Can You Imagine Lockdown Without The Internet?

[anorlunda]

I remarked that the worst possible thing that could happen to the world right now would be collapse of The Internet. That makes me reflect on how profoundly The Internet has changed our lives. Young people have never lived without it. For old people, it came late in our lives. Young or old, share your thoughts with us.

• What would life be like without The Internet?
• For older folks, do you remember your first experience with The Internet?
• What about the pre-Internet era do you miss?
• What is your most loved/hated feature of The Internet.
• Is there any chance of an anti-Internet backlash?
• Internet, net, web, what pet names do you have for The Internet?
• What's your idea for The Internet of the Future?

 

[anorlunda]

I'll go first.

I've always been a geek. I carried teletype machines home in 1970 to work from home.

My first Internet account was in the 1980s. Back then, there were two main apps, email, and Usenet. Usenet was a discussion forum, sort of like today's Reddit but without pictures for the most part. The two main discussion topics were 1) Internet protocols, and 2) Porn. One of those two is still a top topic even today .

I invented something like a browser in 1987 and got a patent on it. But I didn't invent a web to go with it. There was no world wide web to browse, so potential customers could not understand what the purpose of a browser would be. It died on the vine.

Today, I can't imagine life without The Internet.

 

[jbriggs444]

What would life be like without The Internet?

We'd be telecommuting over 56K dialup or ISDN. Maybe GTE Telenet or X.25 would still be a thing.

Of course, then some joker would decide to make station to station available on broadband, using spare bandwidth from your cable TV provider to get high speed local point to point access. And some other joker would figure a way to do routing and global addressing. Then you'd have the Internet.

Pre-internet we already had e-mail and various networks, some global. If the Internet did not exist, it would exist anyway.

For older folks, do you remember your first experience with The Internet?

UUCP and Usenet News over IP. Back when there was still some signal in the noise.

What about the pre-Internet era do you miss?

Instead of Alta Vista, Yahoo or Google you had the library, the card catalog and the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.

Can't say I really miss them.

 

[Bystander]

UUCP and Usenet News over IP. Back when there was still some signal in the noise.

+10

 

[anorlunda]

Instead of Alta Vista, Yahoo or Google you had the library, the card catalog and the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.

I recall in recent years looking at the person at the library reference desk. He/she had a degree in library science, but was now reduced to collecting 5 cents per page for use of the library's printer. What an ignominious end to a noble profession.

 

[DaveC426913]

What would life be like without The Internet?

A lot more yardening would get done.

For older folks, do you remember your first experience with The Internet?

When I got into computers (C=64), it was just before BBSs came along. When I got hooked on BBSs, I had a mental image of being alone in a darkened room with a door. Behind the door I could hear muffled hustle and bustle. When I open the door, light comes flooding in and there are thousands of people rushing by just outside, like a giant mall. Image still holds up!I first went online at 1200 baud (1994, I think). Went to homepage of Macromedia. After two hours of waiting for the homepage to load, I gave up.

I am still with the same webhost I first signed up with: pathcom.

What about the pre-Internet era do you miss?

Browsing bookstores for new books from my fave authors. I still do it, knowing there won;t be anything there I haven't already gotten online for my ereader.

Is there any chance of an anti-Internet backlash?

Of course. It behooves each of us to limit our exposure the internet to what is healthy. (eg. don't feed all you info to Facebook. It's a foe, but it's also useful. Need to strike a balance.)

Internet, net, web, what pet names do you have for The Internet?

Interwebz, Innertoobs, "To The Google!"

What's your idea for The Internet of the Future?

The Internet of Things. But secure.

 

[BillTre]

• What would life be like without The Internet?

At this point in time, I would revert to moving files by hand with things like thumb drives.
I have a fairly large store of unread books/papers to read, so that can keep me busy.
I have several projects I can put time into at home without the use of the internet.

• For older folks, do you remember your first experience with The Internet?

I think it was in a lab (run by a geek prof) where I first used internet to any real extent. We communicated in the lab a fair amount via e-mail.

