Underground Courier

Underground Courier was the name of a software program produced for the Apple Macintosh in 1985-87. It was pre-Internet networking software built on a spy motif that allowed users to join an "underground network" and participate in forms of file sharing around the theme of a covert intelligence network of agents and safehouses. It also allowed users with 128K and 512K Macs and 300, 1200 and 2,400 baud modems to join a dial-up network of "safe houses" for e-mail, and file storage and exchange. Underground Headquarters was in Fairfield, Iowa and the initial operation was put together by Jerry Daniels and a small group of collaborators.

Underground Courier was said to be "Your link to Mac Underground."

A predecessor to America Online, which was originally available to the Mac user commuity in 1987, the Mac Underground aimed to make available daily bulletins of developments in the emerging personal computer industry, abstracts of Mac Magazine articles (MacWorld and MacUser were the primary publications of the day), a small body of public domain software (along with professionally written users guides' termed "dossiers". and weekly "indepth reports, product reviews, technology essays and opinion pieces on "the Mac and its kin."

A September, 1987 listing details "safehouses" in California, Connecticut, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire and Utah and announces plans to expand to all 50 states.

Online Publishing Systems ceased operations in December, 1986 and filed for bankruptcy in January, 1987. The operation was taken over by Buck, Wheat and Associates of Blue Springs, Missouri as part of the settlement.