ExecPC BBS: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox company

'''ExecPC''' is an [[online service provider]] started in [[1983]] by owner Bob Mahoney as the '''Exec-PC BBS'''. It quickly grew to be the world's largest [[bulletin board system]] in the 1980s and throughout the [[1990s]], competing with the likes of [[Compuserve]] and [[Prodigy (ISP)|Prodigy]].

| name = ExecPC

| logo = ExecPC.png

| alt = Exec PC Logo. A stylized triangle with a circle around it.

| logo_caption =

| image =

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| former type =

| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]

| industry = [[Internet]] and [[Telecommunication]]

| fate =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| foundation = {{Start date|1983}}

| founder = Bob Mahoney

| defunct =

| location_city = [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]]

| location_country = USA

| locations =

| area_served =

| key_people =

| products = [[Internet access]] and [[Web hosting]]

| production =

| services =

| revenue =

| operating_income =

| net_income =

| aum =

| assets =

| equity =

| owner =

| num_employees =

| parent = LocalNet Internet Services, Inc.

| divisions =

| subsid =

| homepage = {{URL|http://www.execpc.com}}

| footnotes =

| intl =

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}}

'''ExecPC''' beganis offeringan [[Internetonline accessservice provider]] started in [[1994]]1983 asby ExecPCowner Internet,Bob and,Mahoney beingas basedthe in'''Exec-PC [[NewBBS'''. Berlin, WI]],It quickly grew to be one of the world's largest [[Internetbulletin serviceboard providersystem]]s in [[Wisconsin]].the 1980s Theand companythroughout wasthe sold1990s, incompeting [[1998]]with tothe Voyager.netlikes of [[East Lansing, MICompuserve]]. After a lengthy series of acquisitions, the assets are now held by LocalNet ofand [[Buffalo,Prodigy NY(ISP)|Prodigy]].

ExecPC began offering [[Internet access]] in 1994 as ExecPC Internet, and being based in [[New Berlin, WI|New Berlin, Wisconsin]], quickly grew to be the largest [[Internet service provider]] in [[Wisconsin]]. The company was sold in 1998 to Voyager.net of [[East Lansing, MI|East Lansing, Michigan]]. After a lengthy series of acquisitions, the assets are now held by LocalNet of [[Buffalo, NY|Buffalo, New York]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.localnet.com/releases1.phtml |website=www.localnet.com |date=7 May 2008 |title=LocalNet Announces New Look}}</ref>

== History ==

=== The Exec-PC BBS ===

[[Image:Exec pc bbs.PNG|thumb|Exec PC BBS|300 px]]

The Exec-PC BBS launched on [[November 28]], [[1983]] in the den of owner Bob Mahoney. Known primarily for its extensive [[shareware]] software archives, the BBS also offered [[E-mail]], message forums, and [[BBS door]] games to paying subscribers. As the file archives grew in size, Mahoney created the Hyperscan feature, allowing members to quickly search for files by [[keyword]] -- a common feature today, but rare at the time. The Exec-PC BBS grew to over 250 lines, with over 300GB of file storage at its peak in the mid-90s. Callers could connect to the Exec-PC BBS via long distance at no additional charge, or connect to any [[CompuServe]] local access number for a per-minute fee.

The Exec-PC BBS launched on November 28, 1983, in the den of owner Bob Mahoney and his wife Tracey. This was in the earliest days of BBSing, and in contrast to most systems that used one of the many shareware BBS systems, ExecPC was a custom system written in the [[Clipper (programming language)|Clipper]] [[database system]]. This allowed them to add new features to the system throughout its lifetime.<ref name=bob>{{cite web |url=https://groups.google.com/g/execpc.general/c/mIRC_xnhYpk |title= My time with ExecPC |first= Greg |last=Ryan |date=10 February 1999}}</ref>

