I remember getting my first
modem, a slightly used 300 baud model for my
Commodore 128 that did not understand
touch tone signals and had to be manually dialed. With the
modem and a 5.25"
floppy disk that I received from
Ahoy! magazine, I was able to sign on to an
online service called
Quantum Link that was so much more exciting than any of the
BBS's I'd been able to find.
Quantum Link was the product of Quantum Computer Services. Doesn't sound familiar? Well then perhaps you know the former Executive Vice President of QCS - Steve Case? Yes, Q-Link was the direct predecessor to AOL and was not completely shut down until October of 1994 when Case pulled the plug on the service.
Many elements of AOL came from Q-Link (and its siblings, AppleLink and PC-Link) - things like People Connection (and many of the room names withing, Instant Messages (known as OLMs - OnLine Messages) and the 'Guide xx' characters that patrol the system enforcing the TOS.
The big difference between the two? Q-Link was cool. :)
Enough to the point that I would, when signing on, go through the effort it took to connect and my blazing 300 baud:
Ah, the joys of being online circa 1987! :)
For more information on Q-Link check out this site:
http://www.qlinklives.org/