[psmith2.0]

Inspired by drewprops' "Bad Flamingo" thread, I was wondering what everyone's background/history involving Apple-related online forums and message boards was.

Is 'Nova your first? Is it your sole posting spot (about Apple and Macs), or one of many? Any older ones you migrated from? When did you first start hanging out in such lowly, depraved places?



Here's mine (for those keeping notes):

- iMac2day.com, sometime in 1999 at the height of Bondi madness (followed by fruit insanity). My first mockups ever, of an iMac-inspired toaster and a "pineapple" yellow flat-screen iMac, were posted there. I got to know Misha (I can't even begin to spell his last name) there a bit, exchanging some e-mails, etc.
- I joined AppleInsider in late 1999 I believe, days (or weeks?) before I attended my first (and, so far, only) MacWorld Expo (the one where OS X was unveiled). I went there hoping to see "17-inch iMacs", which were the strong rumor at the time. No such luck. This was when AppleInsider had a cool black and turquoise look, and were displaying some cool leaked photos (the graphite iMac DV, days from its announcement, etc.). So cool to see this new, clearer iMac with the glossier body (even if it was a grainy B&W photo).
- Stayed with AppleInsider for a long, long time. Met many good people (and a few bad eggs). At some point, there was a huge outage/downtime (months and months).
- Dabbled in BadFlamingo and OrangeInsider because I was a "man without a country". Also was at the MacNN.com forums, but they were kinda mean.
- I even got desperate and put stakes down at Ars Technica, but it wasn't a good fit for me...I'm simply not smart enough to play in their reindeer games
- AppleInsider came back sometime during all that
- AppleNova came to be (we all know the story by now).

I preferred it over all others, combined (and still do). Haven't visited or posted at any of the others in years. My sole "hang out" online, at least in terms of Apple and Macs talk.

Aren't you some fortunate sumbitches?



I do miss iMac2Day.com. They always say you remember your "first". It's true.

1999 was a wonderful time to be into Macs: everything was curvy, see-through and colorful. Walking into CompUSA, to the Mac area, was an explosion of color and cool, rounded crap. Orange and purple Belkin hubs and green Contour Design mice. All sorts of neat add-ons and gadgets for your jellybean iMacs, made to match. I loved it.

I wore my two-toned orange & white Old Navy shirt to MacWorld, trying to look like a human iMac...

This was all pre-OS X, pre-iTunes, pre-iPod, pre-G5 (hell, almost pre-G4!). We had no idea what we were in store for! We were blissfully unaware of the storm that was to blow in from Cupertino.

[thegelding]

appleinsider...pre blackout, back in the starfleetX days

g

[PKIDelirium]

Hey first reply.

-Apple Matters (Sept 2005)

-Found Nova in October and dumped Matters

I occasionally read AI and MacNN forums, but not regularly.

Edit:

[atomicbartbeans]

I became *really* interested in Apple a couple years back, and joined this forum soon after I bought my first (and still current) new Mac.

[Brad]

appleinsider...pre blackout, back in the starfleetX days

[BuonRotto]

My affliction began with AppleInsider, when it had changed its name to that (can't recall the original name), pre-blackout. I moved to MacNN for a while during the blackout. Found BadFlamingo of course, moved to the post-blackout AI, never really did the OrangeInsider thing (sorry Groverat), and was doing both AN and AI for a while after the Great Schism. Sadly, I modded AI for a while and hated every minute of it. I remember people asking me what the hell was up back in those dark hours. I rarely visit AI now, mostly because of the annoying ad content.

Ps; welcome to the thread, SterfleetX!

[Banana]

Applenova's pretty much my first and only haunting place.

When I was doing some research about what mac to buy, decided to look at some forums, so I googled "mac vBulletin forum", because I wanted to go to a forum that is actually *gasp* readable, and doesn't require insane amount of clicking to see the replies to replies and very unintuitive organization.

Applenova was the first hit and I liked what I read in AppleOutsider so I just settled here. I guess I just don't have such high standard.

[Mac+]

AI (pre blackout, back in the starfleetX days), Bad Flamingo, Think Secret (pretty much while 68K was at the helm), back to AI and then here.

[Fahrenheit]

Think I clicked through from Think Secret. Can't be sure though. This is my virgin.

[Banana]

What's this talk about "starfleetX"? Was that a forum or a subsection of AI?

[Mac+]

re: "starfleetX" - not really a subsection, more of a super set

[InactionMan]

I started lurking at AI just as Jaguar was about to be released. I was digging for info on whether or not to upgrade from OS 9. I registered a few months later and posted on a semi-regular basis. I switched to AN after the Great Split because the majority of the good posters came over here and AI had really gone quite insane.

I've registered on a few other forums but never post much.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Started lurking at AI pre-blackout. Registered to post on the "Mercury Rising" thread. This thread + imminent release of OS X got me interested in Macs. Watched MWSF '01 and got snagged by the RDF delivery system. 2/17/01 I had my first Mac rig ever and as they say, the rest is history.

