The old Commodore online forums are dead and gone, but some of their archives live on. This thread is here to accumulate links to them. (Let's restrict this thread to archives of the big online services - BBS's are a different subject, I think.)
The GENIE Information Services Commodore forums are archived at:
http://cbmfiles.com/genie/index.html
The Compuserve Forum archive is on CD for $14.95AU from Australia here (is it online anywhere, or is there a US source?):
http://shop.vcsweb.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24_26&products_id=157
the index is here: ftp://ftp.videocam.net.au/cbm/info-txt/compuserve_files.txt
Were the following Commodore-supporting online services archived? If so, where are they?
BIX (Byte Information Exchange)
Quantumlink
American Peoplelink
Interesting. I didn't know about the Compuserve CD archive.
Another service you could add to your list is PlayNet, from which Q-Link licensed their system.
After Q-Link went offline, I met a guy who claimed to have rescued file archive harddrives from the trash, but he disappeared and nothing ever came of it. Someone at AOL later assured me that it was very unlikely he actually had anything. I don't know how much of Q-Link would have survived much past closure, as if you were on Q-Link at the end you'll remember how pitiful the archive had become as many files were lost during various hardware failures. For a while the operators would restore from (tape?) backup, but eventually they just gave up. Everyone was warned that once something was gone, it wouldn't be resurrected, which went not just for the file archives but People Connection and other areas. If tape backup were used, it's possible they still exist, and I hope they do. There were many thousands of files on there that have never made it onto the net. Much of it was probably crap -- I know some (probably all :D) of the programs I contributed were -- but for historical curiosity it would be interesting to comb through the trash and see if there are any hidden treasures. I remember that there were a ton of great Doodle and Koala pictures on there which might make for an interesting museum piece on the history of computer art. And the RIAA would have a ball trying to sue the thousands of people who submitted SIDplayer adaptations of copyrighted songs. :ironisk:
This guy calls his site Q-Link, but I don't think his file archives have anything to do with the real QuantumLink archives: http://www.q-link.cc/archive.shtml
And this guy's got quite a few SIDs archived that actually DID come from QuantumLink: http://www.replayer.com/sids/
The Commodore General FAQ v3.1, part 3/9 by Jim Brain (5 Apr. 1998) has this to say on the subject of the QLink files:
QuoteQuantumLink - Q-Link was a Commodore specific telecommunications service. This service, while booming in the late 1980's, has now been discontinued. There was an effort to retrieve as many of the QuantumLink files as could be retrieved. Email Brenda G4 at b.gann1@genie.geis.com for more information. Also, a list of ex-Qlink-ers is being maintained. If you want to be on the list, send email to steward@pobox.com or sirfitz@kaiwan.com.
Maybe we could track them down. :)
And, of course, there's the QuantumLink Reloaded project here, for nostalgic reliving of the experience: http://www.quantumlink.tk/
Jim Brain is apparently a big mucky-muck over there, and is still active in the project. So maybe he knows where all the files are?
The Compuserve Archive CD-ROM is online (via convenient HTTP link) at:
http://www.filewatcher.com/b/ftp/ftp.pitt.edu/software/cbm.0.0.html
Quote from: airshipThis guy calls his site Q-Link, but I don't think his file archives have anything to do with the real QuantumLink archives: http://www.q-link.cc/archive.shtml
Actually the majority of the files on q-link.cc did come from the
REAL QuantumLink archives. I should know since I downloaded them. Feel free to browse around the site and see for yourself instead of just dismissing the site. There are also files in the archives from other places as well.
Snakeman
I stand both humbled and corrected, sir.
Although they did have a web presence for a while, not exactly an Online Service, I guess you could also include the "Loadstar Compleat" CD which is available from Fender Tucker at http://www.ramblehouse.com/loadstarcompleat.htm
Definitely an awesome CD and worth the price. It contains:
~ All 199 issues of LOADSTAR in .d64 and .d81 format
~ All 42 issues of LOADSTAR 128 in .d64 format
~ .TXT files of all of the text on the issues for fast searching on your PC
~ All 21 issues of UpTime (a rival disk magazine that LOADSTAR soundly defeated and bought)
~ JPGs of all of the color covers of the issues when LOADSTAR was sold in stores
~ PDFs of all 73 issues of The LOADSTAR Letter, Jeff Jones' excellent newsletter companion to LOADSTAR
~ MP3s of selected Knees Calhoon songs
~ .d64 files of every LOADSTAR product published separately from the monthly issues: the Compleat Bible, the Compleat Programmer, all five LOADSTAR Extras, Barbara Schulak's puzzles, etc.
~ All of Dave Marquis' SID and MIDI music
~ All of Walt Harned's artwork -- Walt is the most prolific artist ever for the Commodore computer
~ and whatever else I could find from the historic LOADSTAR archives.
And I encourage everyone to send Fender some money. It's wonderful to see this old stuff still being made available for a reasonable price. We should support those who are preserving our CBM heritage.
Quote from: airship on September 10, 2007, 02:26 AM
The Compuserve Archive CD-ROM is online (via convenient HTTP link) at:
http://www.filewatcher.com/b/ftp/ftp.pitt.edu/software/cbm.0.0.html
Sorry for the gravedigging, but I'm looking for an online archive of the Compuserve files as well... particularly the graphics. Airship, that link is unfortunately only to a copy of Gaelyne's Homestead files, which includes a list of of the files on their Compuserve CD.
Anyone aware of another location?
Quote from: saehn on February 10, 2009, 02:59 AMAnyone aware of another location?
The only way I know to obtain it is to purchase the CD from Gaelyne and Rod's Videocam Services.
Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
CommVEx v5 info - http://www.commodore.ca/forum and click on ComVEX
Right, I've sent them some email asking about obtaining it. It's unfortunate though... the CD is a private collection of public files. Seems to me that they should be publicly available, just like the QLink or Genie files. Doesn't seem like the something that should be generating profit without the original creators' consent. Reminds me of those commercially-available DOOM WAD compilations of public files that caused so much trouble.