STORY
TECHbooks and the First Camel Book Distribution
Story/TECHbooks and the First Camel Book Distribution
- James Deibele (James Dieble) operated TECHbooks, a technical computer bookstore in Portland, Oregon. In 1990, when the first edition of the Camel book (Programming Perl) was published, he agreed to provide distribution for autographed copies of it.
- Around this time, TECHbooks obtained very early access to live IP-over-modem connectivity to the home, leveraging the emerging local RAINnet IP hub.
- Over time, providing IP connectivity to homes proved far more compelling and profitable than selling technical books. Deibele closed the physical bookstore operations and rebranded the business as Teleport, which went on to become the largest and most successful internet service provider (ISP) in Portland.
What links here
These facts are as Randal recalls them, but much time has passed for most of this. If you find a factual error, please email realmerlyn@gmail.com.