Online service provider

An online service provider, in modern usage refers to an entity which provides a service online. It can include internet service providers and web sites, such as the Wikipedia or message board operators. In it's original more limited definition it referred only to a commercial computer communication service in which paid members could dial via a computer modem the service's private computer network and access various services and information resources such a bulletin boards, downloadable files and programs, news articles, chat rooms, and electronic mail services. The term "online service" was also used in references to these dial-up services. The traditional dial-up online service differed from the from the modern Internet service provider in that they provided a large degree of content that was only accessible by those who subscribed to the online service, while ISP mostly serves to provide access the the internet and generally provides little if any exclusive content of it's own. In the U.S., the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act (OCILLA) portion of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act has expanded the legal definition of online service in two different ways for different portions of the law. It states:

  • (A) As used in subsection (a), the term service provider means an entity offering the transmission, routing, or providing of connections for digital online communications, between or among points specified by a user, of material of the user's choosing, without modification to the content of the material as sent or received.
  • (B) As used in this section, other than subsection (a), the term service provider means a provider of online services or network access, or the operator of facilities therefor, and includes an entity described in subparagraph (A).

These broad definitions make it possible for a large number of web businesses to benefit from the OCILLA.

History

The first online services came about in the early 1980’s. Compuserve is considered the first major commercial online service. Utilizing a text-based interface, it allowed anyone with terminal program the opportunity to access their services. Members were charged a per-hour fee for access. Others text-based online services followed such as Delphi online service, and GEnie.

As the use of computers with GUI operating systems installed increased, such the Apple Macintosh and MicroSoft Windows PC’s, text-only online services where becoming outdated. Subsequently services such as Compuserve began to also offer a GUI-based program for accessing it’s service. Early versions provided a simplistic GUI, though they continued to offer text-based access for those who needed or wanted it. At the same time GUI-only online services such as Prodigy, and AOL.sprang up. Apple computer would also join the fray, first with Applelink, which was targeted mostly at Apple dealers, developers, and Mac computer consultants. Later, Apple offered the short lived e-World, targeted at Mac consumers.

Starting in the early 1990’s, the internet, which had previously been limited largely to government, academic, and corporate settings was opened up to the general public. The invention of the world-wide-web in 1993 helped to spur development of the internet as an information and communication resource for consumers and businesses. Popular online services such as Compuserve, AOL, and Prodigy began adding access to internet services on the side, such as e-mail, usenet newsgroups, ftp access, and the world-wide-web. At first, these online services continued to offer a great deal of content available to their members only but as the world-wide-web gained in popularity many of these online services began offering less and less of their own content and instead relying on various web sites to serve as a substitute for content they had previously offered. This eventually led many online services to largely cease being online services in the traditional sense and become more like their internet service providers counterparts. As internet became popular, many ISP’s began offering flat fee unlimited access plans. This forced online services that had been charging by the hour to also offer flat fee unlimited access plans to compete.

Online service Interfaces

The first online service utilized a simple text based interface in which content was largely text only and users made choices via a command prompt. This allowed just about any computer with a modem and terminal communications program the ability to access these text-based online services. Compuserve would later offer, with the advent of the Apple Macintosh and MS Windows-based PC’s, a GUI interface program for their service. This provided a very rudimentary GUI interface. Compuserve continued to offer text only access for those needing it. Online services like Prodigy and AOL would develop their online service around a GUI and thus unlike CompuServe's early GUI-based software, these services provided a more robust GUi interface. Early GUI-based online service interfaces offered little in the way of detailed graphics such as photographs or pictures. Largely they where limited to simple icons and buttons and text. As modem speeds increased it became more feasible to offer images and other more complicated graphics to users thus providing a nicer look to their services.

Common resources provided by online services

Some of the resources and services online services have provided access to include message boards, chat services, electronic mail between members and sometimes other online services, file download services, current news and weather, online encyclopedia, airline reservations, and text-based online games. major online service providers like Compuserve also served as a way for software and hardware manufacturers to provide online support for their products via forums and file download areas within the online service provider's network. Prior to the invention of the world-wide-web, such support either had to be done via a private BBS system run by the company or via online services or both.

See also: Online service provider law

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