I first heard about Subsim.com way back in 1998, when I was looking for tips for the Commander's Edition of Silent Hunter, which I had bought a few days before. The first article I can remember reading was an interview with Mike Jones, and the first file I downloaded was the 1.1 patch for 688(I). I remember seeing the first screenshots for SHII back in 1998, and being glad that we'd recently updated our computer. Great, I have enough RAM to play this new sub game that's coming out!
Anyway, I remember signing the "fix the 688(I) campaign" petition, and writing a message on the board with a few suggestions. That was back when the board was an open system, and I can't remember my nickname.
I closely followed the developments of SHII and SC day by day in 2001, and was dissapointed that I didn't get SC as a christmas gift in 2001. I got SHII instead, and the first thing I did was download new menu backdrops. After that, things get a little murky. The new board system arrived, and I registered as "wasserbomb". I posted about 20 times under that name, but lost my password and pretty much abandoned the boards. I mostly remember the big fuss over Kraut before he got banned.
In February 2005 I registered again under my current nickname. My best memory of the past 16 months was learning how to run the original SH under XP.
I don't post that often, but I read the board every day, and I'm glad there are plenty of people out there that share my interests. Oh, and I finally have a place to put my book reviews!