What the Internet Used to Look Like
07/04/13 11:00 Filed in: Industry
Nostalgia is not as good as it used to be, is it?
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This week I stumbled across a video - well when I say I, I mean me and the rest of the blogosphere - showing a US Program about the Internet filmed in 1995. I found it utterly enthralling.
It starts off with: “Who says online users are a bunch of anti-social geeks?” …. then I was hooked.
Anyway, you can see the video here - it’s a great way to waste 20 odd minutes.
I was a youngster in our industry back then, but I do remember getting quite excited about what this ‘joined up community’ could do, and the affect it could have on our day to day lives. I remember talking about it to friends who really couldn’t care less and just couldn’t really see the point.
Personally, I started to use it a lot to gain a competitive advantage in my job - I spent a lot of time on CompuServe for their Novell Netware forums (Called NetWire) for example, and got quite actively involved in their relaunch - it was really fascinating stuff!
Back then, getting access to software and patches etc. was slow and laborious. Waiting in phone queues, snail-mailing/biking disks to support desks etc. Even this simple little group on CompuServe changed my job to a massive extent - which was fortunate, because I also had to justify my landline phone bill to my boss!
Look at the world now…everything connected, everywhere…and more recently, for everything. Hi-definition voice, video etc. were just unimaginable back then really.
It goes without saying (but I’m going to say it anyway), the Internet is in ever part of people’s lives now - from cars, to kitchens. Look what we’ve achieved in such a short period of time…and it makes you realise that there can only be cooler things to come!
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