Very similar to today's online forums like Craigslist, Reddit, and more, Usenet was the first communication platform to allow users to discuss topics like pop culture, emerging software and technology, politics, science, philosophy, and much more in text forums with others across the globe.Īlthough Usenet itself could have been the foundation for the modern Internet, it was slightly too difficult to access and navigate when it was first created, which made it much less well known than the Arpanet-Internet system. It became popular on university campuses and technical companies as early Usenet users were, for the first time, allowed to privately discuss a broad range of ideas and topics with peers who were far away.

By using two UNIX computers running the Unix to Unix Copy (UUCP) protocol, the students successfully exchanged data between the two campuses and Usenet was brought to life. Beginning as a communication network of text files between universities in the late 1970s before the World Wide Web was even established, Usenet, or 'Unix Users Network', was created as a secure way to exchange information over long distances quickly.Īn alternative to the United States military-controlled Arpanet system - which eventually became the foundation for today's Internet - Usenet was built by Duke University students Jim Ellis and Tom Truscott, and their University of North Carolina peer, Steve Bellovin.

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