Digicom first started offering online services in 1983 when the Digicom BBS first went online.
While the Digicom BBS was never the biggest, we were always looking for innovative new things to do online that others hadn't done before.
During the early days of online computing, things like graphics were cutting edge. As we helped bring graphics online, we did things others hadn't dreamed of. We helped beta-test CompuServe's new graphic standard, called .GIF (pronounced like "Jiff" peanut butter), which, amazingly, is still used today. We brought radar images to weather fans, who otherwise had to wait for the news to come on. But we were most proud of bringing the Missing Children Network photos to our users and helping give family members a new way to get their missing loved one's information out there.
Online gaming became a big part of the fun, where users could login and play other users head-to-head. Tradewars, Star Trek, Zork, and other popular games kept users coming back for more. When Digicom started a section where adults could chat online, we were able to match up Paul & Cathy, who got married. 25 years later, they reached out to us to celebrate their anniversary!
In the early days online, there were no graphics abilities like you know now. This made people be creative with making art from just the keyboard letters/symbols available to them. With a little imagination, there were some really good images.
In 1986, a new system called ANSI brought the ability for people to create 16 color displays. While it was still created like Ascii art was, the new symbol and color options, allowing for some interesting displays on BBS's.
In 1987, CompuServe's Steve Wilhite finished his creation of GIF graphics format. GIF dramatically changed the online graphics world for decades to come. And yes, it's GIF, like the peanut butter.
As we were always looking for a new, cutting-edge way to bring entertainment online, our partnership with Planet Connect opened a new world via satellite. Satellite Internet seems normal now, but in the 1990s, it was mind-blowing to receive programs and photos from space. Our user counts skyrocketed with the new technology, forcing us to quadruple the number of users we could handle at once.
As people went online for the first time, so did the cybercriminals. Even in the '90s, our founder was working with law enforcement on cybercrime and helping better protect computer systems.
While it's now commonplace to meet people online, it was a new world in the 1980s-1990s. For BBS's across the planet, it formed small communities of new friends that met through their local BBS. Just like the couple that got married after meeting through the Digicom BBS, a new age of how to meet was beginning. The friends we made through running the BBS are still active friends in our life, long after the BBS days had passed. Not all BBS's were meant to draw in people around the world like the Digicom BBS did. Photography clubs, weather enthusiasts, and hobbyists of all kinds would set up a BBS as a way to bring their new friends together. It truly was the digital wagon train bringing people into a new place to explore.
Sidenote from Gary:
I want to take a moment to thank three amazing people who helped make BBS'ing fun and have been friends for life. First, my teacher, Keith Bobbitt. He inspired me to start writing the Digicom BBS software in 7th grade and was a very good friend to me through my adult life until his passing in 2018. (He was also the SysOp of the West Terrace BBS.) Then finally, Norman Morgan, Sysop of the Eagle's Nest BBS, pilot, programmer, and just an all-around inspiring guy. I had the pleasure of eating lunch with him from time to time until he passed away in 2024.
Then finally, David Ramsden, the friend who could make floppy drives play music, creator of so many things, including his own graphic system, and now an amazing businessman who leads a truly inspiring life in technology. Every year we get together and talk like we were still teenagers, dreaming up new things to try out. Thank you, Davey-Doo, for being a lifelong friend in the adventure!
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