServe introduced an icon-based navigation system that made the service more attractive to computer novices. In addition, CompuServe's business information and electronic versions of popular periodicals made it popular among people seeking online research sources. In the early and mid-1990s CompuServe, along with rival online services America Online and Prodigy,
grew dramatically as demand for online services increased. CompuServe's membership rose from 1.5 million in 1993 to 3.2 million in 1995. However, in 1995 America Online surpassed CompuServe as the country's leading online service.
That same year CompuServe bought Spry, which marketed a popular software package that allowed computer users to browse the World Wide Web. The purchase allowed CompuServe to offer complete access to the Internet and the World Wide Web. H&R Block sold 20 percent of CompuServe in 1996. Also that year CompuServe announced that it would switch to a Web-based online service that did not require customers to use Compuserve's custom interface.

Summary: