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AMIS BBS is released (observed)

JohnPolka
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This event began 06/01/2019 and repeats every year forever

AMIS stands for Atari Message Information System. It's one of the earliest bulletin board programs for the Atari (8-bit) computer. 

 

The exact release date of AMIS is unknown, however, the June 1982 issue of Antic Magazine (Volume 1, number 2, page 25) reports that the Michigan Atari Computer Enthusiasts (MACE) have developed a bulletin board program for the Atari (8-bit) computer. Antic also mentions that its staff is helping MACE improve and distribute the BBS program to other Atari Users Groups. The BBS software is unnamed in this issue of Antic, however, it is probably an early version of the AMIS BBS software.

Antic does not mention the BBS again until its May 1983 (volume 2, number 2, page 92) issue. By May 1983, the program is called AMIS and Antic notes that it is the most popular Atari BBS program at that time. It is also a public domain program that was frequently modified. In some cases, it served as the basis of other BBS programs.


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Additional information on AMIS (or A.M.I.S.) is in the Atari 8-bit Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Michael Current (section 8.16 "What programs can I use to host a BBS on the Atari?"). The FAQ states that "[d]evelopment and testing [of A.M.I.S.] started in late 1981...." MACE would use A.M.I.S. to host the first 24 hours per day Atari BBS in February 1982. This confirms that the MACE BBS software mentioned in the June 1982 issue of Antic is A.M.I.S.

See also the February 1st calendar entry for the "First 24 hours per day Atari BBS". 

Edited by JohnPolka
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