How Long Have You Been On-line?

Arik · 11-11-2003, 11:42 PM

I've been thinking about the 'good old days' of the web, and I was wondering how long everyone's been a part of this whole "cyberspace" thingey anyway.

I remember some great things about the internet, like before Yahoo! had their domain name, they were a part of a university (Princeton?) website. I remember using them for a short time before they put up their "Categories" (in fact, I remember reading an article about how that move would be a bad one for them).

Or startrek.msn.com, the official website. You had to subscribe (and pay) to get in. :blink:

When I first got on the web, the best unofficial Star Trek website (at this time, I don't think they had even done the startrek.msn.com) misspelled Sisco's name.

I remember when animation became viable on website.

I remember "Java", a new way to make websites sparkle! (actually it was Javascript working with the onMouseOver() and onMouseOut() functions.)

I remember when 14.4 was lightning fast. Later, we upgraded our modem to 28.8!

I remember when you were charged by hour to be on the 'net. I also remember racking up a $500 internet bill one month, followed by a $300 bill the next month. Yes, we jumped on the 'unlimited' offer as soon as AOL offered it.

I remember a protocol known as gopher.

I remember when you made a webpage that had frames, you had to offer a non-framed version, because half the people didn't have a browser that supported frames. Having both versions of a page canceled out what few benefits frames offered.

I remember when every link you saw on a webpage was either underlined and blue or, if you had already been there, underlined and purple.

I remember when cookies were evil and not to be trusted. And your browser alerted you before it set them.

What are your early memories of the internet?

Stag · 11-12-2003, 03:24 PM

Damn, I forgot about paying by the hour for internet service.

I also remember the dreaded cookie boogie man and all links being blue and underlined.

My first modem was a 14.4. (I think). My first PC was a Compaq 486, Pentiums came out about a month after I bought it.

I remember when you could download songs for free from a place called Napster.

I remember IM'ng people in AOL chat rooms and thinking that was so cool and hi-tech.

Cymro · 11-12-2003, 07:22 PM

1996, when my dad had just bought the top of the Range HP Pavilion with 1.66MhZ of pure power, 16MB of RAM and a gigantic 3.5GB hard drive, as well as an internal modem(can't remember the speed, think it was 28k), huge 15 inch screen (which I'm using right now) and a photoscanner built into the case (WOW!). That is my first ever memory of anything to do with the internet. Whe used compuserve for some reason, and.

Before that we had a Compaq something or other, the monitor and computer were all in one, but it didn't have internet on it, but most people I knew hadn't ever used a computer before, now everyone's computer literate to some degree, though there are still some idiots who panic about error messages without reading what they say.

11-13-2003, 06:10 AM

Well guys, I'm way behind the times... my internet experience is prety much this crappy webtv... I really need to upgrade! I'm actually hoping that I can get a real computer sometime after the first of the year, maybe when I get my tax check.

I heard that Napster is still operating but now charging a membership fee of $1/yr. I know it was because of the singers getting pissy that people were burning their own CDs for free, so (what I heard) Napster's response was 'OK, you want us to charge people? Antie up a buck a year and download away!'

BTW... when I do get a computer, I'm getting one that burns CDs.... MP3 right?

Space Goat · 11-13-2003, 06:35 AM

I think I got online around the same time you did. Despite the era's drawbacks, the Internet had an air of mystery to it back then; exploring it was like trekking through an uncharted frontier. And using a search engine such as WebCrawler, Yahoo, or the newfangled Alta Vista was an adventure.

Now that's gone. :angry: Few people try to publish innovative and/or weird websites anymore. The Internet is almost like television now: corporate and homogonized. There are some diamonds in the rough, but one needs luck to find them.

The Lensman · 11-13-2003, 07:32 AM

Well in the 80's, my kid brother and I used to frequent several BBS here in Houston. We couldn't dial long distance, as it cost too much and we'd get in trouble. Everything was text based or had ASCII graphics, but there were some cool sites. I remember one was called "USS Enterprise". Most of the BBS' only allowed one person on at a time, so it sucked calling during the day. There's a certain personal nostalgia of sitting up at 2 AM and trying to get on some BBS. Sometimes you'd get in, sometimes you had to listen to a little busy signal before connecting. With our old monochrome moniter it was cool.

