Yesterday on Facebook I made a remark about the Asian_Link towards my friend Sue Matthews (from the US). Marion asked me later on what this Asian_Link was. I explained it to her, but thought that it would also be a nice subject for an article here on my weblog.
When we talk these days about electronic communication most likely the first thing we may think of is the Internet. The Internet has taken a very important place in the world of today. We communicate by sending mails to each other. We use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many other social networks. We buy and sell over the Internet. Many companies are active on and through the Internet. I think we can say that the Internet has become mighty important.
Before the Internet became so popular as it is today, there was another worldwide network called Fidonet.
Fidonet worked completely different as the Internet. It was based of a network of BBS’s (Bulletin Board System) all around the world maintained mostly by private individuals.
Such a BBS was a more or less advanced computer where you could dial into with your modem. Most BBS’s had a collection of files (tools, games, pictures, whatever) you could download to you local computer. There were BBS’s were could play games on.
All great and nice, but for many BBS’s there was more to it. They were part of Fidonet, which was an international network of electronic BBS’s which enabled the transfer of email and files.
For the more technical interested among us, there is very nice article about this on Wikepedia.
Because the mail and files were passed on from BBS to BBS and so, it all was less direct as the Internet was. It could take a day or two before your mail arrived on it’s destination, but still for its time it all was pretty cool.
All you needed to do was sign up with a local BBS and install some software. For instance Frontdoor exchange mail with a BBS. Fastecho to process the incoming and outgoing mail. GoldED as mail-editor. Just examples, because there was a lot of Fidonet software available.
Just as on the Internet you could send private messages to other users of Fidonet. This was called Netmail. If you had a very urgent private message, you could sent it directly to the BBS where the users for who the mail was meant. This was called Crashmail… but it meant that your modem would dial directly that BBS. If that BBS was in another country it would be an international phone call.
There were also public area where everyone could read and post. These area’s were called Echomail. Some of the Echomail were limited to a country other were international. The subjects these Echomail area’s were dedicated was almost limitless.
In the beginning when the Internet started to become popular the exchange of mail and files were done by protocols as FTP and UUCP, which was a lot cheaper as calling out with modem.
But with its advantages the Internet pushed Fidonet more and more aside. Fidonet is still out there, but it has lost its greatness. Many BBS were taken down. People moved to the Internet. Anyway it was great to have been part of it…
Yes, I was very active on Fidonet. Specially in one Echomail area called The Asian_Link. The goal of this are was gain a better understand for Asia. But this target was a bit lost and The Asian_Link had grown into a wonder area where people from all over the world exchanged mail with each other.
For some time I have been one of the European moderators of the Asian_Link (yes, such an area needed a bit of guidance). The Asian_Link was a pretty good experience. I learned a lot from other people of The Asian_Link. And it all gave me often something to laugh about.
Through the Asian_Link I got to know great people from all over the world. People like Sue Matthews, Klaus Nitsche, Marcia & Tania Charbert, Zak, Georg Kahpunkt, Matthias Diehl and many others.
It is good to have been part of it all….
(Credit picture: Fidonet)
Oh boy!! That brought back lots of good memories from the past. Asian_Link was IMHO one of the best areas on Fidonet.
Many of us are also in Facebook. It has been a nice experience to “meet” old friends from past years in fb.
What was even more incredible than being able to chat with new friends all over the world was that some of us were actually able to meet face to face over the years. Klaus, Matthias, some other Germans, some kids from Denmark, and an another moderator, Suchit Nanda from (then Bombay) visited here at various times, and I spent a month in Europe visiting with Rob, Klaus, and other ASIAN_LINK friends. A_L really was a fantastic, cross cultural experience.
Don’t forget the 3 Amigos, who kept the Asian_Link alive and well.
Ancel Manalili, Nick Pitt, and Me…
It was a pleasure to get Sue Matthews riled up. So many times she banned me but I always found my ways to get back in.
Without the 3 amigos, the Asian_Link was slow in messages.
Thank you through this, I stayed in touch with my Welsch Kaibigan and Ancel Manalili…
Sue Matthews! I hope you can read this message!
It was a pleasure getting in trouble while you were still moderating
Asian _Link…
Without me, Ancel Manalili and Nicholas Pitt, the BBS message board was so slow!
Now this is a blast from the past!
I’m having fond memories of coming home from school and downloading my latest Fido echomail, spending the evening reading Asian_Link and exchanging messages with people from all around the world.
For a while i then even helped moderate Asian_Link and that was actually a very educational experience. It felt good to help make this social construct work and to work together with the other moderators.
And as Sue mentioned above – the best was probably to travel and meet some of the people from the echo in real life. Sue and Klaus came to visit me in my hometown and I stayed at Sue’s place so many years ago, too. I also once visited Marcia and Tania in Mexico. Rob – we met at the Asian_Link meetup in Winterswijk where I went together with my friend Jürgen.
I had seen other echos on Fido and also since then have been part of many online communities, but I don’t think there was anything that compares to the community we had on Asian_Link – the communication was slower back then, but we sure made the very best of it!
Hi Rob. Lately I’ve been trying to look up people from A_L times. That’s how I came across this blog. I’m stil (somewhat) in touch with a handfull through facebook, including you. But many folks I wonder about aren’t among any of the friend’s lists. Like Rob van Leeuwen, his daughter Lisette, Remko Wiersma, Chris Paulsen, Joop Drommel, Kevin McGarth, Jeroen, etc. Google ain’t no friend looking for names, either. Simply too many results. I’m hoping some of them have found their way here, to your blog, and are as curious as I am about how everyone’s been doing in life. We were not the traveling type so we only had the pleasure to meet some at Bert’s gathering. So, I’ll prop up my feet once more, pass the popcorn and hope I’ll hear from some, in the (near) future, who are as curious as me.
I fell into this thread this morning while trying to remember a name (which came to me of course while I was reading through the posts).
It’s been years since I’ve heard from Klaus. Robbie disappeared from Facebook several years ago as well. Thomas was living in SFO the last I knew. But it’s been years since I’ve heard from him, so nice to see him show up here too! Not sure what Jurgen is up to these days either. I still chat with Suchit on a regular basis, along with other Germans I met in Winterswijk.
Yes, Facebook started to annoy me without end… the flame wars… the hatred… and dumbness.
Yet, it would be nice to have a place somewhere to chat with you people.
My EMAIL has not changer Robbie so feel free to send mail my way anytime… would love to hear from you.
The EMAIL Mike has used since the early 1990s died recently… the ISP just up and shut down the domain with very little warning, and no forwarding of EMAILs either. Fortunately we have other domains that we control so he was able to set up a new EMAIL addy easily enough, but what a PIA to have contact everyone he needed to so that that incoming mail would not just bounce into oblivion.
Bert Vaags is another who has disappeared… has anyone heard from him lately? I used to chat with one of his daughters on Facebook… there were little girls when we met in Winterswijk, but are adults now of course. I’ll see if I can find them.
Take care,
Sue