srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
Public internet forums, in one form or another, have been around since Usenet was launched in 1980 - and no doubt there were private network forums before that. The differences between Usenet and places like this are mainly technological and of indifference to the users.
Forums will be around as long as there are computer networks, users to use them and administrators willing to host and maintain them.
Forums will be around as long as there are computer networks, users to use them and administrators willing to host and maintain them.