The History of Email
Uploaded by spootyhead on Mar 04, 2007
The History of Email
Email had been used in 1971.The world which include the telex network that was used extensively by business on a world-wide basis from the mid-1920's to the mid-1980's. The telex network was independent of the telephone network and telex machines could connect with and communicate with any other telex machine on a global scale. Telex also was relatively secure in that the sending and receiving machines did identifying handshaking. It was relatively expensive to have a 'telex line' installed and subsequent telex messages were charged on a data transmitted basis. In addition, for much of its history, use of telex required a dedicated 'telex terminal' which was less than intuitive and often required trained operators. <<[ It may come as a surprise to many in this age of computers and chips everywhere that telex is still operating and being used throughout the world.] >>
During the 1960's and 1970's many companies who were using mainframe and mini computers also used email facilities on those systems. This enabled users of terminals attached to those systems to send messages to each other. As companies began to connect their central systems (hosts) to branch offices and subsidiaries then employees were able to send email to other employees of that company on a world-wide basis. Also during this time the US Department of Defence's research into computer networks was well underway, resulting in the embryonic ARPANET --the forerunner to the now global Internet. According to information regarding these early years, the first ARPANET network email message was transmitted in 1971.
In the late-1970's and 1980's, the personal computers exchanged messages remotely on 'dial-up' systems they had to both be subscribers. The proprietary systems did not interoperate or transmit messages from one system to another, or for the few systems that did these were notoriously unreliable - a reason for eventual demise of most of these systems. At the same time, companies and enthusiasts were setting up 'bulletin board systems' (BBS) which were often used both to send/receive messages and to exchange information.
In parallel with the development of the personal computer market, companies were connecting the personal computers increasingly being used by their staff, to both their mainframe/midrange systems and to "LAN-based" email systems. When connected to the mainframe/midrange systems they were often being used in 'terminal emulation' mode and therefore the email being used...