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Prodigy: The pre-Internet online service that didn???t live up to its name

But actually, realized that my first modem was a Vic300 with a Quantum-Link membership.

I think I recall being a Prodigy member for awhile there during some point in between. I was also one of the earliest AOL members... which I think was spawned from QuantumLink.

I never did CompuServe, though, and that is really the grand-daddy of 'em all, isn't it?

You are correct: AOL was spawned from QuantumLink, via Apple. Same company, of course; different specialized software.

I got into BBSs immediately after my exposure to CompuServe. At first that per-minute charge really rattled me, as it did many. It was easier to "pay" for BBS usage with file and document uploads. But yes, CompuServe was the first consumer online service. It went live earlier in 1979 than The Source.
--Mike

I still have an unopened Prodigy Membership kit at home on 5.25 disks. I wonder if it's worth anything?

as I type this on a Prodigy DSL connection from Telmex. And yes they still haven't learned. For example the contract prohibits using the service for VoIP. Not that I really care or can't obfuscate ports, but the principle stands. Block, limit and bill as much as possible.

Triple play is putting and end to previously draconian practices and poor service like slow ping rates for gaming.

We were in the unfortunate position of being at the tail end of a very old, overloaded phone system. My only real option at the time was dial-up. Compuserve was one of the first companies to offer service in my area. I made the mistake of signing up for a two year contract with Compuserve. This was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. It was virtually impossible to use and Compuserve refused to let you out of the contract. Those were the good old days.

I first started on a local BBS as well as on a Free-Net Community System. I was a member at one time of both Prodigy Interactive Service and Compuserve. Compuserve was more business oriented I thought. I liked the bulletin boards that Prodigy offered better. I was a member of Prodigy Internet (the ISP) for all years that it existed. I still have email addresses that are prodigy.net The Prodigy Internet name started to disappear when they became part of Ameritech/SBC. I was not happy when AT&T took over SBC operations though. I've had DSL for 6 years first with Earthlink for a year then Verizon for last 5 years I kept my dial up account because it was $9.95 a month, when I agreed to a a year contract, for unlimited use for multiple accounts. That amount stayed the same for seven years until AT&T took over and raised the rate to $15.95 a month. I keep it so that I can keep the multiple email addresses as well as the Yahoo Plus account for functions like Yahoo Music Launchcast Plus. It is still cheaper to pay that amount and have multiple plus accounts then to pay for it individually directly through Yahoo.

Without a doubt this is one of the most inaccurate articles written about Prodigy. Not only was the description of how the service worked inaccurate, but the reactions of the executives and the basis for the various pricing models were way off base. This article is fiction, not fact.

Didn't live up to the promise? The bottom line was that through Prodigy more than 4 million users were introduced to online services and ultimately to the Internet.

Prodigy might get a bad rap from people I spent hours on end in the Over 30 chat room and meet a lot of good people, even meet my current husband on a prodigy chat room Armydude...we have been together 15 years now BUT prodigy cost us a lot of money...I remember paying hundreds every month, but in the big picture It paid off I found my soulmate