Some of the resources and services online services have provided access to include message boards, chat services, electronic mail between members and sometimes other online services, file download services, current news and weather, online encyclopedia, airline reservations, and text-based online games. Major online service providers like Compuserve also served as a way for software and hardware manufacturers to provide online support for their products via forums and file download areas within the online service provider’s network. Prior to the invention of the world-wide-web, such support either had to be done via a private Bulletin board system run by the company or via online services or both.