We've implemented some changes in Screen-L’s operation:

 

1. Messages may now include formatting. That is, they do not have to be simply plain, unformatted text.
2. Attachments are now accepted. (See attached image!)

 

Read on for a bit of Screen-L history.

 

Screen-L started in the ‘arly days of email. When its first test message was sent on 15 March 1991 at 19:42:11 CST, the Internet barely existed. In fact, if you should look at that first message—and all messages are still in the Screen-L Archives—you might notice that my email signature looks like this:

 

|                                      | Bitnet   :          JBUTLER@UA1VM |

| Jeremy G. Butler - - - - - - - - - - | Internet : [log in to unmask] |

|                                      | GEnie    :             J.BUTLER27 |

|                                                                          |

| Telecommunication & Film Dept * The University of Alabama * Tuscaloosa   |

 

GEnie was a dial-up network service, much like American Online (AOL).

 

BITNET networked colleges together and was the first email system that most of us in academe experienced. BITNET, incidentally, stood for the “Because It’s Time Network.” And UA1VM was the University of Albama’s mainframe computer (“VM” = “virtual machine”) and BITNET node. Screen-L was created on and still runs on LISTSERV™ software, which was built for BITNET. BITNET’s email experience was primitive by today’s standards. It only allowed pure, unformatted text and the way it handled attachments was extremely clunky.

 

Thus, 31 years ago, when we launched Screen-L, it made sense to limit its messages to unformatted text and to ban attachments. However, that has resulted in some weirdly formatted messages and some frustration for users who want to circulate a PDF or other file. So, today we’ve reconfigured Screen-L to permit formatted text and attachments. This message is the first test of the new configuration. Screen-L will continue to be a moderated list and I will be keeping an eye out for unsavory files.

 

Please let me know if this causes any issues with your reception and/or sending of Screen-L messages.

 

Thanks for being among the nearly 1,000 Screen-L subscribers! I can say with certainty that, back in 1991, I didn’t expect this modest enterprise would continue into the 21^st century!

 

Regards,

 

Jeremy

 

 

Jeremy Butler

Screen-L Administrator since Fri, 15 Mar 91 19:42:11 CST

[log in to unmask]

Professor Emeritus, TV and Film Studies

Senior Fellow, Blount Scholars Program

The University of Alabama