The Pipeline
Encyclopedia
The Pipeline was one of the earliest American
Internet service providers. It was founded in December 1993 in New York City
by the science and technology writer James Gleick
and computer programmer Uday Ivatury, who had met at the Manhattan Bridge Club and shared an interest in online bridge
. Both men believed that a graphical user interface would make the Internet
more widely accessible than the command-line Unix
commands that were then generally necessary.
When the Pipeline was established, the major online services
of the day—America Online
, CompuServe
, and Prodigy—provided their users with no access or very limited access to the internet. Many users welcomed Pipeline as "AOL for the Internet". The software was distributed in the then-popular Book + CD format.
The Pipeline was noted for its point-and-click
user interface, which made e-mail, chat, Usenet
, the World Wide Web
, FTP, and other Internet features easily accessible to users. Gleick and Ivatury licensed the Pipeline software through InterCon Systems Corporation
to more than 15 other Internet service providers, including Ireland On-Line
and Caltech.
The Pipeline was purchased in February 1995 by PSINet
, which expanded Pipeline service nationwide. Another feature introduced by PSInet was flat pricing for unlimited Internet usage.
In July 1996, PSINet sold its consumer Internet operations, including the Pipeline, to MindSpring
. MindSpring discontinued the use of the Pipeline brand, although former Pipeline customers could continue to use their e-mail addresses in the Pipeline domain
. Three years later, MindSpring merged with EarthLink
. Earthlink, too, allows former Pipeline customers to use their Pipeline e-mail addresses.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Internet service providers. It was founded in December 1993 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by the science and technology writer James Gleick
James Gleick
James Gleick is an American author, journalist, and biographer, whose books explore the cultural ramifications of science and technology...
and computer programmer Uday Ivatury, who had met at the Manhattan Bridge Club and shared an interest in online bridge
Duplicate bridge
Duplicate bridge is the most widely used variation of contract bridge in club and tournament play. It is called duplicate because the same bridge deal is played at each table and scoring is based on relative performance...
. Both men believed that a graphical user interface would make the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
more widely accessible than the command-line Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
commands that were then generally necessary.
When the Pipeline was established, the major online services
Online service provider
An online service provider can for example be an internet service provider, email provider, news provider , entertainment provider , search, e-shopping site , e-finance or e-banking site, e-health site, e-government site, Wikipedia, Usenet...
of the day—America Online
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
, CompuServe
CompuServe
CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
, and Prodigy—provided their users with no access or very limited access to the internet. Many users welcomed Pipeline as "AOL for the Internet". The software was distributed in the then-popular Book + CD format.
The Pipeline was noted for its point-and-click
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
user interface, which made e-mail, chat, Usenet
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
, the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, FTP, and other Internet features easily accessible to users. Gleick and Ivatury licensed the Pipeline software through InterCon Systems Corporation
InterCon Systems Corporation
InterCon Systems Corporation was founded in April 1988 by Kurt D. Baumann and Mikki Barry to produce software to connect Macintosh computers to other computers. At the time, there was no real concept of the Internet and there was still a question of whether the TCP/IP protocols or OSI protocols...
to more than 15 other Internet service providers, including Ireland On-Line
Ireland On-Line
Ireland On-Line is a large ISP in the Republic of Ireland, and is owned by BT Ireland. The largest internet service in Ireland is eircom. It was the first commercial internet service provider in the state. The company is one of Ireland's largest ISPs and offers email in addition to other Internet...
and Caltech.
The Pipeline was purchased in February 1995 by PSINet
PSINet
PSINet was one of the first internet service providers , based in Northern Virginia, and a major player in the commercialization of the Internet until the company's bankruptcy in 2001 during the dot-com bubble and acquisition by Cogent Communications in 2002.-Growth:PSINet was founded in 1989 by...
, which expanded Pipeline service nationwide. Another feature introduced by PSInet was flat pricing for unlimited Internet usage.
In July 1996, PSINet sold its consumer Internet operations, including the Pipeline, to MindSpring
MindSpring
MindSpring Enterprise was a major Internet service provider headquartered in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. Mindspring merged with EarthLink on February 4, 2000, with the company retaining the EarthLink name...
. MindSpring discontinued the use of the Pipeline brand, although former Pipeline customers could continue to use their e-mail addresses in the Pipeline domain
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
. Three years later, MindSpring merged with EarthLink
EarthLink
EarthLink , is an Internet service provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It claims 1.94 million subscribers.- Business :EarthLink provides a variety of Internet connection types, including dial-up, DSL, satellite, and cable. Both dial-up and high speed Internet access are available...
. Earthlink, too, allows former Pipeline customers to use their Pipeline e-mail addresses.