Kids, gather 'round and listen to a story from your Uncle Rico…
Back in the early days of this board, we didn’t have blazing fast speed. The board was slow. We used to click on a thread and then go make ourselves a sandwich, and when we got back to the computer there was a 50/50 chance it would be just starting to open.
While us SDMB pioneers were patiently waiting, it started us wondering exactly why the board was so slow. See, quite a few of us had upgraded to these newfangled 56K modems, and they were supposed to be the fastest that your phone line would support. But even with all that lightning fast speed, the SDMB was still slow.
Well, I have discovered how the SDMB got the inspiration for powering the early board. It is from this web site .
AND WE LIKED IT!
Old-timers, feel free to chime in with your stories. I’m sure these young whippersnappers would love to hear about the infancy of the SDMB.
I always wondered how people got such high posts counts with the boards as slow as they were. I figured that the prolific posters must have spent 24 hours a day here.
I’d like to know who was around in the olden days to be included in one of the books. I have seen C K Dexterhaven’s and TubaDiva’s name mentioned when posts were published in the later tomes. So, who else was around back then that is still with us now?
AskNott was quoted in the books, and remains an active poster.
Jillgat, former Mod. extraordinaire, began her career with the Dope by submitting a question about Sears catalog underwear which Cecil answered, and Slug even prepared an inimitable Signorino depiction of Jill (though she maintains it’s not her; she would never wear a dress!).
LilethSC has stopped in a few times in the past couple of years, though she’s not regularly active AFAIK.
This oldtimer thinks it’s all the same, but with more forums and much shorter times for a question to fall “below the fold” and go to page two of the forum thread list.
Everything else is identical, including the lack of appearances from Cecil.
Ringo has told us quite a bit about the old days at the Houston Dope Fests…He knows some of the origins of various fora and other fun stuff. Ringo, come out, come out wherever you are!
BTW, in that thread, Opalis correct in that there was a Fathom message board before, but it was a quirky little thing that was nothing like the FFF that was spawned, IMO, by Melingate.
As I said, much has transpired since then. I’m fixin’ to be gone for a little while; perhaps some other regs can fill out more recent history.
Having read the books numerous times, I was astonished and deeelighted to learn that I had befriended at least one Doper whose letters to Cecil were indeed answered and reprinted in the Straight Dope books. I remember a bit of the AOL days, it was a darned sluggish machine but well worth the time and wait. I’d write a post, go tend details around the house, see if it’d posted up yet.
Ahh, the good old days. Wally was quite a wonderful soul. -sigh-
