I wanted to do a little research so I would be sure I was giving you accurate facts.
 
I started runing Dial your match in 1983 on an apple 2 computer. I got the source code 
wich was in apple basic.  I was able to make any modification I wanted since it was 
written in apple basic. I server the Miami, fort lauderdale and North broward area.  I 
came up with the idea that I wanted to have several computers so several people could be 
on line at the same time so I started by adding a second computer.
 
I also ran a hacking and Phreaking BBS called "Parsec Light years ahead of its Time" for 
about a year. Callers who knew about it would dial into Dial your Match and at the login 
prompt they would enter a secret code and the computer would load the other BBS software 
and then go back to Dial your match at the end of the call. I only ran this BBS while I 
was using apple ii + computers.
 
Once I had a second computer I modified the software so that if you dialed in on line you 
would be told who was on the other line if any one. The next logical idea I came up with 
was for the 2 users who were on line at the same time to be able to chat and so instant 
messaging was born in 1983 on my system.
 
I got an IBM PC late in 1983 and then my efforts focused on converting the dial your match 
to work on IBM. I was not successful at doing the conversion before I found a guy in 
altadena California named Marc Schoenburg. When marc converted his DYM Software He re 
named his system Marc the Martians mixed up messaging and matching machine.  I started 
nagging Marc to give me a copy of his software which he did not want to do.  I finally 
must have caught him at a weak moment and he agreed to sell me a copy. When I got the 
software I switch to it right away and Renamed my BBS to Mark Marovitch's Mixed of 
messaging and Matching machine.  When I switched to IBM, the New software didn't have 
Instant messaging for a little while till I modified it A couple years went by and I was 
contacted by someone else who converted the Dial your match software to run on IBM and 
they were better programmers than I. The modified it to support 16 lines and then 32 lines 
and they made the software communicate with other systems running the software so you 
could say send a message to someone in California with out calling California. This system 
was called DLX and it would forward message during the middle of the night.
 
My system was so popular that I used to sponsor parties once a month and 50 -60 people 
used to come. The system was so popular that several people volunteered for free to help 
me run it.
 
I ran the system till 1990 when I Moved to Daytona Beach Florida. I tried to find someone 
to continue running the system and after finding some and giving them the system they shut 
it down because it was a lot more work than they thought and there was no pay.
 
I figured that the only way to run the system at a profit was if it could be connected to 
the internet. the only way to do that was through a packet switching next work. Sprint ran 
one of them and it was primarily used by businesses and only had traffic on it 9 am to 4 
pm. it was seeing very low traffic during evening and weekend times so they came up with 
this service that for a flat fee you could use it unlimited. They had local dial in 
numbers all over the country.  I contacted them and they wanted 1600.00 per month per line 
to be on there system. well I couldn't afford that but if I did do that, today I might be 
running something like AOL or have sold it by now.
 
If you have any questions let me know.
  
Best Regards,

Mark Marovitch