32:
434:
79:
586:
As of March 31, 2010, the original founders of the FirstClass product and company (Steve Asbury, Jon Asbury, and Scott Welch) and two longtime employees (John Myers and Barry Carter) are no longer employed by OpenText; the only reason given was a difference of opinions in the future direction of the
503:
FirstClass added
Internet functionality and a scripting method by 2000 but both Lotus and Microsoft had introduced these features earlier and FirstClass lost market share to them. The Mac market simultaneously declined through the mid to late 1990s, eroding the product's primary customer base. Even
448:
An Apple Canada employee, Mark
Windrim, set up a FirstClass BBS in Toronto called MAGIC (the Macintosh Awareness Group in Canada). Local Mac users heard of the system and established accounts, quickly turning it into the largest Mac-oriented BBS system in the area. Having started with a single phone
472:
The FirstClass software later incorporated a feature that allowed individual FirstClass sites to share conference content and private mail by allowing the servers to link together. Originally this was accomplished via dial-up connections, but eventually allowed sites to link via the wider
Internet.
424:
Additionally, every FCP packet included a "task number" identifier, similar to the port identifier in TCP/IP. This allowed FCP to construct a number of "virtual links" between each client and server. The server implemented a multithreaded kernel and opened a new thread for every task requested by a
598:, the other to start his own company. In June and August 2011, there were two more rounds of layoffs. Long-time employees Paul Whittemore, Desmond Ong, and Julie Oke, along with several others, asked to be included. Senior managers Terry Whyte and Dave Wormald left over the course of the summer.
456:
SoftArc sought to take advantage of the growing interest by offering reduced prices to BBS operators. During this time, some FirstClass BBS systems mushroomed to thousands of users, including the Boston
Computer Society (BCS), which was the largest computer club of that era; the Virginia-based
376:
The first implemented FirstClass system, operated by the
Scarborough Board of Education and named "ScriBE", was administered by the Computers in Education department. It offered access to teachers, students, and parents. In the autumn of 1997, ScriBE was connected successfully to the Internet.
452:
Due to the multithreaded nature of the FirstClass client software, the user could open multiple messages at the same time, while uploading and downloading in the background. Whereas most systems indirectly encouraged users to simply "leech" files and then leave, users waiting for downloads on
582:
19 million. OpenText was developing a suite of online collaboration products through a series of mergers, and FirstClass's educational background seemed to fit particularly well with some of their other offerings. At the time OpenText stated their intention to integrate FirstClass into the
546:
With the release of FirstClass 12, FirstClass introduces a fully supported and documented
Application Programming Interface (API) that will allow web developers to retrieve authenticated secure information from their FirstClass Collaborative system, and display it within their own web site.
504:
among those organizations that considered using the FirstClass system, the lack of a robust calendaring component during this time (until FirstClass version 6 in 2001) was an obvious flaw. Nevertheless, FirstClass was recognized as a notable (though not top) vendor of worldwide
538:
FirstClass
Application Services or "FCAS" (formerly called "RAD" for "Rapid Application Development") allows third-party developers to create tools and applications for use with FirstClass. The BASIC-like language is documented in the FirstClass client's online Help, under
412:
protocol, using a wide variety of packet sizes tuned to different networking protocols. Later versions of FCP could turn off their own error correction systems when running over error-free links like TCP/IP. FCP also implemented an optional encryption system based on the
396:
that all FirstClass communications used. The protocol guaranteed error-free communications for all activities, not just file transfers. FCP could run on several different physical layers, starting with modems and AppleTalk, and later adding Novell's
339:
FirstClass was created in response to a request by a family friend who worked at the
Scarborough Board of Education (now part of the Toronto District School Board). He asked them to find a reasonable Macintosh-based e-mail system that offered both
356:
offered modem support and public forums, but typically had no LAN support and were character-based. Various LAN e-mail systems existed; those on the Mac had reasonable GUIs, but they tended to have poor modem support and few offered forums.
