CA> SM> I  read usenet conferences long before I had internet access
CA> SM> through  the  Cleveland  Freenet. Freenet carried usenet and
CA> SM> bitnet  conferences  a  long  time  ago.  I was underwhelmed
CA> SM> then, and remain so! 
CA> 
CA>     I  only wish Michigan was that progressive. I was impressed that
CA>     Ohio would do that for it's citizens. 

Freenet is a product of Case Western Reserve University, nothing to do 
with the state of Ohio.  It was "invented" by a psych prof, Tom 
Grundner, begun as a private method of the medical personell to keep in 
touch with one another.  A student hacked into it and asked a question. 
At that point, Tom decided to make it public, and it became the 
Cleveland Freenet.  A few years later, Tom bowed out of it, and CWRU 
continued it, and spread it's use around the country.  When it was a 
small local place, it was pretty well moderated, and there were, for the
most part, a friendly bunch of people messaging with each other.  But 
then CWRU stopped moderating it in any fashion, and brought in Usenet 
and Bitnet conferences.  I'd been an avid particpant of the Food area on
the local Freenet...so the first conference in Usenet I went to was a 
vegetarians echo....it was filled with "veggier than thou" people, and a
lot more flaming than recipes!

I continue to have an account on the Cleveland Freenet, and still 
receive email there, but I've given up my masochism, and no longer read 
the message areas!
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