What were early email systems like?

Early email systems were local only. Messages could be sent between users on the same computer or internal network, but not across different systems.

They were text based, command driven, and intended for engineers and researchers rather than general users. Early clients like Eudora and Pegasus Mail later helped bring email to a broader audience, introducing interfaces that non technical users could navigate.

The client Eudora was named after the short story "Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty, a playful nod to the post office theme. Created by Steve Dorner in 1988, it was free, fast, and spread across campuses like wildfire.

It was like messaging between crew members on the same ship long before the age of transoceanic communication.