How long did it take Randy Suess and Ward Christensen to develop CBBS, and why did they say it took longer?

“Attention anyone who has ever participated in an online forum, blog, message board, or chat room: February 16 officially marks the 27th anniversary of the technological ancestor of every subsequent form of online conversational interaction—CBBS.

On Feb. 16, 1978, the Computerized Bulletin Board System was born, making it possible for the 300-baud-modem-powered computers of the day to post messages and exchange software online, laying the groundwork for all the flame wars and freeware flings that have defined the computerized decades ever since.

CBBS was the brainchild of Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, two members of CACHE, the Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists’ Exchange. The duo had long wished to create, for lack of a better term, a computerized answering machine.

Inspired by the Hayes MicroModem 100, Suess and Christensen wanted a hardware/software combo that would let computers leave modem-conveyed messages for other computers, just as answering machines let people leave phone-conveyed messages for other people.”

Full article: Geek Trivia: Board to tears