It was like finding all these hidden places and getting in in the deeps of night. I remember the thrill of first getting a few sparse e-mails. Now it's a boring tedium, what with the near infinite amount of spam that cascades into my hotmail account daily. I got so tired of hearing how "critical" my account size was from hotmail, that I blocked them.

Anyhoo, the BBS days lasted until about '88 or so, and then I wouldn't see anything like it until the early to mid 90's, when I first got on the Internet. Before then, multiple computer links were done computer to computer via modem.

Sirgets · 11-13-2003, 12:34 PM

What is the Internet?????

Stag · 11-13-2003, 02:07 PM

Do you remember the early days when it was called 'The web' or the 'information superhighway'.

I remember my boss telling me to search the web for some research info. It made me feel like spiderman. It was also great because there was no firewalls in place. Dream come true -- porno at work.

Arik · 11-13-2003, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Stag@Nov 13 2003, 09:07 AM
Do you remember the early days when it was called 'The web' or the 'information superhighway'.

If you remember "The Information Superhighway" (and the accompanying "Information Revolution"), then you must remember the whole slew of articles on "The clogging of the Information Superhighway".

I'm curious. If you don't call the web the web, what do you call it? Or, are you talking about the whole internet?

Bean · 11-13-2003, 02:56 PM

I remember far enough back, to when multiplayer gaming meant that one of you used the keyboard, and the other used the joystick

11-11-2003, 11:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
Arik Astro-Monkey Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Here, dumbfuck! Posts: 2,304	I've been thinking about the 'good old days' of the web, and I was wondering how long everyone's been a part of this whole "cyberspace" thingey anyway. I remember some great things about the internet, like before Yahoo! had their domain name, they were a part of a university (Princeton?) website. I remember using them for a short time before they put up their "Categories" (in fact, I remember reading an article about how that move would be a bad one for them). Or startrek.msn.com, the official website. You had to subscribe (and pay) to get in. :blink: When I first got on the web, the best unofficial Star Trek website (at this time, I don't think they had even done the startrek.msn.com) misspelled Sisco's name. I remember when animation became viable on website. I remember "Java", a new way to make websites sparkle! (actually it was Javascript working with the onMouseOver() and onMouseOut() functions.) I remember when 14.4 was lightning fast. Later, we upgraded our modem to 28.8! I remember when you were charged by hour to be on the 'net. I also remember racking up a $500 internet bill one month, followed by a $300 bill the next month. Yes, we jumped on the 'unlimited' offer as soon as AOL offered it. I remember a protocol known as gopher. I remember when you made a webpage that had frames, you had to offer a non-framed version, because half the people didn't have a browser that supported frames. Having both versions of a page canceled out what few benefits frames offered. I remember when every link you saw on a webpage was either underlined and blue or, if you had already been there, underlined and purple. I remember when cookies were evil and not to be trusted. And your browser alerted you before it set them. What are your early memories of the internet? __________________ The writers of this post apologize for you being too stupid to understand it.

11-12-2003, 03:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
Stag It's me again Join Date: Jan 1970 Location: Florida Posts: 3,286	Damn, I forgot about paying by the hour for internet service. I also remember the dreaded cookie boogie man and all links being blue and underlined. My first modem was a 14.4. (I think). My first PC was a Compaq 486, Pentiums came out about a month after I bought it. I remember when you could download songs for free from a place called Napster. I remember IM'ng people in AOL chat rooms and thinking that was so cool and hi-tech. __________________ "I want to do a motorboat on Shatner's manboobs" - Sam Cogley

11-12-2003, 07:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
Cymro Religious Fanatic Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Shitsville, CF63 Posts: 4,921	1996, when my dad had just bought the top of the Range HP Pavilion with 1.66MhZ of pure power, 16MB of RAM and a gigantic 3.5GB hard drive, as well as an internal modem(can't remember the speed, think it was 28k), huge 15 inch screen (which I'm using right now) and a photoscanner built into the case (WOW!). That is my first ever memory of anything to do with the internet. Whe used compuserve for some reason, and. Before that we had a Compaq something or other, the monitor and computer were all in one, but it didn't have internet on it, but most people I knew hadn't ever used a computer before, now everyone's computer literate to some degree, though there are still some idiots who panic about error messages without reading what they say. __________________ "Let me tell you something about humans, nephew: They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. "But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty and as violent as the most blood-thirsty klingon."

