Was the web an easier place to be in Y2K

by **Doddsy** on Tue May 08, 2012 1:49 pm

Just visited RKO site and commie_user started this post. I wonder what you guys think of the net these days.
This is my opinion.
Having been using the internet since it started I think the net is better these days. There is more variety and websites look better than they did. Broadband was a big step in the right direction for downloading files etc -Much better than the 56 and 128k modems that I used to have. Look at the quality of the music appearing today. Much higher than 10 years ago - now converted up to 192k. Package deals for accessing the net are a lot easier with plug and play devices cutting out the hard work for the masses.

Of course its all rose tinted specs for yesteryear and there are big problems with the net now. Not much is free anymore you have to sign up for something. Remember MAME roms they were everywhere free to download. You've got to be more careful about what details you put on the net these days too - and what ever happened to the FAQ page that we used to see on so many sites? Some are still there but are being phased out. I miss also the stop button you had - it solved a lot of crash issues on the old internet browsers when something being downloaded was locking the system.
So what is the future?
I think the internet will end up being licensed like your TV in the UK. The government will want a tax on it where you have to pay £150 -200 a year. It won't be tax free forever mark my words. :cry:

by **thingonaspring** on Tue May 08, 2012 1:51 pm

not sure i can see that happening. if anything, i expect the television license to be scrapped before that happens.

by **SJ_Sathanas** on Tue May 08, 2012 7:39 pm

I think I prefered it when the 'net was just for geeks TBH...

by **Liamh1982** on Tue May 08, 2012 8:11 pm

Now, definitely. One word - broadband.

No more waiting minutes for a low-res JPG. No more 120p QuickTime videos. No more having to settle for less than 128kps music downloads. No more gaudy home-made websites. No more ugly unfriendly browsers.

by **noobish hat** on Tue May 08, 2012 10:23 pm

Liamh1982 wrote:Now, definitely. One word - broadband.

No more waiting minutes for a low-res JPG. No more 120p QuickTime videos. No more having to settle for less than 128kps music downloads. No more gaudy home-made websites. No more ugly unfriendly browsers.

coughIEcough

by **RetroBob** on Tue May 08, 2012 10:54 pm

Infinitely easier now, for starters you can have a website without needing to know anything about HTML.

by **MattyC64c** on Wed May 09, 2012 10:28 am

Just made me think of a quote from episode of The I.T Crowed, when Roy asks Moss if he can remember the Internet before broadband, "You could be on the Internet all night, but only see eight women".

Talking about MAME, I have about five websites favorites for games, I've used these same sites for years. The best one I use (not mentioning names) is actually French. Before broadband, It took ages just to download a 500Kb ROM file, now it's less than a second.

Also, web pages look more pretty these days. Looking back to the Net of the 90's may be nostalgic, but it wasn't pretty.

My Retrobate Profile · by **Megamixer** on Fri May 11, 2012 10:46 am

I wasn't there right from the beginning but I remember using computers and the internet for the first time at school around about the Windows 98/2000 time. Waiting ages for flash games to load and patiently watching that Macromedia Shockwave bar take its sweet time only for the whole thing to freeze or spectacularly fail :lol:

Not better back then but definitely nostalgiac to look back on it all now. Plus, the internet wasn't such a big part of everyday life. Now it seems that trolls are more vicious than ever and people are constantly plugged into the 'net. Quite depressing really if you ask me.

by **Gabbysanders** on Sat May 12, 2012 9:45 pm

i like it better now!

by **Negative Creep** on Sun May 13, 2012 12:34 pm

Liamh1982 wrote:Now, definitely. One word - broadband.

No more waiting minutes for a low-res JPG. No more 120p QuickTime videos. No more having to settle for less than 128kps music downloads. No more gaudy home-made websites. No more ugly unfriendly browsers.

Not to mention the fact you no longer have to share the line with the home phone, so I don't miss the days of my Dad telling me to disconnect in case anyone wants to call us. It might just be my imagination, but there did seem to be fewer trolls, scammers and spammers back in the ol' days

by **samhain81** on Tue May 15, 2012 12:23 pm

I would trade Internet now, for internet then, any day. Period

by **Lorfarius** on Tue May 15, 2012 8:00 pm

Doddsy wrote: I miss also the stop button you had - it solved a lot of crash issues on the old internet browsers when something being downloaded was locking the system.

You can just press Escape. That forces the same to happen on a browser.

My Retrobate Profile · by **Megamixer** on Tue May 15, 2012 8:41 pm

Negative Creep wrote: It might just be my imagination, but there did seem to be fewer trolls, scammers and spammers back in the ol' days

It's because the internet has become so integrated into everyday lives. On one hand it's great on the other it's like a disease

by **SJ_Sathanas** on Tue May 15, 2012 8:57 pm

Negative Creep wrote:
Liamh1982 wrote:Now, definitely. One word - broadband.

No more waiting minutes for a low-res JPG. No more 120p QuickTime videos. No more having to settle for less than 128kps music downloads. No more gaudy home-made websites. No more ugly unfriendly browsers.

Not to mention the fact you no longer have to share the line with the home phone, so I don't miss the days of my Dad telling me to disconnect in case anyone wants to call us. It might just be my imagination, but there did seem to be fewer trolls, scammers and spammers back in the ol' days

Wow yeah I had forgotten all about that! Unplugging the upstaits phopne to dial-up then forgetting to plug it back in again afterward lol.

by **r0jaws** on Tue May 15, 2012 11:57 pm

Blimey, I remember being at a mates house the first time I encountered t'internet. He was proudly showing me his new Win 95 system, setup for LAN gaming DUne with his flatmate and casually chucked in about it being able to go on t'internet, where you can find anything. Anything? says I. Yep anything you want, just type it in and we can have a look.
Ummm Ok, [mind blanks], looks around the room for inspiration and spots Simpsons Video. Then spend productive 2 hours downloading random Simpsons quotes and pictures. Didn't even consider the pron possibilities!
Basically, it was utter b0sh. Next time was using agonisingly slow 28k dial up and nearly having a fit when I managaed to get enough cash together for a 56k modem. Spent loads of time on WinMx downloading as much utter rubbish as I could. There was plenty to choose from, what fun I had. :roll:

They were bad times, the internet is miles better now. Although I did quite like the chat facility in WinMX, met some interesting characters that way.