The origin of Hypography

[Roadam]

What is the history of this site? Or maybe there are posts about this already?

[ronthepon]

Hey, good question! It'll be nice to find out.

[TheBigDog]

Gather round my children, and let me tell the tale of Hypography...

 

Long ago, in an ancient time, computers were the tool of rich and the powerful Geek gods. The richest and most powerful of the Geek gods was Bill Gates, who sat on his throne high upon Mt Redmond.

 

From his throne he crushed the other Geek Gods, one at a time. Apple, Amiga, Atari, Commadore, Pet, Texas Instruments... One by one they dies, complied or fell to obscurity. And he soon controlled all of the cyber world.

 

But he was not a beloved God. There was dissatisfaction among his user community. But they had no way of bypassing the iron grip of the Geek God Gates.

 

Then one day, there came a new force. To the world cam a force that would be the great equalizer. The Internet. The Internet was a strange concept that allowed the free exchange of data over new standard protocols. Standard protocols that were not controlled by the Geek God Gates. And from this open exchange began to rise the revolution.

 

But the Geek God Gates would not go down easily. In business deals and in courts and in laboratories he battled to retain control of the cyber world. Consigned to the fact that he could not be the Internet, he decided to be the doorway to the Internet instead.

 

But still there was dissatisfaction among the user community. And the dissatisfaction lead to innovation. Among the rabble of common men who had lived under the oppressive heal of the Geek Gods was a brash young man from Oslo. He had a curious mind, and a hunger for knowledge. And he knew that elsewhere in the world there were others like himself. Other minds interested in science, and the wonders of the universe, eager to discuss theri ideas with kindred spirites.

 

And the brash young man from Olso obtained a server, and thumbing his nose at the allmighty Geek God Gates, he installed Linex on that server, and he started a website.

 

Soon he had a small group of equally bright and curious individuals logging into his site. Some came and went. Some stayed to exchange ideas. While others stuck around and put their heart and sole into building that small site up into something bigger - building into the common dream that they all shared. And this common dream came from the inspired genious of that single individual. That one man who would one day ascend into the common venacular of all mankind. The man known as the Geek God Guldov (LMHP).

 

Vive Tormod! Vive Hypography!

 

Your humble and obidient - TheBigDog

[Tormod]

Some of the facts need clarification.

 

Long ago, in an ancient time, computers were the tool of rich and the powerful Geek gods.

 

That would be 1999.

 

And the brash young man from Olso obtained a server, and thumbing his nose at the allmighty Geek God Gates, he installed Linex on that server, and he started a website.

 

Close. The sad fact is that we were on Windows servers until May last year. :shrug:

 

Soon he had a small group of equally bright and curious individuals logging into his site.

 

This chapter should read "brighter and even more curious"... :)

[Mercedes Benzene]

Beautiful story BigDog!!:shrug:

[Loftus]

Sounds like an enthralling story, and well done for doing so, this is a great forum for the sharing of knowledge. .B)

[ronthepon]

I could say that it's the method of the story said, more than the story... but hey, everything has some history!

[hallenrm]

While we are at it, a few questions:)

 

Is Tormod the first enterpreneur to thinj of this idea? Are there any venture capitalists involved?

 

Who was the person who introduced such bulletin boards, Is Hypography the first such forum in history? If not, which one was the first?

 

Is Hypography a democratic institution?:shrug:

 

:shrug: :Waldo:

[Tormod]

Is Tormod the first enterpreneur to thinj of this idea?

 

I have no clue, but the word "hypography" was coined by me and is even trademarked (if I had *any* idea how much that cost, I would never have done it). :hihi:

 

It was trademarked in Norway in 1999, and in the US in 2003 (filed in 2001 - the process took almost three years).

 

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=9ps06e.2.1

 

Are there any venture capitalists involved?

 

No.

 

Who was the person who introduced such bulletin boards, Is Hypography the first such forum in history? If not, which one was the first?

 

I doubt that it was a first of any kind, although when Hypography.com was launched on May 17, 2000, it did have one of the largest reviewed science links collection. The forums were not launched until February 2002.

 

Is Hypography a democratic institution?;)

 

Not really - it is a private website that has grown into a large community. That community has a leadership (the admins, mods, jmods etc) and uses a democratic process but at the end of the day the site belongs to me.

[ronthepon]

Tell us more, Tormod, what brought to start it?

 

What did you first wish to make out of it? Did it turn out exactly so?

 

How does it make you?

 

How do you feel, seeing just what kind of a success its becoming?

 

Will it be theoretically possible for anyone to become the top poster oter than you?

[Tormod]

Tell us more, Tormod, what brought to start it?

 

I had been working as a web designer and consultant for a few years, and had developed my own content management system (everyone did in those days). I wanted to use it for something useful apart from selling it to clients, and I had a pet project growing in my mind. I wanted to create a site about science, with reviewed science links and short articles about science topics, and that was what Hypography was all about in the first year or so.

 

What did you first wish to make out of it? Did it turn out exactly so?

 

I had absolutely no plans for it. At the time (late 1999, early 2000) a lot of websites were selling for big bucks so I had an idea in the back of my head that one day maybe someone would be interested in buying a science portal. I even had a team of investors looking at it but they figured it was too small (and it probably was, too). But when I added the forums things took a different turn than expected and a lot of helpful people joined the team. So I can honestly say I had no idea what Hypography would become...and I still don't know what it will become in the next few years.

 

How does it make you?

 

I don't understand this question, sorry. :naughty:

 

How do you feel, seeing just what kind of a success its becoming?

 

Well, sometimes I have to pinch my arm. It is fantastic to see it grow, although the amount of traffic we get is not really increasing. It is rather the members that are much more enthusiastic than before. I think the community that has formed here is pretty unique and there was no way for me to foresee that. It feels great to know that I took the initiative to something like this, but the honor and glory really belongs to each and every member who has done his or her bit to make our site what it is.

 

Also, Hypography is not unique in form - there are many science forums around - but we are unique in the overall membership constitution. I also believe that we are unique in that our mods and admins work hard to set limits for what we actually accept - we try to be a forum about science and not a forum for "all things that may be perceived as science". Some people think that's good, some think it's bad, but it makes Hypography what it is.

 

Will it be theoretically possible for anyone to become the top poster oter than you?

 

Orbsycli was on his way, and some other members are getting there. I will have to reduce my posting in the next few months due to real life demands so maybe I will be left behind soon. :doh:

[Jay-qu]

I very much doubt that :naughty: it would take one hell of a year long padding session

[Tormod]

Padding? :naughty:

[Jay-qu]

post padding or post padding? :D