11-13-2003, 06:35 AM	#5 (permalink)
Space Goat "It's a faaaake!" Join Date: Jan 1970 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 432	I think I got online around the same time you did. Despite the era's drawbacks, the Internet had an air of mystery to it back then; exploring it was like trekking through an uncharted frontier. And using a search engine such as WebCrawler, Yahoo, or the newfangled Alta Vista was an adventure. Now that's gone. :angry: Few people try to publish innovative and/or weird websites anymore. The Internet is almost like television now: corporate and homogonized. There are some diamonds in the rough, but one needs luck to find them. __________________ "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." -V for Vendetta "Don't tell me what I can't do!" -John Locke, Lost Visit me on the web: Hypersyllogistic \| Flickr \| Twitter

11-13-2003, 07:32 AM	#6 (permalink)
The Lensman The Original Patron Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Earth, Sol, Milky Way Posts: 269	Well in the 80's, my kid brother and I used to frequent several BBS here in Houston. We couldn't dial long distance, as it cost too much and we'd get in trouble. Everything was text based or had ASCII graphics, but there were some cool sites. I remember one was called "USS Enterprise". Most of the BBS' only allowed one person on at a time, so it sucked calling during the day. There's a certain personal nostalgia of sitting up at 2 AM and trying to get on some BBS. Sometimes you'd get in, sometimes you had to listen to a little busy signal before connecting. With our old monochrome moniter it was cool. It was like finding all these hidden places and getting in in the deeps of night. I remember the thrill of first getting a few sparse e-mails. Now it's a boring tedium, what with the near infinite amount of spam that cascades into my hotmail account daily. I got so tired of hearing how "critical" my account size was from hotmail, that I blocked them. Anyhoo, the BBS days lasted until about '88 or so, and then I wouldn't see anything like it until the early to mid 90's, when I first got on the Internet. Before then, multiple computer links were done computer to computer via modem. __________________ Everyone Booze Up And Riot!!! Milk and Cheese

11-13-2003, 06:10 AM	#4 (permalink)
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	Well guys, I'm way behind the times... my internet experience is prety much this crappy webtv... I really need to upgrade! I'm actually hoping that I can get a real computer sometime after the first of the year, maybe when I get my tax check. I heard that Napster is still operating but now charging a membership fee of $1/yr. I know it was because of the singers getting pissy that people were burning their own CDs for free, so (what I heard) Napster's response was 'OK, you want us to charge people? Antie up a buck a year and download away!' BTW... when I do get a computer, I'm getting one that burns CDs.... MP3 right?

11-13-2003, 12:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
Sirgets AKA SIRGETS Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: CANADA EH! Posts: 1,118	What is the Internet????? __________________ Abandoning your fears is your first step on the road to enlightenment, and giving Stag a blowjob----cymro

11-13-2003, 02:07 PM	#8 (permalink)
Stag It's me again Join Date: Jan 1970 Location: Florida Posts: 3,286	Do you remember the early days when it was called 'The web' or the 'information superhighway'. I remember my boss telling me to search the web for some research info. It made me feel like spiderman. It was also great because there was no firewalls in place. Dream come true -- porno at work. __________________ "I want to do a motorboat on Shatner's manboobs" - Sam Cogley

11-13-2003, 02:56 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bean The Awesome One Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Canada eh! Posts: 5,055	I remember far enough back, to when multiplayer gaming meant that one of you used the keyboard, and the other used the joystick __________________ "I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing." --James T. Kirk

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