The Electronic Landscape in 1988

The image (see link at end for source) has details of the "notable networks" in 1988. It may surprise some people just how expensive online stuff used to be.

(http://i53.tinypic.com/2janfrd.jpg)

Compuserve, charging $11 per hour, had "more than 250,000 subscribers".

The Source, charging $8 per hour, was popular for its conferencing system "parti".

Delphi, charging $6 per hour had a loyal but small (less than 10,000 users) following.

BIX, $9 per hour, grew from a magazine. Notable quote: "This is the computer industry as it used to be: people sharing ideas and solutions without the greed and grit with associated with today's corporate driven, litigation-laced, industry" (remember this was written 23 years ago).

From the Whole Earth Catalogue "Signal - Communication tools for the Information Age" (http://www.wholeearth.com/issue-electronic-edition.php?iss=1300)