Before instant messaging and Zoom calls, two-way digital communication was nearly unheard of. Back in 1971, physicist Dr. Murray Turoff envisioned transforming computers into platforms for group conversation spanning long distances. His creation, EMISARI, introduced not only the pioneering first chat software, but a host of collaboration tools that would take decades to reemerge in today‘s conferencing applications.
Let‘s step back in time to explore the monumental innovation that was online chatting‘s humble beginning…
Setting the Stage: Early Computer Conferencing Concepts
Well before the internet‘s inception, visionaries dreamed of using network technology to enable real-time communication between remote users. As far back as the 1960s, researchers outlined ideas for "computer conferencing" but practical systems remained elusive.
Murray Turoff was at the forefront of turning the vision into reality. Having earned a PhD in particle physics, he brought an engineering mindset as he tackled the challenge of expanding computers beyond number-crunching to facilitating human connections.
His pioneering development of the EMISARI emergency management system for government crisis coordination contained his most lasting breakthrough – a fully functional online chat module dubbed the "Party Line."
Inside the EMISARI "Party Line" Chat Room
Let‘s step inside this state-of-art chat software in 1971 together! After connecting via your terminal‘s dial-up modem, you select the Party Line module from the EMISARI menu. A list of currently active users pops up – over 300 experts from around the country here to discuss emergency policy strategy.
As newcomers join or existing participants sign off, alerts notify the group of each change. To start a conversation, simply type your thoughts and questions. They immediately display to all users chronologically like a long virtual telegram.
You‘re amazed to receive multiple rapid responses and reactions to the issues raised. It feels like debates with CB radio friends but even more direct and efficient at scale. Hours fly by immersed in this novel group discussion space!
Why It Worked: Multiprocessing Power Unlocks Interactivity
Such seamless real-time conversational flow would be difficult to achieve in 1971 without a technological breakthrough underlying the software. Here‘s where EMISARI‘s deployment on a UNIVAC 1108 mainframe was crucial.
The Univac came equipped with the new EXEC VIII multiprocessing operating system. This let Turoff have separate programs handle tasks like managing the participant list, transmitting new messages, and displaying updates – concurrently on different processors!
The responsiveness unlocked by parallel processes finally crossed the threshold for users to feel fully immersed in fluid group exchange without frustrating lag. The Party Line experience felt magical, far surpassing prior limitations on computer-based interaction speed.
| System | Max Chat Participants | Multiprocessing | Real-Time Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMISARI | 300+ | ✅ | ✅ |
| PLATO Notes | 2 | ❌ | ❌ |
EMISARI‘s Pioneering Presence Still Felt Today
While consumer chat tools like AIM came decades later, EMISARI‘s Party Line stands as the definitive trailblazer proving out core real-time conversation functionality. Even more remarkably, the system‘s abilities went far beyond just messaging:
- Built-in real-time polling & surveys
- Data collection assignment with automatic aggregation
- Discussion threads linked to reports and response topics
- Archived records of all interactions for reference
These features remain incredibly progressive even measured against modern conferencing apps. Over 35 years of further advances have yet to reproduce EMISARI‘s uniquely extensive capabilities!
The Lasting Legacy of a Chat Visionary
Dr. Murray Turoff‘s pioneering work made group messaging via computers an instant success – and that was just the start! EMISARI brought countless subsequent innovations in collaborative applications by showcasing what was possible with the emerging technology foundations.
Over 50 years later, it‘s commonplace to gather friends far and wide around virtual chat rooms thanks to modern networks. And if one traces the concepts all the way back to their origin, there stands EMISARI at the headwaters of an idea torrent that forever reshaped communication.
