Webupon

It wasn’t always second-nature to use a computer. In fact, I recall the days when computers were as rare as a telephone that wasn’t attached by a cord plugged into a home or office wall. During the mid-1980’s. people still wrote letters to family and friends who lived far away. Cordless phones had just been invented. It was a long way from cell phones, email, and gigabytes.

My first trip into cyber space was more than 25 years ago, using an industry dinosaur called the Commodore 64. In those early days of home computers, usage was strictly used for entertainment purposes. Come to think of it, many people still use computers that way, as they forward endless jokes to one another, or listen to music, watch videos, or follow news reports about Brittany Spears or Brad and Angelina.

My husband and I are now grandparents, but back then we were young marrieds with two small children. We didn’t go out often. Learning about the latest technology was our entertainment. We scanned computer magazines. We learned about and joined Quantum Link (Q-Link), which happened to be the forerunner of America On-Line (AOL), strictly for Commodore computer users.

Q-Link was launched in 1985 by Steve Case, whose first enterprise was at only 6-years old selling lime juice at a stand near his home. He eventually became chairman of what was very recently one of the largest media outlets in the world — Time/Warner.

Q-Link was not unlike a huge cyber hotel with various floors, bearing names such as Commodore Software Showcase, Just For Fun, Customer Service, and People Connection to name a few. Each floor had rooms where various discussions or activities taking place. Each room had a limited number of participants allowed inside. Exceeding a specific number caused another room to open. Q-Link was the beginning of chatting with like-minded people.

A resident sysop, or systems operator, was available for questions about the system or activity, and to intervene in the case of user profanity or any other infraction. Sysops generally kept things orderly.

We enjoyed the Saturday night trivia club inside People Connection. Given our limited resources, this was great weekend entertainment. Though the purpose was to play trivia, and we did that, there also an ongoing chat with the other participants in the room. Our cyber friendships grew each week. We even exchanged Christmas cards with some members. It was fun to reach out to people from all across the country. It was unlike anything we had ever done before. Despite the miles crossed in cyber space, the setting was intimate — as we each sat in our own homes, providing a feeling much like that of a cocktail party. But our language was not verbal. We typed our greetings to each other as we answered trivia questions and shared stories. Sometimes it was maddening to be the first to type the answer. And often times our dial-up connections controlled the speed at which our answers were transmitted. But it was all in fun. It wasn’t long before we became regulars and even preferred members. My husband was proficient at trivia. And, I could type quickly. What a team! We scored pretty well. There were no real prizes for winning. We just enjoyed the personal satisfaction and camaraderie.

Q-Link ended in 1994, Commodore computers were no longer manufactured. It was a sad day when we received a notice from Case telling us that Q-Link could no longer be supported. Just recently, I was thrilled to discover that there is a place to revisit this long ago experience. To learn more about Q-Link, click on this link at: http://www.qlinklives.org/qlink-new/index.html