<s>
FirstClass	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
client	O
–	O
server	O
groupware	B-Application
,	O
email	O
,	O
online	B-Protocol
conferencing	I-Protocol
,	O
voice	O
and	O
fax	O
services	O
,	O
and	O
bulletin-board	B-Application
system	I-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
FirstClass	B-Protocol
's	O
primary	O
markets	O
are	O
the	O
higher-education	O
and	O
K-12	O
education	O
sectors	O
,	O
including	O
four	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
ten	O
largest	O
school	O
districts	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
(	O
Las	O
Vegas	O
,	O
NV	O
's	O
Clark	O
County	O
School	O
District	O
,	O
Florida	O
's	O
Broward	O
County	O
Public	O
Schools	O
,	O
Hillsborough	O
County	O
Public	O
Schools	O
,	O
and	O
Chicago	O
Public	O
Schools	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FirstClass	B-Protocol
was	O
originally	O
a	O
product	O
of	O
SoftArc	O
,	O
formed	O
by	O
three	O
former	O
members	O
of	O
Bell	O
Northern	O
Research	O
,	O
Nortel	O
's	O
research	O
arm	O
located	O
in	O
downtown	O
Toronto	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FirstClass	B-Protocol
was	O
created	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
request	O
by	O
a	O
family	O
friend	O
who	O
worked	O
at	O
the	O
Scarborough	O
Board	O
of	O
Education	O
(	O
now	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Toronto	O
District	O
School	O
Board	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
asked	O
them	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
reasonable	O
Macintosh-based	O
e-mail	O
system	O
that	O
offered	O
both	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
and	O
modem	B-Application
support	O
,	O
a	O
real	O
GUI	B-Application
,	O
and	O
supported	O
both	O
private	O
e-mail	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
public	O
discussion	O
areas	O
(	O
forums	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BBSes	B-Application
offered	O
modem	B-Application
support	O
and	O
public	O
forums	O
,	O
but	O
typically	O
had	O
no	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
support	O
and	O
were	O
character-based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
e-mail	O
systems	O
existed	O
;	O
those	O
on	O
the	O
Mac	O
had	O
reasonable	O
GUIs	B-Application
,	O
but	O
they	O
tended	O
to	O
have	O
poor	O
modem	B-Application
support	O
and	O
few	O
offered	O
forums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scarborough	O
Board	O
really	O
liked	O
the	O
Hypercard	B-Application
prototype	O
,	O
but	O
could	O
n't	O
afford	O
the	O
price	O
,	O
so	O
they	O
offered	O
to	O
buy	O
a	O
system	O
for	O
$	O
9,000	O
and	O
then	O
help	O
sell	O
it	O
to	O
other	O
boards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
implemented	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
system	O
,	O
operated	O
by	O
the	O
Scarborough	O
Board	O
of	O
Education	O
and	O
named	O
"	O
ScriBE	O
"	O
,	O
was	O
administered	O
by	O
the	O
Computers	O
in	O
Education	O
department	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Key	O
to	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
's	O
operation	O
was	O
the	O
underlying	O
FCP	O
(	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
Protocol	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FCP	O
was	O
a	O
transport	B-Architecture
layer	I-Architecture
networking	O
protocol	O
that	O
all	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
communications	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FCP	O
could	O
run	O
on	O
several	O
different	O
physical	O
layers	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
modems	B-Application
and	O
AppleTalk	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
adding	O
Novell	O
's	O
IPX	B-Protocol
and	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
versions	O
of	O
FCP	O
could	O
turn	O
off	O
their	O
own	O
error	O
correction	O
systems	O
when	O
running	O
over	O
error-free	O
links	O
like	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
FCP	O
also	O
implemented	O
an	O
optional	O
encryption	O
system	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Blowfish	B-Algorithm
cipher	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
all	O
of	O
these	O
features	O
turned	O
off	O
,	O
FCP	O
still	O
offered	O
good	O
performance	O
even	O
on	O
the	O
2400	O
bit/s	O
modems	B-Application
common	O
in	O
the	O
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
every	O
FCP	O
packet	O
included	O
a	O
"	O
task	O
number	O
"	O
identifier	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
port	O
identifier	O
in	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
renaming	O
the	O
product	O
