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PlayNet (or PlayNET) was a U.S. online service for Commodore 64 personal computers that operated from 1984 to 1987. It was operated by the PlayNet, Inc of Troy, New York. ==History== PlayNet was founded 〔"On the Way to the Web: The Secret History of the Internet and Its Founders", by Michael A. Banks, 2008, pages 91, 189.〕 in 1983 by two former GE Global Research employees, Dave Panzl and Howard Goldberg,〔Early news story about PlayNET: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_yfq1CLwY〕 as the first person-to-person, online communication and game network to feature home computer based graphics. The PlayNet software became the foundation for the first version of what is today America Online. The founders launched the business initially with their own money. They then raised over $2.5 million from a variety of investors, including the venture capital funds of the Town of North Greenbush NY, Key Bank, Alan Patricof & Associates, and the New York State Science and Technology Foundation, and a group of individual investors through a limited R&D partnership led by (McGinn Smith ). In 1985 PlayNet licensed 〔AOL history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL〕 their system to Control Video Corporation (CVC, later renamed Quantum Computer Services), which in October 1991 changed its name to America Online. The modified version of the PlayNet software (Quantum Link or Q-Link) was ported by Quantum to the PC to create the first version of the AOL software. As recently as 2005, some aspects of the original PlayNet communication protocols still appeared to be used by AOL. The PlayNet offices were initially located in the J Building on Peoples Avenue in Troy, NY part of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute incubator program. It subsequently moved to RPI's Technology Park in North Greenbush NY. At its peak, PlayNet employed 30 people including software developers, customer service staff, etc. The maximum number of subscribers was approximately 3000, with up to around 200 logged in at a time. PlayNet declared bankruptcy in February, 1986 and ceased operations in 1988 after Quantum stopped paying royalties. The service had two membership options, an $8/month service charge plus $2.75/hour connect time charge, or no service charge and $3.75 per hour connection charge. File downloads were charged a flat rate of $0.50 each() 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「PlayNET」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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