
The Computer as a Communication Device - cfmcdonald
https://technicshistory.com/2019/10/10/the-computer-as-a-communication-device/
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cpr
Funnily enough the first mailing list in the Arpanet (circa 1973) was about
mailing lists. I have no idea why I jumped on it (freshman at the time using
HARV-10), but it was loads of fun, and of course included flame wars from the
start...

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fit2rule
Fascinating! I joined my first mailing list in 1978. I often marvel at the
recollection that indeed, things were just as flame-ridden and troll-hardened
back then, as they seem to be now. Its just, everywhere.

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howard941
This was really interesting reading on the early days. Aloha net with carrier
sensing grew into AX.25 amateur packet radio but the hidden transmitter
problem meant throughput wouldn't exceed something like 30% (if I'm
remembering Phil Karn ka9q's calculations correctly).

The human aspect of computer mediated communications is likewise fascinating.
NJIT's Murray Turoff and Starr Roxanne Hiltz performed substantial research
into the problems we still face in collaborating and communicating
electronically, including issues of reputations for pseudonymous personages
and anonymity and beneficial mechanisms to support them. More so they
implemented it in the EIES system.

Their book "A Network Nation" remains in print and relevant.
[https://www.powells.com/book/network-nation-revised-
edition-...](https://www.powells.com/book/network-nation-revised-edition-
human-communication-via-computer-9780262581202)

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EricE
If you liked this article, then I highly recommend this book:
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine)

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geocrasher
Unfortunately I don't have time to read this right now, but I wrote a less
dense article of a similar topic that was intended as an internal training
document which ended up being good blog fodder at work:

[https://www.a2hosting.com/blog/how-email-became-an-
important...](https://www.a2hosting.com/blog/how-email-became-an-important-
yet-complex-abused-solution/)

I have a lot of respect for the authors of the linked article (not me, the
OP!) because I know how much research my own article took. I can imagine
theirs was a lot more.