• What about the pre-Internet era do you miss?

Living across the street from the National Zoo when I was 4.
Going to a local swamp when I was in grade school.

• What is your most loved/hated feature of The Internet.

Stupid people spreading stupid ideas to stupid people.
Spam. Scams.

• Is there any chance of an anti-Internet backlash?

Yes, but I don't see it being significant.
Perhaps some increased regulation.

• Internet, net, web, what pet names do you have for The Internet?

Internet.

• What's your idea for The Internet of the Future?

More, faster, perhaps some increased sequrity or spam controls.

 

[Klystron]

What would life be like without The Internet?

We have had radio (wireless) and telephone communications for most of the 20th C. and general computers in the latter half. I assume you refer to a common public address scheme with KL0ndike-4567 replaced with web addresses.

Without the ease and simplicity of communicating via WWW, people might:

• fax and mail letters more.
• read paper newspapers or facsimiles (fax = facsimile).
• talk to each other more using radio and telephones.
• read solid and electronic books. Discuss same with other readers.
• advertise even more on television also with product placement in entertainment.
• tobacco companies would pay actors and directors to smoke on screen.
• stir up political hate via broadcast or cable propaganda networks masquerading as news sources.
• physically attend sporting and social events or watch them electronically.
• listen to music recorded and broadcast electronically, sometimes in person!

We still do these things. The Internet is just more convenient. Convenience is very important.

• For older folks, do you remember your first experience with The Internet?

I began sending text messages on DARPAnet around 1984 while working as a contract programmer at NASA around the time DARPA was converting comms to civilian use. My boss, director of the Unitary Plan complex and an ace programmer, forwarded one of the first electronic-mail 'attachments' for development.

The attachments contained instructions and then code for a novel program called sendmail. "der Rest ist Geschichte".*

• What about the pre-Internet era do you miss?

Folding paper newspapers. Coloured Sunday comics. Black ink all over everything touched after reading the newspaper. Did I mention the stinky inks? Now I can subscribe to almost any publication, translated into my language of choice, updated within seconds, on any available subject . Ho-Hum.

• What is your most loved/hated feature of The Internet.

Loved: Listening to J.S. Bach.

Hated: Flamers. Cowardly immature creatures crouching and teasing behind an electronic facade. "Anyukád sírni fog a szarfoltos hulládon."**

• Is there any chance of an anti-Internet backlash?

Aside from damaged elections and unrestrained propaganda? Though we already had those without the Inet. Yes, programmers are hard at work with anti-spam, anti-virus, ad blockers and other counter-measures to help protect children and other users.

• Internet, net, web, what pet names do you have for The Internet?

Spoken: "net" or "the net". Written: Inet

• What's your idea for The Internet of the Future?

We are living in the Future. Haven't you heard ?

-----------------------------------

*"The rest is History", F. Nietzsche quoting Marcus Tullius Cicero.

**Quoting my Hungarian great-grandmother's warning to bad boys.

{Edit 03272020: fixed link to play Leonard Cohen's song "The Future".}
{Edit 03282020: found better link to Cohen's song (see post below).}

 

[davenn]

What would life be like without The Internet?

difficult, have got so used to the easy access to information

For older folks, do you remember your first experience with The Internet?

would be back in the mid-late '80's with 300/300 baud acoustic modems
initially to a mate(s) then club BBS's when they started up
By ~1987-90 I was starting to build 300/300 1200/75 ( non acoustic) modems that
I sold to others for pocket money using the AMD7910 “World Chip"

It was only a few years later and technology exploded in advancements and it wasn't
long before 56k modems were the norm.
Must have been the early '90's when www use really became the norm from home
and when I was at university

What about the pre-Internet era do you miss?

associating with people face to face more often

What is your most loved/hated feature of The Internet.

Access to awesome good quality info / too much crap info
Dave

 

[dlgoff]

• What would life be like without The Internet?

