Randy Suessmetz Yorktimes and his friend invented the computer bulletin board in 1978, which served as a foundation to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
Who is Randy?
In advance of the development of the internet, messaging services, and social media, computer hobbyist Randy Suess assisted in creating the first online bulletin board. Randy Suess passed away at the age of 74 on December 10 in Chicago.
Early life
On January 27, 1945, Randy John Suess was born in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago that is roughly 15 miles away. His mother, Ruth (Duppenthaler) Suess, was a nurse, while his father, Miland, worked as a police officer in the nearby Lincolnwood.
Career
During his time in the Navy, he enrolled at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. Suess had positions at Zenith and IBM.In the summer of 1975, he joined the brand new Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists’ Exchange. It was one of the many DIY computer clubs that were springing up across the nation.
Family
Randy married to Agnes Kluck and Dawn Hendricks but relationship ended up wth divorce.Randy has three children one son two daughters “Karrie and Christine”.
Famous For
The Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists’ Exchange, or CACHE, was an early home computer group that Mr. Suess (whose name rhymes with “loose”) belonged to.
What problem he identify and solved
Suess assembled the CBBS supporting hardware, while Christensen created the software that launched whenever a call was placed. Because to the fact that anyone in Chicago may contact Suess’ home in the Wrigleyville neighbourhood without incurring long-distance fees, Suess also hosted CBBS. When they finally discontinued the system in the 1980s, its lone phone line had fielded over 500,000 calls. As of August 2020, there is still at least one functioning CBBS system.
Suess also operated amateur radio stations in the 1970s with the callsign WB9GPM.Randy suessmetz yorktimes was a committed member of the Chicago FM Club, where he assisted with upkeep of their huge radio repeater network.
in-depth his main focus project
With a focus on distributed computing, data management, and network security, Randy’s work has been on the design and implementation of large scale systems and networks.
In late January 1978, the concept for “BBS” emerged. On that day, the Great Lakes region saw a particularly intense snowstorm, and Susse’s home of Chicago was covered by almost one metre of snow. While speaking to Christensen over the phone, Susse, who has been unable to leave the house due to the snow, devises a mechanism that enables anyone to quickly exchange thoughts. Mr. Kristen attempted to create with CACHE members because he believed it would be a large project, but Mr. Susse stated, “I can only pull my feet, so let’s do it with two people.”
Randy Sussmetz’s Innovative Hardware Work for CBBS
Sussmetz worked on the hardware for CBBS. A Computer known as S-100 was equipped with a modem that can transmit and receive data over a telephone line. Christensen recalls that “Randy built the system from basically nothing” in reference to Mr. Randy, who constructed a machine for CBBS from ready-made components. It’s similar to creating a machine out of chewing gum and packing straps.
Randy constructed the CBBS, a piece of Christensen’s programme that loads data each time a user phones in, two weeks after the project’s beginning. The CACHE members in Chicago would have had to pay long distance calls each time they utilised the system if Christensen, a resident of Dalton, southern Illinois, had been the host, but Randy took over and CBBS began. Sussmetz’s line saw a total of 500,000 accesses between the beginning of the CBBS in 1978 and the abolishment in the 1980s.
Later, Susse created a network known as the “Chinet (Chicago Network),” which can link to the Internet via 22 telephone lines and satellite radio, and made it available to the entire world in addition to Chicago. Jason Scott, a network history expert, claimed that the CBBS and Chinet were the forerunners of social media services since they attracted word-of-mouth aficionados and developed into real-time chat rooms and online games. Global services like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have since appeared, but their fundamental ideas are no different from those of Randy’s system; at most, they are a little more advanced.
Life Achievements
- For creating the first BBS, Suess and Christensen were given the Dvorak Telecommunications Excellence Prize in 1992.
- Suess and Christensen both appeared in the May 2005 documentary BBS: The Documentary.
Final Words
Randy suessmetz yorktimes was one of the co founder of CBBS bulletin board, the first online bulletin board system.You can even still access one of the version of CBBS from any device like Laptop, Smartphones.
