(no subject)

[arethinn]

1. When did you first connect ("go online"), and how? I think it was 1990 or 1991. My dad introduced me to the Compuserve account he had. My first go at it was on an XT-clone with a 300 baud modem, but he'd actually been accessing it since the mid-1980s on a Commodore 64. I'm not actually certain whether this came first, or my introduction to BBSs, or whether they were at the same time.

2. What was your first communications program? PC-Talk III, shortly followed by Procomm.

3. When did you first chat over the Internet, and how? Well, my first chatting was on Olympus, a local BBS I was a member of, in high school. (In fact, chatting was virtually all I used the BBS for.) I probably briefly entered a couple Compuserve chat rooms, and played "British Legends", a MUD-like game on Compuserve. I also played on what we simply called "The Stanford MUD" in high school. (That's all 1991-1995) The first time I ever really did it on "the net" (as opposed to some proprietary subset) was when I first got on IRC, but I'm not sure when that was... mid-90s?

4. What chat type program(s) do you use now? Mostly AIM, and mostly to talk only to enotsola. I do have an ICQ number but I'm never on that anymore. I'm very occasionally on IRC.

5. Who was your first service provider? West Coast Online, which was the company that evolved out of BABBA, the Bay Area Bulletin Board Advisor, the magazine that got me started on the aforementioned Olympus.

6. Did you ever use AOL? Hells no!

7. Do you admit using AOL in public? *amused*

8. Who is your current ISP? Inreach Internet (at home), self-provided services at work (well, Alcatel is the root provider there).

9. Computer that you used to access the 'net? (Wasn't this answered in #1?) An 8Mhz XT clone, monochrome monitor (amber!) and Hercules graphics card, at first I don't think it even had a mouse, I forget how much (or properly, how little) memory, and running MS-DOS whatever-was-current (3.3? 5.0?).

10. What computer do you use to access the 'net today? Pentium 3 GHz, 512 MB RAM, running Windows 98 SE.

11. What was your first 'net handle? Mousie. That was on the Olympus BBS. It was (poorly) conceived under pressure - for some reason I hadn't known I would have to come up with a nick! 74206,2125 was the Compuserve number (although that properly belonged to my dad).

12. Did you use any other handles for any length of time? If so, what were they? Briefly used Azrael (the reference being Gargamel's cat, not the Angel of Death). I think I went as Lifitz for a time. Sinister Dexter. Blackfeather. Dear gods, I can't even think of them all. I've been through a zillion crises of name and they all tend to last a few months before they itch. I've never hit on one that I can feel comfortable using everywhere and that also fits me.

13. What 'net handle do you normally use now? I'm known as Eshari on all the otherkin/fae kinds of lists, stardragon on Bluelight.nu, and am currently operating without name on pretty much everywhere else. See above about crises of name.

14. Are you active on any web sites other than LJ? If you're willing to say, what ones? Web sites specifically? Not any more. I was a moderator of one of the forums on Bluelight, but I recently stepped down due to a total lack of the time required to read the board. I play Neopets a bit, but I don't interact with any other players. I sell a few items now and again on Half.com and Gothic Auctions but I'm not sure that's what's meant by this question.