Karl Eisenhower writes "First Class: First Class was the first GUI BBS software that approached the refinement of AOL. Unlike clunky software that relied on the RIP protocol (like Excalibur), First Class had a full-blown graphical client that looked clean and functioned smoothly. It started out as a Macintosh-only product in 1993 or 1994, but soon added a Windows client. I don't think they ever made a non-Mac server, though. The software was developed by a Toronto-based company whose name escapes me at the moment."

"The software worked so well that a startup in Springfield, Virginia called "DigitalNation" hoped to use it to build an AOL competitor, and until the Web took hold, they seemed to be building a significant customer base for their First Class-based online service/community. DigitalNation morphed into a Web hosting outfit that is now part of NTT/Verio. My guess is that if you talk to the "dedicated hosting" group at NTT/Verio, you'll be able to track down the principals of DigitalNation to find out more about their business."