Giving comms a 1980s CIX of paint
The world seems to have forgotten that by the time Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989, computer users had already been going online for some time. They were using their modems to dial in to mostly text-based bulletin board systems (BBSes), letting them send messages, access software or even chat with like-minded people.
It was an exciting time for these technological pioneers, and likewise for the people behind the scenes making things happen. The system operators, known as sysops, needed dedicated PCs, phone lines and lots of cash and time to keep them running. But they were enthusiastic, passionate and keen to experiment.
“I think my main inspiration for running a BBS came from watching the film WarGames,” said a laughing Frank Thornley, who became a key figure in early UK computer comms. He evolved his BBS into the UK’s hugely influential and popular conferencing system Compulink Information eXchange (CIX), which he ran with his wife, Sylvia. It was used in offices and homes up and down the country, quickly becoming the natural home for early PC Pro readers and contributors alike.
