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The founders launched the business initially with their own money. They then raised over $ 2.5 million from a variety of investors, including the venture capital funds of the Town of North
Greenbush NY, Key Bank, Alan Patricof & Associates, and the New York State Science and Technology
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in 1986 called PlayNET "one of the best values around for
Commodore users". The reviewer stated that he had found the network's users "to be just about the friendliest group of people around", but criticized the slow disk load times and the network's weekday hours of operation.
395:(single or multiuser). PlayNet's graphical display was better than many of these competing systems because it used specialized client software with a nonstandard protocol. However, this specialized software and nonstandard protocol limited its market to the Commodore 64.
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The service had two membership options: an $ 8/month service charge plus $ 2.75/hour connect time charge, or no service charge and $ 3.75 per hour connection charge. File downloads were charged a flat rate of $ 0.50 each
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Unlike other online systems of the era, PlayNet was highly graphical and required client software, and included error correction in the communication protocols. The server software for PlayNet ran on
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the communications protocol and allow people running the
QuantumLink software on an emulator or original hardware (via a serial cable) to run a reduced version of the service called
189:) was ported by Quantum to the Apple II, and then to Macintosh and MSDOS to create the first version of the AOL software. As recently as 2005, some aspects of the original PlayNet
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employees, Dave Panzl and Howard
Goldberg, as the first person-to-person, online communication and game network to feature home computer based graphics.
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PlayNet was initially successful and had more than 5000 subscribers, but struggled to grow beyond that, and was short on funds. PlayNet approached
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to become
Commodore's official online service, but was rejected. Commodore instead suggested to a rival that they obtain PlayNet's software.
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PlayNet was originally designed around online interactive games which allowed chatting while playing. PlayNet also featured
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435:"On the Way to the Web: The Secret History of the Internet and Its Founders", by Michael A. Banks, 2008, pages 91, 189.
380:. In 1985, pricing was $ 6 per month, with additional fees of $ 2 per hour, after a one-time membership fee of $ 30.
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s). Games were mostly 'traditional' games and some well-known boardgames. Games were programmed in a mixture of
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Foundation, and a group of individual investors through a limited R&D partnership led by McGinn Smith.
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The PlayNet offices were initially located in the J Building on
Peoples Avenue in Troy, NY part of the
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The client software on the
Commodore 64 ran a multitasking pseudo-operating system based on a
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incubator program. It subsequently moved to RPI's
Technology Park in North Greenbush NY.
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in March, 1986 and ceased operations in 1988 after
Quantum stopped paying royalties.
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https://paleotronic.com/2018/07/01/a-1980s-quantum-link-to-a-modern-day-mutiny/
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https://paleotronic.com/2018/07/01/a-1980s-quantum-link-to-a-modern-day-mutiny/
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that operated from 1984 to 1987. It was operated by the PlayNet, Inc of
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https://www.filfre.net/2017/11/a-net-before-the-web-part-5-the-pony/
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https://www.filfre.net/2017/11/a-net-before-the-web-part-5-the-pony/
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https://casetext.com/case/beam-v-key-venture-capital-corporation
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Lockwood, Russ. "Tracking the
Affordable Home Service."
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The system competed with many other online services like
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https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/AOL#Diagrams
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
181:. The modified version of the PlayNet software (
548:A+: The Independent Guide for Apple Computing
177:), which in October 1991 changed its name to
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271:fault-tolerant computers and was written in
446:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_yfq1CLwY
169:In 1985, PlayNet licensed their system to
151:PlayNet was founded in 1983 by two former
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
342:Games/features never finished/released:
650:1984 establishments in New York (state)
645:Internet properties established in 1984
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357:Various other card games and wargames
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364:Connections to PlayNet were made by
220:is believed to be based on PlayNet.
47:adding citations to reliable sources
640:Pre–World Wide Web online services
193:still appeared to be used by AOL.
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360:Auditoriums and panel discussions
481:from the original on 2023-05-28.
444:Early news story about PlayNET:
244:libraries, online shopping, and
198:Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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560:Behling, B. W. (January 1986).
218:Halt and Catch Fire (TV series)
34:needs additional citations for
398:In 2005, hobbyists managed to
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605:AOL Disk Collection: Q-Link
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635:Online video game services
175:Quantum Computer Services
171:Control Video Corporation
191:communication protocols
393:Bulletin board systems
348:Dungeons & Dragons
615:RUN Magazine Issue 20
610:Quantum Link Reloaded
404:Quantum Link Reloaded
216:The second season of
550:, April 1985: 54-56.
389:The Source (service)
281:Finite State Machine
173:(CVC, later renamed
43:improve this article
16:American former ISP
600:Remembering Q-Link
469:"America, Online!"
372:providers such as
153:GE Global Research
137:personal computers
128:) was an American
262:assembly language
246:instant messaging
203:PlayNet declared
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568:. pp. 81–84
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54:Find sources:
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32:This article
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630:Commodore 64
590:PlayNET page
570:. Retrieved
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41:Please help
36:verification
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234:online chat
624:Categories
424:References
385:CompuServe
304:Backgammon
205:bankruptcy
69:newspapers
562:"PlayNET"
410:Reception
324:Connect 4
288:Game list
283:language.
164:Commodore
99:June 2011
58:"PlayNET"
479:Archived
319:Stratego
294:Checkers
572:July 3,
378:Telenet
309:Hangman
269:Stratus
248:(using
147:History
126:PlayNET
122:PlayNet
83:scholar
374:Tymnet
366:modems
314:Bridge
187:Q-Link
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566:Ahoy!
474:Wired
416:Ahoy!
353:Poker
299:Chess
258:BASIC
252:, or
90:JSTOR
76:books
574:2014
387:and
376:and
370:X.25
273:PL/1
260:and
132:for
124:(or
62:news
254:OLM
185:or
45:by
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334:Go
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
