This website runs on a Linux machine. Which is similar to but not the same as a unix machine.

   There are a lot of different methods to count the passage of time on a computer. One of the ways unix machines use starts counting (begins the epoch) on January 1, 1970. Many dates were not recorded on our old bbs software. The new bbs software displays these dates as occurring on Dec. 31, 1969. The day before the epoch started.

   A local computer company, DEC, used November 17, 1858 (from Ephemeris time) in VMS to start the epoch. The original Macintoshes used January 1, 1904.

   The network that evolved into the Internet called Arpanet began in the 1960s. I believe CompuServe started in 1969. CompuServe was the AOL until AOL started giving away millions of CDs.


      Paul