Bye-Bye CompuServe Forums: Old Service Goes Down Dec. 15

CompuServe Forums -- an cyberspace destination that was all the rage back in the early 90s -- is shutting downward.

Even after over two decades, the sometime forums are remarkably however around. But unfortunately, they'll be gone on Dec. 15, co-ordinate to a new posting on the site.

No explanation was given for the imminent closure. However, CompuServe is at present under the control of Verizon-owned Oath, which has also decided to shut downward AOL Instant Messenger on the aforementioned December date.

CompuServe Goodbye

The erstwhile forums were the stomping grounds for many early cyberspace users when the Ohio-based CompuServe was a leading isp in the US. Back then, the company charged $5 or more for an hour of internet access, which operated over slow dial-upward modems for PCs.

The forums themselves became a pop place to talk about "everything from PC hardware to comic books," co-ordinate to Harry McCracken, engineering editor at FastCompany who participated in the forums back in the belatedly 1980s.

Nevertheless, CompuServe struggled to compete confronting AOL, which acquired the company in 1998. Since then, visits to the forums take drastically declined; its the xvi,115 most visited site in the U.s., co-ordinate to Alexa internet rankings. In contrast, Reddit is ranked number four.

Nevertheless, the CompuServe forums even so concenter a number of loyal users, some of whom are upset with the upcoming shut down.

"My heart just sank," wrote 1 user.

"I'm in the stunned-and-disbelieving phase, which will no dubiousness concluding a while," wrote another.

The balance of the CompuServe site remains active as a web portal. Email, news, conditions and other information will go on to be offered on the site, although who knows for how long.

"Nosotros are constantly evaluating the content and services that are available through the service," the CompuServe Squad wrote in its detect.