Was the internet "better" when it wasn't mainstream?

[Mr-Fusion]

I was there before it was cool. Was it better? Better before all YOU MORONS turned up?

Think about it.

 

[Dan]

you mean when we used netscape navigator to browse the 5000 websites in existence or do you mean when we used telnet to talk to the 500 other people on the internet

 

[Man|-|unter]

No!

 

[tehsolace]

I loved the times of CS 1.3... and even back in the times of Total Annihilation.

But there wasn't hardly enough cool videos and comedy on the internet... and it certainly didn't have the feeling of a 'depository of knowledge' as it does today with sites like wiki and endless articles/discussions about anything on most any website.

 

[xcellerate]

total annihilation was too late, it was popular then.


*cries* why did TA have to go away!!

 

[AmishSlayer]

total annihilation was too late, it was popular then.


*cries* why did TA have to go away!!

TA has been reincarnated as Supreme Commander.

The internet is only getting better and better in general. Sure there are more and more idiots flooding it that somehow manage to gain followings and spread stupidity...then there's more idiot gamers out there ruining it for everybody...and more idiots planning ways to send me more spam and spyware...

...but overall it's still better because there's actually fun stuff to do on it and it's useful.

EDIT: It all depends on what you mean by "mainstream"

 

[Dan]

EDIT: It all depends on what you mean by "mainstream"

Mainstream was when the first female used the internet

 

[Doppelgofer]

god i've been using the internet since about 1998 now...how time flies

 

[AmishSlayer]

god i've been using the internet since about 1998 now...how time flies

I think I remember first using the internet when I was in 4th grade so about 1994. Damn that was a long time ago.

 

[Steven]

The internet used to be cooler earlier on, as ****tards have been encouraged to use it.

 

[Unfocused]

Mainstream was when the first female used the internet

Good one

 

[jondy]

The internet used to be cooler earlier on, as ****tards have been encouraged to use it.

You're fifteen. That would mean you being a six year old when HL came out, and ten when broadband started becoming mainstream.

 

[Steven]

You're fifteen. That would mean you being a six year old when HL came out, and ten when broadband started becoming mainstream.

been useing it for three years, noticed a decline.

edit: 7 years if you count general web browseing

 

[Baal]

My sister and her boyfriend had the Internet in 1997 (AOL) at their apartment. I didn't get to use it much, but I was fascinated with AOL chatrooms.

Based on the fact that I was fascinated with chatrooms, I am going to say things are better now.

 

[cheddarrr]

theres way more pr0n on the net now.. so its better.

 

[Ennui]

I first got on the internet in the mid nineties. I quite like it still but I think my favorite years were around 2001-2002 or so.

It's really changed a lot, now that I think about it, since I first started using it when I was six or seven.

 

[Shodan]

YES!

Before myspace, before it was cool to type like a retard, before the internet was a wall where everybody could piss patterens onto.

 

[Kester^]

It all depends on what aspect you are talking about, there was a noticibly decline in peoples ability to type in full english a few years ago, but I rarely see people type in AOL speak anymore, but maybe that's just because of the places I frequent.

The accessability and ease of use of the internet also makes it great as a resource tool, for all many of things. I no longer have to show my mates how to find what they want on the internet as things used to be quite obscure to find, now I just tell them to goto wiki.

Granted myspace exists, but again that can be classed as a good thing. Firstly it's a place for upcoming artists to showcase their music, and secondly, and probably most importantly, it keeps most of the ****tards in one place.

The only real downside I see in the internet becoming mainstream, is the insane amount of kids on online games using cheats because it makes them "cool" and then screaming down the mic when you kill them anyhow. When will they realise no one wants to listen to a what sounds like a little girl having a tantrum whilst playing computer games.

 

[Steven]

The only real downside I see in the internet becoming mainstream, is the insane amount of kids on online games using cheats because it makes them "cool" and then screaming down the mic when you kill them anyhow. When will they realise no one wants to listen to a what sounds like a little girl having a tantrum whilst playing computer games.

Yes they do, it's quite possibly the funniest thing ever.

 

[Dalamari]

When the internet wasn't mainstream? Back in the days of 300kb/s modems and you had to refresh 100 times on chat rooms so you could see people respond?

No, the internet is MUCH better now

 

[Jangle]

I'm sick of news programmes thinking they're hip and cool because they're doing a story about the internet. 90% of the time it's something about youtube.

 

[StardogChampion]

It was way better before. I remember using MSN Chat almost every day before it closed. It was funny having a golden hammer and being able to boot anyone from the room, or promote them to a brown hammer. They got closed because of all the paedophile paranoia.

