ClariNet
ClariNet Communications Corp was an online newspaper service delivered over the internet. It was founded in 1989 in Waterloo, Ontario by Brad Templeton.
ClariNet delivered traditional newspaper and magazine content using Usenet newsgroup technology,
existing as a proprietary newsgroup hierarchy independent to the Big 8 hierarchies.
News was delivered over the internet using NNTP as well as UUCP.
Founding
In the late 1980s, the Internet in the United States consisted of a variety of regional hubs
connected by the NSFNet. Overtly commercial traffic was not permitted due to the
Acceptable Use Policy. Templeton reports convincing
Stephen Wolff, director of NSFNet, that a news service sold to universities and research labs
on the internet for use in research and education would not violate the AUP, even though it was
a for-profit effort.
It has some claimDavid Coursey, [https://www.pcworld.com/article/166302/20_years_of_dot_com_era.html "20 Years Ago Today: Birth of the Dot-Com Era"], PC World, June 08, 2009Philip Baczewski, [https://books.google.com/books?id=BVXbAAAAMAAJ&q=clarinet+communications "The Internet Unleashed"], 1994 to being the earliest company created to use the internet as a business platform, commonly known as a dot-com company.
The initial announcement of a for-profit internet-based business was announced in June 1989
generated significant controversy[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/news.admin/r53GDlfyUro "news.admin USNET thread"], June 1989
with some expressing fear of a destruction of the non-profit culture of the network.
The first subscribing customer was Stanford University.
Business
ClariNet began publishing the news of UPI and Newsbytes and other typical newspaper wire sources.
It also included material form newspaper syndicates, such as the popular Dave Barry column and
the first internet based comic strips, including Dilbert by Scott Adams.
The 'Street Price Report' published a database of advertised prices for computer products in
magazines, presaging the creation of Comparison shopping websites later in the decade.
In 1994 ClariNet switched from UPI to the Associated Press and Reuters.
Other services added included the Commerce Business Daily, PR Newswire and Business Wire
ClariNet grew quickly for the pre-dot-com-boom era, and was the highest ranked dot-com company
on the 1996 Inc. Magazine 500.[https://www.inc.com/magazine/19971015/1486.html "A collection of 24 short articles about companies from the 1997 Inc. 500."] Inc. Magazine, October 15, 1997[https://www.inc.com/magazine/19971015/1487.html "The fastest-growing private companies in America in 1997, arranged alphabetically."] Inc. Magazine, October 15, 1997
ClariNet sold site-wide subscriptions. At the time of its acquisition by Individual, Inc.
in 1997 it reported 1.5 million paying subscribers.Reuters, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-17-fi-4245-story.html "Individual Inc. Will Buy ClariNet"] Los Angeles Times, June 17, 1997
Free speech
ClariNet was a plaintiff/appellant in the United States Supreme Court
case Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union. ClariNet's CEO testified that the
Communications Decency Act created a chilling effect for online publishers.[https://www.epic.org/free_speech/censorship/lawsuit/complaint.html UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA], Civ. No. 96-963, February 8, 1996 The appellants
prevailed 9-0 and the decency sections were struck down.
Science fiction eBooks
In 1992 ClariNet announced a subscription "all you can read" book service for Science Fiction readers
called the "Library of Tomorrow."Tom Easton, [http://www.jandtbooks.com/2018/07/11/heres-something-new-a-collection-of-toms-e-book-reviews/ "HERE’S SOMETHING NEW: A COLLECTION OF TOM’S E-BOOK REVIEWS!"], July 11, 2018F. Paul Wilson, [https://www.informationweek.com/e-publishing-part-1-in-the-beginning/d/d-id/1102367 "E-Publishing, Part 1: In The Beginning"], Information Week, January 19, 2012 In 1993,
it published, in coordination with the Science Fiction Hugo Awards an E-book anthology
containing all the nominees for the 1993 Hugo Award, presented at the
51st World Science Fiction Convention in San Francisco. The anthology also contained all
Nebula Award short fiction nominees for that year. With 5 full novels (most still only available
in hardcover) ClariNet claimed this was the largest anthology or e-Book of current fiction published
under one cover. It also featured a hypertext version of A Fire Upon the Deep, the to-be-Hugo-winning
novel by Vernor Vinge.Jason W Ellis, [https://dynamicsubspace.net/2013/01/26/hugo-and-nebula-anthology-2013-cd-rom-source-for-new-project/ "Hugo and Nebula Anthology 2013, CD-ROM Source for New Project"], January 26, 2013
The anthology was available for download over the internet, and on CD-ROM. In particular,
it was made available to voters in the Hugo awards to allow them to read the works in time to vote on
them for the award. The publication of such a "Hugo Packet" became a common practice in later years.
Alumni
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.clari.net] - Remnant page
- [http://www.netfunny.com/hugo.html] - Product page for Hugo anthology
- [http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/rhfclari.html] - Account by Templeton of how the rec.humor.funny newsgroup led to the creation of ClariNet
Category:Internet properties established in 1989
Category:Canadian news websites
Category:1989 establishments in Ontario