One thing some of us have been playing with on GlobalTalk this MARCHintosh is LACS

Posted 2025-03-20 | Back to blog index

One thing some of us have been playing with on GlobalTalk this MARCHintosh is LACS, an AppleTalk chat system

But LACS isn't just another chat app - it's deep Apple lore. LACS started out at Apple as "RumorMonger", an experiment in decentralized chat. But this was back when Apple was heavily dysfunctional, full of project fiefdoms and yearly layoffs, so an anonymous bullhorn like this could really go crazy, leading to it spreading like wildfire.

This explains the sternly-worded dialog...

Screenshot of LACS, showing Status, Messages and New Message Dialog boxAre you sure you want to send this message to all the other Lacs systems on the local network?Are you satistied that it is worth the time and resources and doesn't say anything negative or derogatory? ArticleRumor Monger was a non-attributed (anonymous) chat system developed by Harry Chesley in Apple's Advanced Technology Group.Originally, the project was focused on peer-to-peer, decentralized chat, using an epidemic distribution algorithm originally developed at Xerox PARC. The ability to post anonymous messages being just one minor feature. But as usage spread around Apple, it quickly became clear that the combination of easy access (Rumor Monger was left running in the background on user's machine, and was thus just a click away) plus anonymity created a unique social space. Essentially, there was no barrier between thinking something and posting it on Rumor Monger. This led to two things: First, an unprecedentedly low level of intelligent content. And second, posting of thoughts that previously would have been kept strictly internal: everything from insults to harassment to company criticism to really bad haggis jokes.(In fairness, at least one group also saw it as a way to brainstorm project design ideas.)Apple management panicked, seeing visions of harassment suits, and tried toturn it off. But, being a good, decentralized system, it was essentially impossible to switch off.

If you also want to join in on spreading rumors about what Gil Amelio had for lunch, you can find a copy on GlobalTalk:

• Cloudbusting zone, Puppet Head share, Fun Stuff folder.

or

• BaroNet:Blackbird:AppleTalk Stuff To Try

Here's a blog post about it, written by the original author of the software that's worth reading https://web.archive.org/web/20050205160735/http://mememotes.com/meme_motes/2005/02/rumor_monger.html

And a period article from MacTech detailing how it works technically https://web.archive.org/web/20050308105029/http://www.mactech.com/articles/develop/issue_05/6-30_Chesley_Docv9_CHG.html

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