 

[CrazyHarij]

i used a bit of telnet, played online delta force (back when cheats and TKing was nonexistant), netscape navigator i didn't use it for much except looking into the occasional game demo at the small sites that were around, my first forum post ever was one single post in the star wars forums where i proudly explained that boba fetts surname meant fat in swedish.

the firearms mod got quite good in 02-03, i started playing DOD too then, with dod_omaha etc.

but to answer the question? no ****ing way. slower, less accessible, less people. being able to communicate this easily, access any kind of information with google or wikipedia, play games with thousands of players 24/7, is worth all the shit you have to deal with.

 

[Darkside55]

I have something I like to call the Theory of Universal Degradation, which basically states that the older something is/the longer it is in use that it basically goes from being awesome to a pile of crap. This depreciation isn't constant; the rate depends on what the subject is, but it is always occurring, and it definately applies to the internet.

Internet now is faster, has a lot more information, more people to interact with, and a lot more to do in general. Sounds good, right? However, with the exception of faster speeds, these all have downsides.

More information? More like a lot more crap you have to sift through to find something of actual value. Wikipedia indeed; information on subjects used to be penned by scholars and reputable people, which isn't to say that wiki isn't reputable or correct (which sometimes it isn't), just that you'd get the same thing back then as you would now. Perhaps not on such a variety of subjects, but most of the time back then you knew you could trust the information. They weren't letting anyone who thought they knew something onto the internet, and they weren't giving them the space to write it out on. And wiki's one of the few good places to point out; think about all the personal sites that claim to have information on things but don't.

More people to talk to, play games with, etc. Shitcocks, almost all of them. Seriously, you guys know what I'm talking about. When was the last time you could really get on and have a chat with someone, or a group of people, without at least one (if you're lucky) being annoying as all hell? When was the last time you played a game with a completely awesome group of people that WASN'T a server you booked in your favorites and have been playing with on a constant basis? And of course there were people like this before the internet got big, but very, very few. The more people that've come on, the more likely it becomes that you're going to start introducing bad eggs into the mix. Keep in mind that this ties into point #1 as well, since these people generally have something to say about everything.

Point 3, "more to do." No, not really. You all probably frequent a handful of sites during your e-time, play one or two different games online. Generally no more than five. None of us, matter of fact I can say that nobody in the world really uses the internet to its full advantage because there's simply TOO MUCH. You, the person reading this message, only requires the internet for a core set of interests; you really don't care about the rest of the internet. And while more people means you have more stuff to look at based on those interests, please see points 1 and 2 and then realize you probably don't give a care what 90% of those people/sites say. The only pro I can say about that is that you have the option of picking from a wider variety of voices to listen to--but you're still going to neglect every 9 out of 10.

The internet was a simpler place back then, and I liked it a bit more than I do now. TBH back then, perhaps it was just the mystique of the internet, but I wanted to try and explore everything I could on it. Now I'm just like, "Hey what's HL2.net doing? How're people in the only IRC channel I actually speak in? What's on Youtube? Check SA forums briefly. Go visit a site I won't mention that has SPECIFICALLY been decimated by a sudden proliferation of retards. Repeat ad nauseam."

 

[Absinthe]

Internet's better now. You call all stop pretending to be old-school with your angry little "THE INTERNET SOLD OUT" t-shirts or whatever.

 

[Dan]

I was playing Quake TF back in 96. Before that it was Quake. Before that it was Hexen, before that it was Commander Keen.

 

[lePobz]

It sucked back then. I was surfing the primative 'net, talkers and BBS's in '93, and it got boring quick. You just couldn't do much, short of download (very slowly) a picture or midi file.

Even with all its flaws, I think the internet of today is vastly more useful/entertaining/educational. You retro freaks might think it was better back then, but if you could experience it for just a day, you'd weep.

 

[Kester^]

Hell the very fact, I can be playing EVE one minute, then flick on to see if my bid on ebay for a part I need for my fiancees car has won. Then checking the correct way to install said part. Followed by buying my food and possibly a few books and dvd's without leaving my seat, quite frankly makes the internet better than it ever has been.

Oh and then I can get straight back into the game.

 

[Evo]

Hell the very fact, I can be playing EVE one minute, then flick on to see if my bid on ebay for a part I need for my fiancees car has won. Then checking the correct way to install said part. Followed by buying my food and possibly a few books and dvd's without leaving my seat, quite frankly makes the internet better than it ever has been.

Oh and then I can get straight back into the game.

Don't forget seeing your site get overloaded to the max when you release media

Ah good times

 

[Beerdude26]

Can't say, didn't really start exploring the internet until 1999 or something. What I do find annoying is all the ****ing l33t-kiddies who think they're cool because they play CSS -_-

"Hey, I was playing CSS on that dusty map and I killed three guys in a row!"
"Wow, you're leet!"
/me loads shotgun and points it into own mouth

I found it way more fun when I was the only person who was knowledgeable about computer stuff. Back then, everyone would ask me for help. What they do now is think they can do it themselves, **** up their computer beyond repair and then ask me to repair it. :|

 

[ríomhaire]

I have something I like to call the Theory of Universal Degradation, which basically states that the older something is/the longer it is in use that it basically goes from being awesome to a pile of crap. This depreciation isn't constant; the rate depends on what the subject is, but it is always occurring, and it definately applies to the internet.