Started visiting more Mac sites, MacNN, MacObserver, etc., etc.

All I want to know is, wtf ever happened to AtAT Jack??? Met the guy at a couple different Apple store openings, have a shirt or two plus stickers, etc., so I definitely supported his site. I miss his funny style of writing about all news Apple and hope everything is OK with the guy.

[spikeh]

This is my first and only Apple Forum. I was looking for advice on buying a notebook just after MWSF06. I looked at other forums, but the design here is so clean and lovely, it's not overcrowded and there seemed to be a nice bit of banter. Also I remember thinking people had interesting names, which indicated a bit of personality (er, except 'Brad' ). And then I met Chucker and we fell in love.

I'm a veteran of another forum, which started in 1999, and has moved location and server so many times that it's just me and around seven or eight other regulars now. A real shame, it's dying a very slow death and it's sad to see.

[kretara]

I started at AppleInsider and also quickly joined MacNN.
Was getting pretty fed up with how nasty some people were on both boards.

Came over to AN at the Revolution and have been here since.

I am now on macfixit also.

[Yontsey]

Applenova was my first. I joined almost 2 years ago (April 05) when I was first considering buying an Apple. I was trying to find info about them and this place really made me feel at ease. Shortly after, May/June 05, I bought my Powerbook and havent looked back.

This is the only Apple forum I post in, though I do check out MacNN Marketplace from time to time to see what they got. Lots of great people and personalities here and I wouldnt trade it for the world.

[drewprops]

As far as I could ever determine I was the oldest active member of AppleInsider AFTER the member with the username JRC. I was registered in January 1999 and played there for a long time and went through the various blackouts, the reunions at MacNN the hiatus over at BadFlamingo. I remember the "arabs" who took over the chatroom, the errant "sneaker mouse" rumor, along with all the accurate rumors that were released right there on our forums. I was pretty active there up until the "great revolution", when I followed a lot of my favorite folks over here. I just went and logged in again at AI the other day, which was kind of strange but fun. Everything is still in place on my account (though with the return from the blackout my original join date of Jan '99 was deleted, much to my dismay.... you ARE your stats, right?).

Originally Posted by Banana What's this talk about "starfleetX"? Was that a forum or a subsection of AI?

Originally Posted by Mac+ re: "starfleetX" - not really a subsection, more of a super set

yeah, he's a pretty swell guy... don't know if I'd go as far as to call him "super" though...

[Mac+]

Oh, I meant in an encompassing sense in relation to the forums ... I make no claim regarding his personality.

[murbot]

Originally Posted by bassplayinMacFiend All I want to know is, wtf ever happened to AtAT Jack???

Good question! I used to read that site all the time.

[Bryson]

Applenova had my cherry. I found it just after we got G4s for Final Cut at work, and decided it was time to get myself a mac. Before that I had a Compaq brick.

I joined AI at about the same time, but I just couldn't get the hang of it.

< Wow...Just looked and it's 2 years since I joined. Crikey!

[Wyatt]

AppleNova was my first Mac forum. I joined nearly two years ago (my Novaversary is March 7) when I was trying to decide between buying an iPod and saving for an iBook. I stuck around despite not buying a Mac until October of that year. I'm on my second Mac now, but I have a feeling AppleNova will always be my forum home.

[turtle]

AppleNova was my first and I found it through ThinkSecret.

[autodata]

In terms of apple forums, I've gone through phases with most, including appleinsider, macnn, applenova, macrumors, macosxhints and osxaudio/big blue lounge, as well as other forums that touch on apple like ars and sonikmatter. Each forum has its own culture so they are each useful or not in different ways.

[SpecMode]

AppleNova via TS here as well. I visit AI every once in a while - the main site, anyway. I think I've posted maybe once on the forums over there.

[BlueRabbit]

After lurking around a bit, I joined AppleInsider back in 2002, then moved to AppleNova after the split. I don't visit there much anymore...one forum is more than enough for wasting time.

And it looks like I'm not the only person wondering what happened to AtAT...

[Artap99]

Applenova. I was lurking for information on the new Powerbooks. Which eventually led to my purchasing a 12" 1.5ghz and my joining of the forum.

[torifile]

AI in late 1999 was my first forum experience. After the blackout, I spent time on MacNN and I still post/read there every once in a while. I was also on BadFlamingo until AI came back and the after the schism, came over here. I remember reading OrangeInsider a few times, but it just seemed weird.

[Robo]

AppleNova via TS.

[Wrao]

Geeze... too long. AI was the first, pre-blackout lurker, had a few accounts over there, um, yeah, I don't really like talking about my flare.

[psmith2.0]

Yeahhhh, then I'm going to need you to come Saturday, mmm-kay?