The CompuServe Forums, which have existed in some form or another since the 80s, are shutting down. So if you want to experience the Reddit of its day before it disappears, you have until December 15 to check them out. And you won't even have to pay an exorbitant fee to do so.

What Is CompuServe Anyway?

CompuServe isn't a name the average millennial will be familiar with. However, anyone over a certain age will recognize the name, even if their memory has faded. It was the first major commercial online service provider in the U.S., letting people connect using dial-up modems.

Connecting to CompuServe in the 1980s wasn't cheap, costing between $5-an-hour and $30-an-hour. The CompuServe Forums were therefore reserved for the geekiest of individuals convinced home computing was the future. And while they were proven right, CompuServe's power waned.

The CompuServe Forums Are Done

Despite changing hands many times, CompuServe is still a thing, and owned by Verizon subsidiary Oath. And Oath, formerly AOL and Yahoo, has decided to shut down the Compuserve Forums on December 15, 2017. The same day the company is putting AOL Instant Messenger out to pasture.

The CompuServe Team said in a message, "We regret to inform you that the Forums will be removed from the CompuServe service effective December 15, 2017. For more than two decades, the CompuServe Forums paved the way for online discussions on a wide variety of topics and we appreciate all of the participation and comments you have provided over the years."

Astonishingly, given that most people assumed CompuServe had been dead for years, the other parts of the site -- email, news, weather, maps, and more -- will remain functional for the time being. But this will be of little comfort to current users of the CompuServe Forums.

Relics From a Bygone Age

Let's face it, just like AOL and Yahoo, CompuServe is a relic from a bygone age. And there are plenty of other places for like-minded people to discuss their interests these days. Still, in the same way it was sad to see Geocities be laid to rest, it's sad to see the CompuServe Forums die.

Do you remember the CompuServe Forums of the 1980s or 1990s? What's your abiding memory of the CompuServe Forums? Are you still a member posting there now? If so, how do you feel about Oath shutting the CompuServe Forums down? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Karen Blaha via Flickr