CompuServe, Rebuilt

Software
1

CompuServe, Rebuilt

This is a working recreation of CompuServe from the 1980s era written in Pascal using historical content (manuals, images for CB Simulator) located on various websites. You dial-in with your web browser and connect to the service.

I started using CompuServe in the early 80s when I was 13 years old on my Commodore VIC-20 with the Data 20 Z80 Video Pak running CP/M which I purchased with my paper route. I spent a lot of time on the CB Simulator and in forums learning how to code using Turbo Pascal. I also used it for email with my brother-in-law who contracted with Honeywell at the time. I spent a lot of time online learning. CompuServe was my library and I loved being connected, until the bill racked up. So, I switched to TAPCIS. I still remember my User ID after all these years.

I started to rebuild this from my wife wanting her own site like craigslist to sell stuff on, so I built the backend database and started front end editing in a console and realized this was similar to CompuServe and so it began. I worked on this project on and off in my spare time, which I did not have a lot of time with a family and a full-time job, so it has taken many years. Recently, I was having trouble with multi-session threading in my code and used Claude-AI to assist with some of those parts to get this project up and running.

There are some pages that are empty still because they require content that doesn’t exist any longer. Many CompuServe pages were other companies’ databases, airline schedules, stock quotes and the encyclopedia. Those companies and their feeds are long gone, so there’s nothing left to show. Currently, the working parts are CB, Forums, News, Weather, EasyPlex, File Areas and some basic strategy games from the terminal days mostly from CP/M Turbo Pascal days.

I hope that users who connect can see the way things were before the web and get a sense of what it was like back then. I always tell my kids that I didn’t have the internet when I was growing up, we had CompuServe. What’s that, Dad?

DIAL-IN:
Log on with the sign‑up account below. Accounts are manually approved so it may take some time get your ID issued.

User ID: 70006,1011
Password: SIGNUP*NOW

Screenshot 2026-09-15 203314
Screenshot 2026-09-15 203314613Ă—449 8.76 KB

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Always nice to see something to dial in to - are you planning to make it telnet-able so we can login with our old terminals/computers?

I did use Compuserve a bit BITD but I remember it being a bit pricey in the UK, I probably caned my father’s work account before having it taken away! I can’t remember the details.

D

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Hi Dominic,

I could build in a telnet port to access but unlike the version from 1980s, I have put a lot of security on this to keep everyone’s information safe. This was built with secure windows sockets from the server to the browser terminal. I have also put in password hashing, encryption for all user data and mail messages on the back end in the database. I can build it but all your data would be in clear text, no encryption. What terminals/computers? With some kind of pseudo modem that connects to the internet? I am not familiar with the internet modems these days since I sold my VIC20 many years ago. You would connect via node[.]compuserveweb[.]com:23 . Would that work and the terminal would have to support 80-columns otherwise it will wrap to 2 lines on the screen.

Thanks,

Gary-

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Telnet is now active: node.compuserveweb.com port 23.

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Sorry for the delay in replying - I’ll try this later. I tend to open a telnet session on my Windows/Linux machine with the input/output redirected to the serial port - which has a BBC Micro or similar on the other end. I really should look into getting a wifi modem thing. I don’t know if there’s a secure telnet?

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