

BBSes offered modem support and public forums, but typically had no LAN support and were character-based.

He wanted a system that "even teachers could use". He asked them to find a reasonable Macintosh-based e-mail system that offered both LAN and modem support, a real GUI, and supported both private e-mail as well as public discussion areas (forums). After a run-in with management, the three left and formed SoftArc as a consulting firm.įirstClass was created in response to a request by a family friend who worked at the Scarborough Board of Education (now part of the Toronto District School Board). The team, consisting of two brothers and a friend, Steve Asbury, Jon Asbury and Scott Welch had been the primary developers of the successful Meridian Mail system, and styled themselves as the Toronto Ideas Group.
#OPS FIRSTCLASS WEBMAIL ANDROID#
It is available on Android devices (versions 7.0 and higher), iOS devices ( iOS 9 and higher), Microsoft Windows ( Windows 8 and 10, as well as Windows Server 2012, 20) and macOS ( 10.13 High Sierra, 10.14 Mojave and 10.15 Catalina)įirstClass was originally a product of SoftArc, formed by three former members of Bell Northern Research, Nortel's research arm located in downtown Toronto. According to the company, the product is used by over 3,000 organizations and has 9 million users worldwide. The product is part of OpenText's Portfolio Group and runs on both client and server platforms.

FirstClass's primary markets are the higher-education and K-12 education sectors, including four of the top ten largest school districts in the United States ( Las Vegas, NV's Clark County School District, Florida's Broward County Public Schools, Hillsborough County Public Schools, and Chicago Public Schools). Windows, macOS, Linux (server only), iOS (client only), Android (client only)įirstClass is a client–server groupware, email, online conferencing, voice and fax services, and bulletin-board system for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
