I don't recall the types of computer. I was in grad school and using the school's computers. Many universities had a gopher. It seemed like accessing the wealth of the world to navigate to a university's gopher and be able to download docs on every subject.
I recall being able to make a few commands and see everyone on the network. Anybody could. Then you could email from the command line if you wanted to.
We had a text only gay forum at the University of Michigan -- called Confer. We mostly knew each other in real life. We argued so ferociously on there and then would run into each other at the library, cafe or a party and be so pleasant and friendly. One of those guys became a famous economist. One a porn star for a while. It was the good old days when gay men and lesbians talked to each other.
I didn't have a computer of my own for a long time, but I remember occasionally using a roommate's and dialing in to MichNet for access. I stored alot of my research on my server space, and sometimes needed it at night for something. Usually I'd go to the computer center, which was open 24/7, but sometimes the snow was too deep. Wow. Haven't thought of that stuff in forever.
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