70:
364:, which came close to filling the requirements. However, it was run on a mainframe for Apple Computer and couldn't be purchased, so the team offered to build a system under contract for $ 85,000. Scarborough Board really liked the
368:
prototype, but couldn't afford the price, so they offered to buy a system for $ 9,000 and then help sell it to other boards. The proposal was accepted, and work on EduNet started sometime in 1989, debuting in 1990 at the
488:
By the mid-1990s, FirstClass had evolved into a small-to-medium-sized internal e-mail system, but its BBS continued to receive attention. A FirstClass client for
Microsoft Windows was introduced, along with a
526:
In 2007 with the release of version 9, FirstClass redesigned its interface and introduced an automatic server-based and policy-driven archiving service for legal compliance purposes, and full
Unicode support.
594:
The next year would see many other key team members voluntarily move on to new challenges. Among those departing were the UX designers behind FirstClass' rebirth as OpenText Social Media: one for
465:; and Virtual Valley services operated by Silicon Valley's Metro Newspapers group. Another notable system was the Great Lakes Free-Net, billed as "the world's first graphical Free-Net," based in
260:'s Portfolio Group and runs on both client and server platforms. According to the company, the product is used by over 3,000 organizations and has 9 million users worldwide. It is available on
530:
By the end of 2010, version 11 was released, with mobile clients for Apple iOS, Android and Blackberry made available during 2011. IMAP mail and RSS support was added in version 11.1 in 2012.
877:
617:
have become increasingly popular and functional, the traditional paid product that FirstClass offers has apparently become more difficult to justify in educational environments.
1032:
583:"LiveLink" Internet information collection engine, but this integration has not yet happened and is rumored to be not practical due to the architecture of LiveLink.
675:
1061:
225:. FirstClass's primary markets are the higher-education and K-12 education sectors, including four of the top ten largest school districts in the United States (
700:
405:. Both the client and server could communicate over any of these links, allowing a user to move from office to home and have access to the same server.
916:
1127:
1105:— historical document shows a number of images from a standard FC system in 1996, as it was used as part of a series of systems being used to run
336:
system, and styled themselves as the Toronto Ideas Group. After a run-in with management, the three left and formed SoftArc as a consulting firm.
473:
Apple employee Scott Converse formed the first and probably the most extensive network of FirstClass-based sites in the world, known as OneNet.
332:. The team, consisting of two brothers and a friend, Steve Asbury, Jon Asbury and Scott Welch had been the primary developers of the successful
1137:
1102:
505:
874:
246:
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line and a tiny user base, MAGIC became a commercial entity called "Magic", eventually reached 6,000 users, and had 48 phone lines.
352:, and supported both private e-mail as well as public discussion areas (forums). He wanted a system that "even teachers could use".
899:
509:
458:
500:
marketplace. The product was successful to some degree, besting Microsoft Exchange in number of installed users until 1997.
1132:
651:"Chicago Public Schools Selects Open Text's FirstClass Software for District-Wide Email, Collaboration, Social Networking"
650:
425:
client. Users could therefore upload and download files at the same time, while simultaneously reading and writing mail.
242:
834:
234:
20:
732:
679:
1069:
226:
103:
261:
610:
601:
OpenText continues to develop the FirstClass software suite which has been opened up to support external "Apps".
875:
Worldwide Integrated Collaborative Environments 2003. Vendor Analysis: How to Keep Moving When Surrounded by ICE
924:
964:
785:
750:
714:
567:
480:
was becoming a major force, obsoleting most BBS systems on both Mac and Windows over the next year or so.
466:
321:
250:
353:
210:
996:
172:
548:
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cipher. With all of these features turned off, FCP still offered good performance even on the 2400
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126:
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838:
789:
418:
390:
433:
45:
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
802:
409:
1116:
333:
1062:"November 10, 2010 : Open University 'partners' with Google | Corporate Watch"
462:
309:
78:
768:
320:
FirstClass was originally a product of SoftArc, formed by three former members of
265:
654:
69:
946:
614:
516:
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285:
147:
89:
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FirstClass product and other derivative products. They have since developed
563:
497:
365:
361:
281:
198:
160:
1106:
477:
257:
445:, they started demonstrating early versions to Toronto-area Mac BBSes.