The Exec-PC BBS launched on [[November 28]], [[1983]] in the den of owner Bob Mahoney. Known primarily for its extensive [[shareware]] software archives, the BBS also offered [[E-mail]], message forums, and [[BBS door]] games to paying subscribers.<ref name="bbsdocu">[[Jason Scott Sadofsky]] (July 2001 – December 2004), [[BBS: The Documentary]] (3 DVDs)</ref> As the file archives grew in size, Mahoney created the Hyperscan feature, allowing members to quickly search for files by [[Index term|keyword]] -- a—a common feature today, but rare at the time. Mahoney became one of the earliest BBS operators to begin charging a fee for access to a BBS. The Exec-PC BBS grew to over 250 lines, with over 300GB300&nbsp;GB of file storage at its peak in the mid-90s. Callers could connect to the Exec-PC BBS via long distance at no additional charge, or connect to any [[CompuServe]] local access number for a per-minute fee.

In 1996, the file collection of the Exec-PC BBS was placed on the [[world-wide web]] through the [[Filepile.com]] web site. [[Filepile.com]] was officially abandoned in 1999 having been made obsolete by other Internet services, but the BBS still remains accessible via [[telnet]] on the Internet at bbs.execpc.com.

In 1996, the file collection of the Exec-PC BBS was placed on the [[world-wide web]] through the [[Filepile.com]] web site. [[Filepile.com]] was officially abandoned in 1999 having been made obsolete by other Internet services, but the BBS still remains accessible via [[telnet]] on the Internet at bbs.execpc.com.

=== Exec-PC Chat ===

One of the major missing features of the Exec-PC BBS was the ability to speak with other members of the service in [[chat rooms]]. Instead of building chat functionality into the BBS, Mahoney created a separate system, '''Exec-PC Chat''', which ran alongside the Exec-PC BBS. This system was a [[Major BBS]]-based system with 48 lines. While popular, the chat system did not prove to be profitable, and Mahoney divested himself of the system. The former Exec-PC Chat ran under the name Over the Edge until shutting down in [[1996]].

=== ExecPC Internet ===

Sensing the promise of the Internet, Mahoney built Internet functionality into the Exec-PC BBS in [[1994]]. When calling into certain numbers known as "gold nodes," the BBS member was connected to an Internet [[shell account]] on servers run by [[IBM]]'s [[VNET]] division. This solution quickly proved to be slow and confusing to members, so Mahoney set up a separate division of the company that same year to provide [[dialup access]] via both [[shell account]]s and [[PPPPoint-to-Point Protocol]] (PPP). Unlike the BBS, ExecPC Internet provided service exclusively to individuals in [[Wisconsin]] and northern [[Illinois]].

ExecPC Internet proved to be tremendously popular, and grew from its first paying subscribers in 1994 to just over 80,000 subscribers in 1998. As it grew, the company added business-class access services such as [[ISDN]] and [[Digital Signal 1|T1]] lines, as well as [[web hosting service]].

=== Mergers and Acquisitionsacquisitions ===

In September, 1998, Mahoney sold ExecPC to [[East Lansing, MI|East Lansing, Michigan]]-based–based Voyager.net. Voyager.net was purchased by CoreComm Ltd. in October, 2000, who then, through other acquisitions, became ATX Communications in 2004. In December, 2005, ATX Communications sold the remaining ExecPC assets and customer base to LocalNet of [[Buffalo, NY|Buffalo, New York]], the current operators.

== LocalNet ==

LocalNet Internet Services, Inc. begun in [[Buffalo, New York]], sells [[dial-up Internet access]], [[web hosting service]]s and [[Digital subscriber line]] Internet access.<ref>{{cite web |title=About |url=https://www.localnet.com/about.php |website=LocalNet |access-date=14 December 2021 |language=English}}</ref>

==References==

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== External links ==

* [http://home.execpc.com Current home page for ExecPC Internet subscribers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906180931/http://home.execpc.com/ |date=2008-09-06 }}

* [httphttps://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.08/es_access.html?pg=1 Wired article on ExecPC]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20000301020500/http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/may99/0517exec.asp Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Execpc Bbs}}

[[Category:Bulletin board systems]]