What the internet used to be like

A CBC report from the mid-90's

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/index.php?e=theinternet.wmv
I was at ebaum's world today and I found this old new report from the mid-90's, and I found it very interesting. It reminded me of when I first got online. The thing I first noticed when watching it was they refered to "the internet" as just "internet"... so it sounds sort of weird to my ears.

And then John Allan started talking.... and said this:

There is not a lot of cursing or swearing, there is not a lot of personal cuts, there is not a lot of putdowns that one would expect to find, there's not screen fulls of "Go to Hell", which is surprising. The kind of liberation.... its interesting because you would think that because you're anonymous you'd do anything you want but people in a group have their own sense of community in what we can do.


Man, it wasn't even like that when I got online in 1995... so I don't know what he is talking about. Does anyone remember the above utopic time in the development of the internet where everyone was civil?

Seeing the report made me remember reading a few old issues of the 'net Magazine from 1996, which were predicting the future of the internet, most of which made me laugh because some were dead on, and some were so far off. Predictions such as:

-Shockwave technologies were going to be a passing fancy, but anything Flash-related was going to be so bandwidth intensive that it was going to be of little use outside of cd-rom work. Of course, this was back in the days when a 28.8 modem was cutting edge, and having high-speed internet was something only a few companies could afford.

-Personal homepages would become something everyone had... though most people would just talk about their own lives(blogging perhaps)

-Large Filesharing wouldn't be practical(tell that to Napster/Kazaa)

-The Internet would begin to rival television in serving the entertainment and informational needs of its users.


It truly is interesting to look at the past sometimes.
17,273 views 11 replies
Reply #1 Top
Hmmmmm!

I can relate to that.
Good article!
Reply #2 Top
Back then, computers were reserved for real intelligent people - scholars, scientists, and such. Then came the days the internet is flooded with children whose parents have made the computer the nanny; and because of user friendly windows, morons of all shapes and sizes have also entered the cyberworld.
Reply #3 Top
Well, I am sure there were more than a few idiots who had sharpened their teeth on BBS's before getting into the internet proper...
Reply #4 Top
great stuff, historyishere. a really interesting perspective, i enjoyed it

mig XX
Reply #5 Top
Back then, computers were reserved for real intelligent people - scholars, scientists, and such. Then came the days the internet is flooded with children whose parents have made the computer the nanny; and because of user friendly windows, morons of all shapes and sizes have also entered the cyberworld.


I have had computers since 1983 (TRS-80, cassette loaded), although they were largely high priced solitaire playing machines, and I'm not a "real intelligent people"...lol (at least not in the computer geek sense of the word).
Reply #6 Top
I have had computers since 1983 (TRS-80, cassette loaded), although they were largely high priced solitaire playing machines, and I'm not a "real intelligent people"...lol (at least not in the computer geek sense of the word).


I think she means when the internet was all science and defense related(thus intelligent people who were all business-like)
Reply #7 Top
Thanks history, that is the gist of what I meant. I wasn't clear, it was universities and scientists who started using computers for communication to discuss their work.

And Gideon, I consider you very intelligent as I do with most people I interact with here.
Reply #8 Top
Then again, I am sure there was a few barbs being exchanged nonetheless on those networks.
Reply #9 Top
Awwww, the 'net magazine!! I used to like that a lot. They had my old cowgirl website in one of their lists-of-a-million-urls and I couldn't have been more proud of myself if I'd made the cover of the Rolling Stone.
Reply #10 Top
:::::trying to imagine flame wars between computer geeks:::;

"eh, your mama uses BASIC"
Reply #11 Top
No, it would be more like you mama uses a Vic 20!