Internet now is faster, has a lot more information, more people to interact with, and a lot more to do in general. Sounds good, right? However, with the exception of faster speeds, these all have downsides.

More information? More like a lot more crap you have to sift through to find something of actual value. Wikipedia indeed; information on subjects used to be penned by scholars and reputable people, which isn't to say that wiki isn't reputable or correct (which sometimes it isn't), just that you'd get the same thing back then as you would now. Perhaps not on such a variety of subjects, but most of the time back then you knew you could trust the information. They weren't letting anyone who thought they knew something onto the internet, and they weren't giving them the space to write it out on. And wiki's one of the few good places to point out; think about all the personal sites that claim to have information on things but don't.

More people to talk to, play games with, etc. Shitcocks, almost all of them. Seriously, you guys know what I'm talking about. When was the last time you could really get on and have a chat with someone, or a group of people, without at least one (if you're lucky) being annoying as all hell? When was the last time you played a game with a completely awesome group of people that WASN'T a server you booked in your favorites and have been playing with on a constant basis? And of course there were people like this before the internet got big, but very, very few. The more people that've come on, the more likely it becomes that you're going to start introducing bad eggs into the mix. Keep in mind that this ties into point #1 as well, since these people generally have something to say about everything.

Point 3, "more to do." No, not really. You all probably frequent a handful of sites during your e-time, play one or two different games online. Generally no more than five. None of us, matter of fact I can say that nobody in the world really uses the internet to its full advantage because there's simply TOO MUCH. You, the person reading this message, only requires the internet for a core set of interests; you really don't care about the rest of the internet. And while more people means you have more stuff to look at based on those interests, please see points 1 and 2 and then realize you probably don't give a care what 90% of those people/sites say. The only pro I can say about that is that you have the option of picking from a wider variety of voices to listen to--but you're still going to neglect every 9 out of 10.

The internet was a simpler place back then, and I liked it a bit more than I do now. TBH back then, perhaps it was just the mystique of the internet, but I wanted to try and explore everything I could on it. Now I'm just like, "Hey what's HL2.net doing? How're people in the only IRC channel I actually speak in? What's on Youtube? Check SA forums briefly. Go visit a site I won't mention that has SPECIFICALLY been decimated by a sudden proliferation of retards. Repeat ad nauseam."

I have a theory that basicly is 80-99% of any media form is shit, was shit, and will always be shit. This includes the interent, TV, books, radio and video games.

 

[AmishSlayer]

People always look back on things like this and get nostalgic, bringing the positive to the forefront and neglecting to remember the negative.

The internet sucked 10+ years ago, it offered maybe 1% of the functionality that we see today. Speeds were horribly slow, there was hardly anything interesting to do.

People in this thread are just mainly talking about how it's affected gaming and that's one of the areas that has risen in quality (more players, lower latency, more features, etc) but with that quality comes some flaws, mainly retard gamers.

Nobody here HONESTLY wants to go back to the way internet was before it was mainstream unless they have something against free porn.

 

[15357]

People always look back on things like this and get nostalgic, bringing the positive to the forefront and neglecting to remember the negative.

The internet sucked 10+ years ago, it offered maybe 1% of the functionality that we see today. Speeds were horribly slow, there was hardly anything interesting to do.

People in this thread are just mainly talking about how it's affected gaming and that's one of the areas that has risen in quality (more players, lower latency, more features, etc) but with that quality comes some flaws, mainly retard gamers.

Nobody here HONESTLY wants to go back to the way internet was before it was mainstream unless they have something against free porn.

qftmft.

 

[Candy art]

The internet used to be cooler earlier on, as ****tards have been encouraged to use it.

"look,I have done criminal deeds,and I touched a womens breast ,even though she did not want it"


You mean those kinda people?

 

[Bad^Hat]

Hell no. I don't miss dialup one bit.

It was "better" for the fact that it was new and cool, but I'd wager anyone coming into it now with the same mindset would have a similar reaction anyway. Except now it's more established, so it might be a bit harder to "crack" into. *shrugs*

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Golden years 1999-2002

 

[theotherguy]

I have something I like to call the Theory of Universal Degradation, which basically states that the older something is/the longer it is in use that it basically goes from being awesome to a pile of crap. This depreciation isn't constant; the rate depends on what the subject is, but it is always occurring, and it definately applies to the internet.

