Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 19:51:46 +0200
Reply-To: Internet Help Resource <HELP-NET@CRCVMS.UNL.EDU>
Sender: Internet Help Resource <HELP-NET@CRCVMS.UNL.EDU>
From: Uzi Paz
Subject: ADMIN: Help-Net's 10th Anniversary
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
On November 15, 1990, about a year before the birth of the WWW,
Jeff Linder - a Computer consultant at Temple University, announced
The Birth of the Help-Net Mailing List.
To quote from his original announcement dated November 15, 1990:
> Introducing HELP-NET at TEMPLEVM.
>
> Help-Net is a discussion list for the purposes of solving user problems
> with utilities and software related to the Internet and Bitnet networks.
> In addition, LISTSERV at TEMPLEVM maintains a set of low-level help files
> intended to help the beginning user acclimatize himself to the network
> systems.
>
> Both novice and experienced users are encouraged to join the discussion
> list, either to ask questions, or to answer them. Questions on almost any
> network topic are encouraged, however there are a few ground rules we ask
> that you observe.
We are talking about the times where most Internet users where from
Universities and research institutes, the WWW emerged shortly later, but
most people were excited about another new animal called "Gopher" that was
believed to be the "next thing". Help-Net, at that time, was running on
the BITNET network, that was running along with the Internet, and offered
sending messages from Bitnet to Internet accounts and vice versa.
10 years later, Gopher is practically dead or frozen. WWW is so popular so
that many people confuse it to be THE INTERNET. Bitnet has already died.
The Internet became public and commercial.
If 10 years ago, only in rare cases people used PCs to access the
Internet, today it is assumed that you use PC unless you say differently.
It was a great surprise for me to find a subscriber on this list, that
joined Help-Net at its very first days, and is still with us since then.
I wish to thank him for forwarding to me Jeff's message that I quoted
above. Thank you Pete Hoyle!!!
(BTW, are there other subscribers who subscribed during the very early
years of Help-Net?)
I myself subscribed to Help-Net much later. I think that it was in 1995 or
1996. I learned a lot from Help-Net, but what I really liked in Help-Net
and what really hooked me into the Internet, was that it looked like
Socialism in its best. Everyone contributed as much as they could, and
asked for as much as they needed. I still see this today on the Internet,
although it is somewhat masked with huge amounts of commercial interests.
Help-Net is maintained mainly by its subscribers. Good questions, good
answers, and interested readers, that is what builds a good mailing list.
I hope you join my best wishes for Help-Net.
Uzi
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Help-Net's 10th Anniversary celebrations 17 to 24 November 2000
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