Megalextoria

A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:

I found a number of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago (we are talking late 1990s probably). I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a several years back. Since then, I have been occasionally posting the content here.

Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie who used to run the “Close Encounters” Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.

A description of this SIG was found in a document on one of the disks: “This SIG, known as ‘Close Encounters’, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.”

This service was text based and was accessed via whatever terminal program you used on your computer to dial in to Delphi’s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don’t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and probably wouldn’t be in such archives even if they existed.

This post includes the contents of DM0125.DOC. This file is dated September 2nd, 1985. This seems to be a file capture of a mail reading session. While the file is dates in September, the e-mails are dated in late January 1985. Most are requests to join a special interest group. One of them specifically mentions “Friendship Circle” but I suppose the others could be for that or for “Close Encounters” since “CABUYS” seems to have been the admin of both.

There’s also an e-mail from UAP0M about a monthly SIGOPs meeting. I’m not sure what the last e-mail is all about.

===
DM0125.DOC
===

read 2

                                                               
     MAIL #2

From:   UAP0M          24-JAN-1985 19:31  

To:     WES,DAN,CHUCKG,KIP,@SIGOPS

Subj:   SIGOP Conference reminder.





A quick reminder of the first monthly SIGOPs meeting this comin
g sSaturday

01/26/85 at 9:00 pm (ET) in group SIGOPS MEETING in DELPHI CONF
ERENCE.  The

passordword is: SGIS   Hope you all can make it.



  To JOIN a PASSWORD PROTECTED GROUP, do the following:



1)  Enter the DELPHI CONFERENCE SYSTEM

 

2)  issue the following command :  /PASS  SGIS



3)  Issue  ?/JOIN  SIGOPS MEETING  or /TALK  ,<3# assigned to grou
p>
MAIL> 

                                                               
     MAIL #3

From:   ARMIAS         25-JAN-1985 22:58  

To:     CABUYS

Subj:   PASSWORD



I would like to become a member of this great sig and receive a
ll the wonderfull

of the oard.





Thanks,

ARMIAS


MAIL> 

                                                               
     MAIL #4

From:   TEDDY          26-JAN-1985 01:37  

To:     CABUYS

Subj:   MEMBERSHIP



I am a new member of Delphi and would very much like to join th
e Friendship Circ

feel the group could be mutually beneficial.  I am free most ev
enings and weeken

Best,

Teddy


MAIL> 

                                                               
     MAIL #5

From:   DAVROS         26-JAN-1985 13:36  

To:     CABUYS

Subj:   HI AGAIN.



I haven't received your response to my note of last week.  I ju
st want

to reiterate my interest in your SIG.
MAIL> 

                                                               
     MAIL #6

From:   CSG01          26-JAN-1985 14:41  

To:     CABUYS



Like to join..Sarah..34..Single..

Send reply to CSG01..



Thanks..

Sarah..


MAIL> 

                                                               
     MAIL #7

From:   JSPLEAR        26-JAN-1985 14:50  

To:     CABUYS

Subj:   USER ACCESS



NEW USER NAME

DOUG CURTIS


MAIL> 

                                                               
     MAIL #8

From:   JSPLEAR        26-JAN-1985 15:20  

To:     CABUYS

Subj:   MAIL TO SIG MANAGER



?


MAIL> 

No more messages
MAIL> ^Z

(Back to Conference)

CONF>w

llist ist dm0126.mai


From:   ELLISCO        24-JAN-1985 21:08
To:     CABUYS
Subj:   Sympathy
 
Sorry  you are in such pain.  Best offer 
available is
a shoulder <it's soft and it's sanforized>.  I share your
 problem  
to a lesser degree <trear in corner of one eye>.  Have not heard
 of a cure
 for this affliction.  Perhaps you will win  a
lottery and be able to get lifetime access .  
Keep smiling
 something good will come of this .
Dick

WC>          

A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:

I found a number of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago (we are talking late 1990s probably). I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a several years back. Since then, I have been occasionally posting the content here.

Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie who used to run the “Close Encounters” Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.

A description of this SIG was found in a document on one of the disks: “This SIG, known as ‘Close Encounters’, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.”

This service was text based and was accessed via whatever terminal program you used on your computer to dial in to Delphi’s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don’t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and probably wouldn’t be in such archives even if they existed.

This post includes the contents of DM0123B.DOC. This file is dated September 2nd, 1985. It consists of a couple of e-mails from the same individual. While most of this Delphi stuff has been related to a Special Interest Group called ‘Close Encounters’, these e-mails seem to be in reference to another group called ‘Friendship Circle’. The e-mails themselves are dated January 23rd and January 24th, 1985.

===
DM0123B.DOC
===

                                                               
     MAIL #1

From:   SGOLDMAN       23-JAN-1985 23:57  

To:     CABUYS

Subj:   HOWDY



Hi! Would like to join friendship circle; I've been in similar 
groups on the PLA

ning in from

all across the country. Fora chat, a

mon-thru-thurs nite around 10pm wuld ve good

(wait, next week im in denver, so thats12mid nytime)

maybebest for you to offer a few times

in advance, and ill let you know what i

canmatch. thanks, im looking forward to

pparticipating...take care


MAIL> f
Filename: dm0123
MAIL> d
MAIL> 

                                                               
     MAIL #1

From:   SGOLDMAN       24-JAN-1985 00:22  

To:     CABUYS

Subj:   hello again



Well, it's a sammall world on this machine, it seems.

I talked with you briefly earlier thistonite,

then lokok

then looked at FSHIP circle for membership! To top it off,

i was in JAX Sun & Mon for the big chilll! Coiuld have done the 
membership interview by

phone even! I'm using a model 100 now---

any hints on using it with delphi. I'm? I'm

getting a garbled upload, but when i read

it back, say in mail, it is fine. Any suggestions? Hope you're 
staying warm...
MAIL> f
Filename: dm0123
MAIL> d
MAIL>