After 30 years, Compuserve has decided to shut down. Not the whole thing, though, as Compuserve 2000 will still be around. Still, this marks the end of an era.
Compuserve started as a dial up service in 1969. That is long before the Internet and World Wide Web were even thought of. In the 80’s it changed hands and became the biggest information and Networking services in the world. They were the first to offer Internet access (in limited fashion) via dial up.
Here is the official email to customers:
Dear CompuServe Classic Member,
After many years of providing online services, we regret to inform you that as of June 30, 2009 the CompuServe Classic service will no longer operate as an Internet Service Provider. We hope this does not cause you an inconvenience.Note that this shutdown only relates to the CompuServe Classic service. The CompuServe 2000 service will continue to operate as it does today.
We’re aware that this change may raise several questions for you.
Here’s what this will mean:DO YOU NEED AN INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER?
* If you need dial-up Internet access, there are two options you may wish
to consider.
Netscape Internet Service
AOLACCESS AND BILLING INFORMATION:
* The last day you will be able to access your CompuServe Classic account will be June 30, 2009. Your dial-up access will no longer be available after this date.
* We urge you to immediately forward, back up, move or otherwise copy to a location outside the CompuServe Classic system any stored data you wish to keep. This data will be inaccessible after the CompuServe Classic service is closed on June 30.
* The CompuServe Classic Ourworld “homepage” service
) will also close on June 30. After that date, you will be unable to access or retrieve any images, files, or other material stored in the Ourworld service. Any content you wish to retain must be saved to a new location before June 30.
* Your final monthly charge for the CompuServe Classic service will occur on your June billing date.EMAIL AVAILABILITY:
* We are creating a new email system where you will be able to continue
using your existing CompuServe Classic email address. This new email
service will be available to you at no charge – but you will need to
provide your own Internet access.
* Some of the benefits of the new email system include:
+ Unlimited storage lets you keep as many messages as you want
+ Ability to receive large messages (up to 16MB per message)
+ Industry leading spam and virus protection to help eliminate
threats and hassles
+ Mail filters that allow you to store and organize mail
+ Open accessibility and compatibility with IMAP & POP3
+ Seamless integration w/ AIM for instant messaging
* The transition to the new mail system will occur in mid-May. More
information will be sent to you shortly concerning the migration
of your mailbox to the new CompuServe Classic mail system.ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Member Services phone support will remain available for the
CompuServe 2000 service, and can answer any billing questions
about CompuServe Classic.
Should you have questions about the termination of this service,
please contact CompuServe Member Services at:Tech Support
We thank you for being a CompuServe Classic member over the past years.
Sincerely,
CompuServe Member Services
Thanks all for the comments.
I still have an old piece of image editing software that uses compuserv to indicate what type of output you want. It’s really a .gif output, but it says “compuserv.” Ah, those were the days!
Wow. I grew up using Compuserve in the mid 1980’s – remember how exciting it was to have notice boards and swap chess moves or trade recipes… One of my earliest memories were of navigating the internet using Compuserve. Thanks for the memories and for the childhood moments.
Compuserve was a fantastic provider in it’s day and like so many others I too hooked up to them as my first ISP in the early 90’s.
Like AOL though they seem to be a victim of relevance. While the hand-holding was a great thing during the internet’s infancy it is now viewed as cumbersome and even obstructive to the main purpose of the internet – open standards, information available equally to all.
Thanks for the launchpad to something great, you’ve done a great job and earned your rest.
I remember having Compuserve as my first Internet provider as a kid. Back in the early 90’s it was them and AOL. We had so many minutes to use each month so one really needed to watch what they were doing and how long they were online.
This exciting time in my life and watching the Internet grow helped me realize what the Internet could provide. Today the Internet is everything and more than what I could have expected. Think we’ll ever see a day that Google shuts it search engine down? Perhaps in 20-30 years….
Thanks Compuserve for being my first Internet Provider.