Computer Bulletin Board Services come to mind.

edit: what @davenn said:

... then club BBS's ...

 

[OCR]

{Edit 03272020: fixed link to play Leonard Cohen's song "The Future".}

Is this the link you fixed that goes to "The Future" ?

http://the%20future%20leonard%20cohen - Google Search
For some reason, I never seem to get there. . . .

Or did my series of tubes get plugged up ?? .

.

 

[Klystron]

Is this the link you fixed that goes to "The Future" ?

http://the%20future%20leonard%20cohen - Google Search
For some reason, I never seem to get there. . . .

Or did my series of tubes get plugged up ?? . View attachment 259544

.

Youtube has changed (again) recently. Try this censored version. The song plays after you skip or block ads.


The problem with Google and other searches is locating the album, also called "The Future", instead of the song. The eponymous song is sometimes labeled after the refrain "Repent!" to distinguish it from the album.

 

[nsaspook]

Lot's of old salts have done 100+ continuous days at sea with nothing but acey-deucey for entertainment. So this Lockdown is easy.

 

[pinball1970]

I remarked that the worst possible thing that could happen to the world right now would be collapse of The Internet. That makes me reflect on how profoundly The Internet has changed our lives. Young people have never lived without it. For old people, it came late in our lives. Young or old, share your thoughts with us.

• What would life be like without The Internet?
• For older folks, do you remember your first experience with The Internet?
• What about the pre-Internet era do you miss?
• What is your most loved/hated feature of The Internet.
• Is there any chance of an anti-Internet backlash?
• Internet, net, web, what pet names do you have for The Internet?
• What's your idea for The Internet of the Future?

Great post.
The net has changed the face of libraries, I miss the old days when the only computer was behind the librarian's desk.
It would be nice to visit a 'book only' library again.
Kids skimming through books rather than rows of them with head phones on face book.
Prime example, central library in Manchester, opened in the 30s by king George v. A beautiful classical building and just as impressive on the inside. The main hall was huge and circular with books all round the outside with a central point where the librarians services were.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cen...60#imgrc=zyTushK1v9eN9M&imgdii=1A_DYE_Mt9_ufM

You could study there in silence and the lightest tap would echo around the hall due to the acoustics.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rea...t-android-pega&prmd=nimv#imgrc=JM5je6qBpOtI3M
The internet revolution and generation changed all that in 2010. They moved the books to salt mines in Cheshire for safe keeping and 4 years later the library was modernized.

Out went the ornate lamps and desks in came the cafe and computerized interactive videos, a stack of computers, kids and decibels.

https://www.google.com/search?q=new...t-android-pega&prmd=nimv#imgrc=-GAA1zdRJ7PpVM

I cannot imagine life or lock down without the net, it's a great source of instant information and entertainment but I miss the silence of our old libraries.

 

[anorlunda]

The net has changed the face of libraries, I miss the old days when the only computer was behind the librarian's desk.

I agree. Also sad was this:

I recall in recent years looking at the person at the library reference desk. He/she had a degree in library science, but was now reduced to collecting 5 cents per page for use of the library's printer. What an ignominious end to a noble profession.

Even here on PF, questions are frequently answered by "Google is your friend." I think that is curt and not nice, but the PF guideline says that questions should not be the kind that can be answered with a simple Internet search. Imagine that research librarian saying, "Google the answer first, then come back if your stuck."

 

[pinball1970]

I agree. Also sad was this:Even here on PF, questions are frequently answered by "Google is your friend." I think that is curt and not nice, but the PF guideline says that questions should not be the kind that can be answered with a simple Internet search. Imagine that research librarian saying, "Google the answer first, then come back if your stuck."

Library staff have had to evolve with the changes.
Most of the staff I see in central library these days are sorting out computer issues.
Not what they would have signed up for.
On the 'Google is your friend' point, I suppose people get sick of the same questions on virtual particles, singularities, relatively and the speed of light. The same with personal speculations, newbies do not read the rules or if they do they skim through and assume the usual things are not allowed.