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238:
131:
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FirstClass had an entire modem channel free for uploading or writing.
591:, a product that blends social media and classroom management tools.
402:
325:
230:
519:
solution integrated with the server. The feature, commonly known as
523:, allowed users to receive voice, fax and e-mail in their mailbox.
1033:"Google vs. Microsoft: Chicago Public Schools Chooses Google Apps"
588:
432:
345:
301:
273:
222:
218:
202:
139:
135:
856:"Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures"
782:
579:
575:
574:. In September 2002 OpenText bought Centrinity, for a reported
457:
DigitalNation, which had hoped to become an AOL competitor; the
370:
886:
398:
349:
341:
269:
143:
25:
1095:
496:
During the mid-1990s, FirstClass evolved to compete in the
183:
1014:
649:
Maganini, Rich; M. Stevenson; B. Edwards (2007-10-18).
917:"OpenText FirstClass 11.1 Release Announcement v1.0"
94:
SoftArc, Centrinity, FirstClass Division of OpenText
1015:"K-12 learning management system Edsby, a best LMS"
178:
166:
154:
125:
102:
88:
385:Key to FirstClass's operation was the underlying
644:
642:
441:After renaming the product to the more generic
885:, International Data Corporation, July 2004.(
541:Customization Tools, FCAS, Language Reference
8:
62:
769:"How to connect to GLFN for the first time"
733:"Business Intelligence for Business People"
83:A screenshot of FirstClass Client version 9
77:
68:
61:
997:"News and Press Releases (PR) - OpenText"
820:http://www.textfiles.com/bbs/bbsfaq05.txt
638:
699:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
692:
515:During this period FirstClass added a
751:"The FirstClass Mail Server Solution"
506:integrated collaborative environments
7:
872:Mark Levitt and Robert P. Mahowald,
792:, OneNet. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
328:'s research arm located in downtown
461:'s Planet BMUG; the BendNet BBS in
437:Basic FirstClass "desktop", c. 1993
1103:FirstClass and Supporting Hardware
484:Corporate e-mail and collaboration
389:(FirstClass Protocol). FCP was a
247:Hillsborough County Public Schools
109:16.2 / March 29, 2020
14:
360:The team found only one product,
737:biforbusinesspeople.blogspot.com
30:
558:In 1999 the company arranged a
1128:Bulletin board system software
979:"Write better papers, faster!"
510:International Data Corporation
459:Berkeley Macintosh Users Group
209:, voice and fax services, and
1:
1138:Virtual learning environments
889:) Retrieved August 22, 2008.
243:Broward County Public Schools
803:"The TEXTFILES.COM BBS List"
381:FCP, the FirstClass Protocol
235:Clark County School District
21:First class (disambiguation)
1154:
421:modems common in the era.
18:
965:"FindArticles.com | CBSi"
611:Google Apps for Education
121:
98:
76:
67:
39:This article needs to be
832:Businesses Turn to BBSes
615:Office 365 for Education
566:to become listed on the
609:As free offerings from
605:Market share challenges
256:The product is part of
783:How the OneNet Started
568:Toronto Stock Exchange
467:Battle Creek, Michigan
438:
322:Bell Northern Research
251:Chicago Public Schools
16:Client–server software
900:"OpenText FirstClass"
436:
211:bulletin-board system
1133:Educational software
312:and 10.15 Catalina)
19:For other uses, see
983:accessmylibrary.com
862:. 15 December 2005.