Internet now is faster, has a lot more information, more people to interact with, and a lot more to do in general. Sounds good, right? However, with the exception of faster speeds, these all have downsides.

More information? More like a lot more crap you have to sift through to find something of actual value. Wikipedia indeed; information on subjects used to be penned by scholars and reputable people, which isn't to say that wiki isn't reputable or correct (which sometimes it isn't), just that you'd get the same thing back then as you would now. Perhaps not on such a variety of subjects, but most of the time back then you knew you could trust the information. They weren't letting anyone who thought they knew something onto the internet, and they weren't giving them the space to write it out on. And wiki's one of the few good places to point out; think about all the personal sites that claim to have information on things but don't.

More people to talk to, play games with, etc. Shitcocks, almost all of them. Seriously, you guys know what I'm talking about. When was the last time you could really get on and have a chat with someone, or a group of people, without at least one (if you're lucky) being annoying as all hell? When was the last time you played a game with a completely awesome group of people that WASN'T a server you booked in your favorites and have been playing with on a constant basis? And of course there were people like this before the internet got big, but very, very few. The more people that've come on, the more likely it becomes that you're going to start introducing bad eggs into the mix. Keep in mind that this ties into point #1 as well, since these people generally have something to say about everything.

Point 3, "more to do." No, not really. You all probably frequent a handful of sites during your e-time, play one or two different games online. Generally no more than five. None of us, matter of fact I can say that nobody in the world really uses the internet to its full advantage because there's simply TOO MUCH. You, the person reading this message, only requires the internet for a core set of interests; you really don't care about the rest of the internet. And while more people means you have more stuff to look at based on those interests, please see points 1 and 2 and then realize you probably don't give a care what 90% of those people/sites say. The only pro I can say about that is that you have the option of picking from a wider variety of voices to listen to--but you're still going to neglect every 9 out of 10.

The internet was a simpler place back then, and I liked it a bit more than I do now. TBH back then, perhaps it was just the mystique of the internet, but I wanted to try and explore everything I could on it. Now I'm just like, "Hey what's HL2.net doing? How're people in the only IRC channel I actually speak in? What's on Youtube? Check SA forums briefly. Go visit a site I won't mention that has SPECIFICALLY been decimated by a sudden proliferation of retards. Repeat ad nauseam."

omgies, 2nd law of thermodynamics on the internets.

 

[Steven]

"look,I have done criminal deeds,and I touched a womens breast ,even though she did not want it"


You mean those kinda people?

No, I mean people who bitch about you.

 

[Candy art]

haha,good come back

 

[Darkside55]

I have a theory that basicly is 80-99% of any media form is shit, was shit, and will always be shit. This includes the internet, TV, books, radio and video games.

Indeed. And the more that's added into those things, the higher the proliferation of said shit. So the internet then had the same ratio of good to bad as it did today, except that now there's massive amounts more crap vs. what's good. Look at what people've been pointing out in this thread: games, youtube, wikipedia. Games don't really count as the first online games were pretty damn good, and wiki and youtube are in the 1%.

omgies, 2nd law of thermodynamics on the internets.

*Checks 2nd law of thermodynamics*

Hah, so it is. I knew I didn't come up with that theory (someone would've had to notice before) but I didn't think there was an actual term for it, aside from depreciation, which is something accountants use. It was something I was just noticing since in the past few months a lot of things that used to be good have been going to shit (I had a computer blow up on me, the engine in my car died, internet runs super slow in the day, TV sucks, internet's starting to suck in terms of content, etc. etc.)

People always look back on things like this and get nostalgic, bringing the positive to the forefront and neglecting to remember the negative.

The internet sucked 10+ years ago, it offered maybe 1% of the functionality that we see today. Speeds were horribly slow, there was hardly anything interesting to do.

People in this thread are just mainly talking about how it's affected gaming and that's one of the areas that has risen in quality (more players, lower latency, more features, etc) but with that quality comes some flaws, mainly retard gamers.

Nobody here HONESTLY wants to go back to the way internet was before it was mainstream unless they have something against free porn.

It's not functionality it's just what was good. There WAS a lot to do back in the day--not as much, but with regard to how much you actually USE, it's probably the same. You've just replaced some things with others. I remember having a lot more fun on the internet then than I do now, but as I said before I could probably chalk that up to the internet being a new and exciting thing.

Already touched on the retarded gamers thing. That's just what happens when more people get word of something; you let idiots into the system.

Also, on porn...you obviously have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to internet porn. Sorry. Porn's heydey on the internet was in the past, when everything was free. 'Free' today means, "go to a TGP and live off of samples while dodging blind links, and MAYBE torrent something or hit up a hub." In the past free porn meant, "Here's a site with free porn. No AVS, no membership, not samples. Come and get it," or "join a newsgroup where most of the posts surprisingly aren't spam," a sort of precursor to image boards.