History of Web Conferencing - Multi - function Conferencing Comes of Age (part 1)

While video conferencing and web conferencing are sometimes confused, the reality is that web conferencing is a completely different animal, with far more options available and a much greater range of functionality than video conferencing. Web conferencing offers not just the opportunity to chat and communicate via webcam so that you can see each person in your conferencing link, but to exchange documents, share applications, access shared desktops, use PowerPoint, whiteboards and other presentation features and even poll participants.

It all started with PLATO…

Web conferencing is “the total package.” Interestingly, the conceptual design of web conferencing began long before there was a World Wide Web or Internet structure in place. In the 1960’s, the University of Illinois developed a system known as PLATO for their Computer-based Education Research Laboratory (CERL). It was a small, self-contained system supporting a single classroom of terminals connected to one mainframe computer. In 1972, PLATO was moved to a new system of mainframes that eventually supported over one thousand users at a time.

In 1973, Talkomatic was developed by Doug Brown. This was essentially the first “instant messaging” program ever designed, with multiple windows displaying typed notes in real time for several users simultaneously. In 1974, Kim Mast developed Personal Notes, a new feature for PLATO that enabled private mail for users.

In 1975, Control Data Corporation set up its own PLATO system in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the first commercial use of multi-function conferencing system. Within ten years, PLATO was being used in over one hundred sites around the world, some with dedicated lines for full-time use.

In the late 1980’s, however, microcomputers were becoming more reasonably priced and the heyday of mainframe-based systems was over. Eventually the original Control Data systems were shut down because PLATO was no longer cost-effective. Control Data now has a few systems operating under the name CYBIS.