408:FCP was based on a
394:networking protocol
290:Windows Server 2012
207:online conferencing
197:is a client–server
64:
1066:corporatewatch.org
927:on 19 January 2013
880:2011-06-04 at the
837:2007-09-30 at the
788:2007-09-28 at the
596:Research In Motion
578:1.26 per share or
562:by a company from
439:
264:devices (versions
845:, September 1994
521:unified messaging
306:10.13 High Sierra
278:Microsoft Windows
192:
191:
60:
59:
1145:
1099:
1098:
1096:Official website
1081:
1080:
1078:
1077:
1068:. Archived from
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1052:
1051:
1049:
1048:
1039:. Archived from
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1023:
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1005:
1004:
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986:
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923:. Archived from
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864:
863:
852:
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830:Nicholas Baran,
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781:Scott Converse,
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678:. Archived from
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653:. Archived from
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560:reverse takeover
348:support, a real
188:
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127:Operating system
116:
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81:
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55:
52:
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34:
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1037:talkincloud.com
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947:"FirstClass 12"
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915:
914:
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902:
898:
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882:Wayback Machine
871:
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839:Wayback Machine
829:
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790:Wayback Machine
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749:
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719:tranquileye.com
713:
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676:"Archived copy"
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669:
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635:
623:
607:
556:
554:Company history
536:
493:-based server.
486:
431:
391:transport layer
383:
318:
182:
146:(client only),
142:(server only),
117:
112:
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84:
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35:
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24:
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1089:
1088:External links
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951:firstclass.com
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549:FirstClass API
535:
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410:sliding window
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104:Stable release
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1072:on 2016-09-11
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1054:
1043:on 2016-09-21
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807:textfiles.com
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696:
682:on 2011-06-09
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657:on 2007-11-03
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476:By 1994, the
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334:Meridian Mail
331:
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316:Early history
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313:
311:
307:
303:
299:
295:
291:
288:, as well as
287:
283:
279:
276:and higher),
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268:and higher),
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150:(client only)
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1074:. Retrieved
1070:the original
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1056:
1045:. Retrieved
1041:the original
1036:
1027:
1018:
1009:
1001:opentext.com
1000:
991:
982:
973:
959:
950:
941:
929:. Retrieved
925:the original
920:
911:
894:
873:
868:
860:Ars Technica
859:
850:
842:
826:
815:
806:
797:
777:
763:
755:japaninc.com
754:
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736:
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684:. Retrieved
680:the original
670:
659:. Retrieved
655:the original
608:
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593:
585:
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557:
545:
540:
537:
529:
525:
514:
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487:
475:
471:
463:Bend, Oregon
455:
451:
447:
442:
440:
423:
407:
386:
384:
375:
373:conference.
359:
338:
319:
310:10.14 Mojave
255:
194:
193:
90:Developer(s)
48:
40:
715:"Internaut"
429:The BBS era
173:Proprietary
1117:Categories
1076:2016-08-29
1047:2016-08-29
921:Centrinity
686:2009-07-31
661:2008-02-18
633:References
572:Centrinity
517:voice mail
491:Windows NT
443:FirstClass
195:FirstClass
184:firstclass
113:2020-03-29
63:FirstClass
1123:Groupware
627:Mindquest
564:Vancouver
512:in 2004.
498:groupware
366:HyperCard
362:AppleLink
282:Windows 8
272:devices (
227:Las Vegas
199:groupware
161:Groupware
51:July 2020
1107:Free-Net
931:1 August
878:Archived
835:Archived
786:Archived
695:cite web
621:See also
478:Internet
415:Blowfish
258:OpenText
330:Toronto
262:Android
239:Florida
215:Windows
179:Website
168:License
148:Android
132:Windows
111: (
41:updated
403:TCP/IP
326:Nortel
300:) and
249:, and
221:, and
1019:Edsby
903:(PDF)
589:Edsby
580:Can$
576:Can$
534:Tools
419:bit/s
354:BBSes
346:modem
302:macOS
274:iOS 9
223:Linux
219:macOS
203:email
140:Linux
136:macOS
933:2012
843:Byte
701:link
613:and
401:and
371:ECOO
344:and
298:2019
296:and
294:2016
284:and
213:for
186:.com
156:Type
887:PDF
570:as
508:by
399:IPX
387:FCP
350:GUI
342:LAN
270:iOS
266:7.0
253:).
241:'s
233:'s
144:iOS
1119::
1064:.
1035:.
1017:.
999:.
981:.
949:.
919:.
858:.
841:,
805:.
753:.
735:.
717:.
697:}}
693:{{
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324:,
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1021:.
1003:.
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967:.
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771:.
757:.
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721:.
703:)
689:.
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304:(
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23:.
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