A pioneer in providing
OnlineInformationServices: started as a skunkworks project within HRBlock as a way to make better use of offpeak network bandwidth in 1979; acquired by
AmericaOnline in 1997. Provided an early feel for what was to come in the Internet with discussion groups, on-line software upgrades and trials, multimedia file posting areas, and email. Many people who were active in
CompuServe forums feel that they, when used with offline readers such as T
apCis (nee Z
apCis) or O
zWin, were superior in functionality and community building to Web or Usenet alternatives.
See
http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?query=compuserve&action=Search