NAME:
Richard Hawkins

COMPUNET ID:
FROODLE (Formally RH18)

WHAT HE DID:
Apparently I did graphics for demos with DAZ and later with CHAIN (Hi Shane!). But in retrospect they were mostly rubbish. Well, some were ok but I can't remember even half the stuff I did. ACID @ THE PC SHOW was about the best. I used to hack music too. I used Compunet mainly for downloading demos, partyline (simliar to IRC) where I used to pretend I was Rob Hubbard (RH6?), and CHAT (text frame chat thing). I went onto the Amiga from there, but that's another story... I knew loads of people through Compunet. I met quite a few at computer shows, like CHAIN, NUTT, SLAYER(NATO), **JEAN**, PIMAN, MAT, MARSH. I knew DAZ before and he was the bloke who introduced it to me.

CLAIM TO COMPUNET FAME:
'ACID @ THE PC SHOW' This was the last demo to be released by me and CHAIN, and from what I remember, I asleep during a couple of the parts! Unfortunately I don't have it as an emulator file.

WHAT'S HE UP TO NOW:
I work as a Business Intelligence Consultant, doing all sorts of funky things with computers and travelling alot. I spend alot of time playing online games. I also maintain a site called ::terminalclick:: at http://www.terminalclick.com which includes a Retro Computer section with some old C64 and Amiga stuff I did! I go to the Back In Time Live event every year (which hardened C64 appreciator wouldn't?), and still listen to C64 music (either original, or remixed).

OTHER STUFF:
I think Compunet was a breakthrough for it's era. If it had stayed alive another couple of years it could have been linked to the Internet, although it would have lost its uniqueness. I wonder if anyone has the server stashed in a basement somewhere? So far I've only found a couple of our demos in emulator format on the net, anyone know how to convert 1541 disk programs to PC?

TOP THREE FAVOURITE PROGRAMS/HARDWARE:
1) It's gotta be that character editor thing where you could make backdrops, animate sprites and just generally waste valuable youthful time. It was also kewl for drawing 'high resolution multi graphical bitmap rotational representations of us' (don't ask). 2) Eddy Carroll's U-U software. 3) CHAIN, he was kewl. I just plugged him in and lo and behold, code appeared. It was the only hardware you could take to a Computer Show and use to generate free beer and ciggies.

BETWEEN WHICH DATES WERE YOU A MEMBER OF COMPUNET:
Erm... September 1987 to about June 1990. I remember November 1987 very well. My parents had a phone bill which was %500 larger than normal... I then realised I was dialling into London rather than the local node. (Doh!)

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