In 1979 I wrote a BBS program for the TRS-80 Model I called Message-80.  
The program was written in BASIC and a friend of mine from Bell Labs wrote
the "machine language" modem driver which were able to include in the
BASIC program by "poking" it byte-by-byte into a dummy string variable
created in BASIC.  ( I used the same technique to create "TRS-Opera" which
played items like The William Tell Overture through the cassette port on
the TRS-80.)  I've been amazed to see that these programs are still
available on TRS-80 emulator web sites.

We have a handful of Message-80s running in the NY Metro area A year later
I also started a TRS-80 users group on a dial-up service called The Source
based out of McLean VA I believe.  At that time there were two national
dial-up services available:  The Source (an AOL-type service with a user
shell) and Micronet, a telnet-in service available evenings and weekends
only.  During the day they were a business & government time-sharing,
mainframe computer company (Decs).  Micronet would soon become CompuServe.

I used the Source's email service to send-out a TRS-80 Users' newsletter
created by combining all the messages sent to me by the members, editing
them and resending all the good stuff out to a mailing list of the
members.  This would take all night to accomplish and I had to stay
on-line or the process would halt.  All of this at 300 Baud of course.

We soon literally ground the Source to a halt with all of our traffic and
when we threatened to leave the service they said "how soon can you be
gone?".

Looking for an alternative home for my Users Group, I realized that the
DEC OS running on Micronet had file-sharing capabilities and a decent
version of BASIC and that I could re-write my TRS-80 Message-80 BBS to
run, multi-user, on Micronet's Mainframe.  Once it was tested I told all
of my Source-80 members to join Micronet and enter the world of a
muilti-user BBS.  The newsletter was no longer needed since all the
members could communicate by running the Message-80 (now called MNET-80)
in my directory on Micronet.

This became very popular and Micronet set me up with a couple of companies
(like Heath-Zenith) to have me install their own versions of "MNET-80".

Once several MNET-80s were up and running, Micronet brought me out to
Columbus, Ohio and asked that I re-write MNET-80 in a more efficient
language for their system.  They handed me an armload of FORTRAN manuals
and put me back on a plane to NJ.

I learned FORTRAN and rewrote the entire system for them (for free).  At
some point in all of this, Micronet became CompuServe and the service was
available 24/7 to dial-up users.

MNET-80 was eventually to become the core of CompuServe, marketed as
Forums for every imaginable type of interest

Long before that happened they asked me to learn a language called "BLISS"
and rewrite again but I declined and they threatened to kill all MNET-80s
running unless I signed over the rights to the program to them and allow
them to rewrite it. I stupidly agreed and H&R Block went on to make a
fortune off of my creation.

I still have the 1980,81 & 82 membership lists from MNET-80.  Maybe I
should have an on-line reunion.

I thought this was going to be a happy story until it dredged up the
memories of what I gave away.  Oh well.

Good luck with your documentary and please list Message-80 for the TRS-80
if you are so inclined.

Richard Taylor