to	O
the	O
more	O
generic	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
,	O
they	O
started	O
demonstrating	O
early	O
versions	O
to	O
Toronto-area	O
Mac	O
BBSes	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Apple	O
Canada	O
employee	O
,	O
Mark	O
Windrim	O
,	O
set	O
up	O
a	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
BBS	B-Application
in	O
Toronto	O
called	O
MAGIC	O
(	O
the	O
Macintosh	O
Awareness	O
Group	O
in	O
Canada	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Local	O
Mac	O
users	O
heard	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
and	O
established	O
accounts	O
,	O
quickly	O
turning	O
it	O
into	O
the	O
largest	O
Mac-oriented	O
BBS	B-Application
system	O
in	O
the	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
multithreaded	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
client	O
software	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
could	O
open	O
multiple	O
messages	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
while	O
uploading	O
and	O
downloading	O
in	O
the	O
background	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
most	O
systems	O
indirectly	O
encouraged	O
users	O
to	O
simply	O
"	O
leech	O
"	O
files	O
and	O
then	O
leave	O
,	O
users	O
waiting	O
for	O
downloads	O
on	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
had	O
an	O
entire	O
modem	B-Application
channel	O
free	O
for	O
uploading	O
or	O
writing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SoftArc	O
sought	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
growing	O
interest	O
by	O
offering	O
reduced	O
prices	O
to	O
BBS	B-Application
operators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
some	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
BBS	B-Application
systems	O
mushroomed	O
to	O
thousands	O
of	O
users	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Boston	O
Computer	O
Society	O
(	O
BCS	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
the	O
largest	O
computer	O
club	O
of	O
that	O
era	O
;	O
the	O
Virginia-based	O
DigitalNation	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
hoped	O
to	O
become	O
an	O
AOL	O
competitor	O
;	O
the	O
Berkeley	O
Macintosh	O
Users	O
Group	O
's	O
Planet	O
BMUG	O
;	O
the	O
BendNet	O
BBS	B-Application
in	O
Bend	O
,	O
Oregon	O
;	O
and	O
Virtual	O
Valley	O
services	O
operated	O
by	O
Silicon	O
Valley	O
's	O
Metro	O
Newspapers	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
software	O
later	O
incorporated	O
a	O
feature	O
that	O
allowed	O
individual	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
sites	O
to	O
share	O
conference	O
content	O
and	O
private	O
mail	O
by	O
allowing	O
the	O
servers	O
to	O
link	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
employee	O
Scott	O
Converse	O
formed	O
the	O
first	O
and	O
probably	O
the	O
most	O
extensive	O
network	O
of	O
FirstClass-based	O
sites	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
OneNet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1994	O
,	O
the	O
internet	O
was	O
becoming	O
a	O
major	O
force	O
,	O
obsoleting	O
most	O
BBS	B-Application
systems	O
on	O
both	O
Mac	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
over	O
the	O
next	O
year	O
or	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
,	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
had	O
evolved	O
into	O
a	O
small-to-medium-sized	O
internal	O
e-mail	O
system	O
,	O
but	O
its	O
BBS	B-Application
continued	O
to	O
receive	O
attention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
client	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
was	O
introduced	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
Windows	O
NT-based	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
,	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
evolved	O
to	O
compete	O
in	O
the	O
groupware	B-Application
marketplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FirstClass	B-Protocol
added	O
internet	O
functionality	O
and	O
a	O
scripting	O
method	O
by	O
2000	O
but	O
both	O
Lotus	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
introduced	O
these	O
features	O
earlier	O
and	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
lost	O
market	O
share	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
among	O
those	O
organizations	O
that	O
considered	O
using	O
the	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
system	O
,	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
a	O
robust	O
calendaring	O
component	O
during	O
this	O
time	O
(	O
until	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
version	O
6	O
in	O
2001	O
)	O
was	O
an	O
obvious	O
flaw	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
