The NUUG Foundation

Who are we, what are our goals...

History

NUUG started providing network services to its members in 1985, in the beginning based on UUCP, the communication protocol included in all UNIX implentations. The UUCP network, providing electronic mail and the Usenet newgroup service, formed one part of what later has been known as The Internet, interconnecting from its earliest days with the other part, the mostly academic Arpanet. The NUUG network formed the Norwegian part of the Europe-wide EUnet which was an initiative by the Europeen Unix Users Group (EUUG).

When commercial internet started in the early 1990s, NUUG established the company EUnet Norge AS to take the UUCP services further into the new world of IP connectivity. EUnet was over the years very successful as one of the first Internet service provides in Norway, and similar companies were established in most European contries. In 1996, 7 of those European ISP's joined together to form the company EUnet International based in Amsterdam. EUnet Norge was one of those companies and NUUG became one of the shareholders of EUnet International. In early 1998, EUnet International was taken over by Qwest Communications, an American company, giving NUUG a number of Qwest shares in exchange.

After 1998, NUUG had only a financial interest in the network services, and during the period 1998 to 2000, all Qwest shares were sold at good prices. The money obtained from this forms the basis upon which The NUUG Foundation was established in June 2000.

After a few years with American/Dutch owners, EUnet Norge was in 2002 back in business with Norwegian owners, but NUUG had no longer a role in the company. Today (2011), the activites continue as part of other companies after a series of mergers and aquisitions.