PLATO ( Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations ) [1] [2] was the first generalized computer assisted instruction system. Starting in 1960, it ran on the University of Illinois ' ILLIAC I computer. By the late 1970s, it supported several thousand graphics terminals distributed worldwide, running on nearly a dozen different networked mainframe computers . Many modern concepts in multi-user computing were developed on PLATO, including forums, message boards, online testing, e-mail , chat rooms, picture languages , instant messaging , remote screen sharing , and multiplayer games . PLATO was designed and built by the University of Illinois and functioned for four decades, offering coursework (elementary through university) to UIUC students, local schools, and other universities. Rights to market PLATO as a commercial product were licensed by Control Data Corporation (CDC), the manufacturer on whose mainframe computers the PLATO IV system was built. CDC Presid
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