was	O
recognized	O
as	O
a	O
notable	O
(	O
though	O
not	O
top	O
)	O
vendor	O
of	O
worldwide	O
integrated	O
collaborative	O
environments	O
by	O
International	O
Data	O
Corporation	O
in	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
period	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
added	O
a	O
voice	O
mail	O
solution	O
integrated	O
with	O
the	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
version	O
9	O
,	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
redesigned	O
its	O
interface	O
and	O
introduced	O
an	O
automatic	O
server-based	O
and	O
policy-driven	O
archiving	O
service	O
for	O
legal	O
compliance	O
purposes	O
,	O
and	O
full	O
Unicode	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2010	O
,	O
version	O
11	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
with	O
mobile	O
clients	O
for	O
Apple	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
Blackberry	O
made	O
available	O
during	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FirstClass	B-Protocol
Application	O
Services	O
or	O
"	O
FCAS	O
"	O
(	O
formerly	O
called	O
"	O
RAD	O
"	O
for	O
"	O
Rapid	O
Application	O
Development	O
"	O
)	O
allows	O
third-party	O
developers	O
to	O
create	O
tools	O
and	O
applications	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
BASIC-like	O
language	O
is	O
documented	O
in	O
the	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
client	O
's	O
online	O
Help	O
,	O
under	O
Customization	O
Tools	O
,	O
FCAS	O
,	O
Language	O
Reference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
12	O
,	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
introduces	O
a	O
fully	O
supported	O
and	O
documented	O
Application	O
Programming	O
Interface	O
(	O
API	O
)	O
that	O
will	O
allow	O
web	O
developers	O
to	O
retrieve	O
authenticated	O
secure	O
information	O
from	O
their	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
Collaborative	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
display	O
it	O
within	O
their	O
own	O
web	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OpenText	O
was	O
developing	O
a	O
suite	O
of	O
online	O
collaboration	O
products	O
through	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
mergers	O
,	O
and	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
's	O
educational	O
background	O
seemed	O
to	O
fit	O
particularly	O
well	O
with	O
some	O
of	O
their	O
other	O
offerings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
OpenText	O
stated	O
their	O
intention	O
to	O
integrate	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
into	O
the	O
"	O
LiveLink	O
"	O
internet	O
information	O
collection	O
engine	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
integration	O
has	O
not	O
yet	O
happened	O
and	O
is	O
rumored	O
to	O
be	O
not	O
practical	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
architecture	O
of	O
LiveLink	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
founders	O
of	O
the	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
product	O
and	O
company	O
(	O
Steve	O
Asbury	O
,	O
Jon	O
Asbury	O
,	O
and	O
Scott	O
Welch	O
)	O
and	O
two	O
longtime	O
employees	O
(	O
John	O
Myers	O
and	O
Barry	O
Carter	O
)	O
are	O
no	O
longer	O
employed	O
by	O
OpenText	O
;	O
the	O
only	O
reason	O
given	O
was	O
a	O
difference	O
of	O
opinions	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
direction	O
of	O
the	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
product	O
and	O
other	O
derivative	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
have	O
since	O
developed	O
Edsby	B-Protocol
,	O
a	O
product	O
that	O
blends	O
social	O
media	O
and	O
classroom	O
management	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
those	O
departing	O
were	O
the	O
UX	O
designers	O
behind	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
 '	O
rebirth	O
as	O
OpenText	O
Social	O
Media	O
:	O
one	O
for	O
Research	O
In	O
Motion	O
,	O
the	O
other	O
to	O
start	O
his	O
own	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OpenText	O
continues	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
software	O
suite	O
which	O
has	O
been	O
opened	O
up	O
to	O
support	O
external	O
"	O
Apps	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
free	O
offerings	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
Apps	I-Application
for	I-Application
Education	I-Application
and	O
Office	O
365	O
for	O
Education	O
have	O
become	O
increasingly	O
popular	O
and	O
functional	O
,	O
the	O
traditional	O
paid	O
product	O
that	O
FirstClass	B-Protocol
offers	O
has	O
apparently	O
become	O
more	O
difficult	O
to	O
justify	O
in	O
educational	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
