The Grunkler

Is this what the internet felt like?

https://lemmy.world/post/209814

Is this what the internet felt like? - Lemmy.world

I’ve been exploring the fediverse and subbing and posting all over the damn place. Realizing lemmy can federate with kbin blew my mind. Not to mention the possibility of turning my old laptop into a personal server to host my own instance. Is this what it felt like to discover how the internet worked in the 90s?

Jun 17, 2023 at 2:30amWeb
Show threadug01xJun 17, 2023
It's way better. For instance this picture didn't take 3 minutes to load.
Show threadYerbaYerbaJun 17, 2023
Not to mention the whole time the phone line is tied up. The only phone.
Show threadGuyDudemanJun 17, 2023
Very true. And when my parents didn’t want me online anymore, rather than just coming in and asking me nicely to hop off while they make their phone call, they would click the hang up button repeatedly until the signal was lost and I was disconnected. Then they would make their phone call.
Show threadsimilideanoJun 17, 2023
I clearly remember when I first got broadband installed, yes faster downloads were nice and all, but what I really cared about at that point was that sweet release from the tiranny of the freaking phone line. Not ever having to worry again about people wanting you to disconnect because they want to use the phone. Connected 24/7, baby! What a revolution, lol
Show threadosarusanJun 17, 2023
It's like I'm looking into a mirror!
Show threadFreeBooteR69Jun 17, 2023
I remember having a c64 with a 300 baud modem in the 80s, then Amiga500 using 600 baud modem, then after that PC 1200/2400, then went cable. Honestly i don't miss the hardware limitations, but i "get" the feeling of new frontierness.
Show threadtallwookieJun 17, 2023
yep. it got to a point where my folks had to get a computer only phone # as either me or my sister were constantly online.
Show threadMSugarhillJun 17, 2023
Tell me more, I think that did not exist where I live.
Show threadtallwookieJun 17, 2023

twas the year 1996, I had been online for 3 years, 28.8kbps wasnt doing it anymore, got a 56kbps US Robotics modem (wikipedia says 56k wasnt available until 1998 but that's wrong, 1998 was when I started college and I had a 56k modem at least 2 years prior to that).

internet access was run by the county, so we dialed into a server (named "homer") and then it either acted as a proxy or basic NAT to provide access to the public internet. speeds were glacially slow compared to modern day standards, I played a lot of MUD's (smaug codebase mostly - Realms of Despair, etc). the internet was very much a different animal back in those days.

Show threadMSugarhillJun 19, 2023
Oh way before my time! But I think we never had softphones like that. The possibility only started with y splitters in ISDN times.
Show threadAction [email protected]Jun 17, 2023

I remember one of my friends had TWO phone lines, so they can use the phone AND the dial-up at the same time.

I was so insanely fucking jealous. I hated that kid so much, because he could be online all night and he would FUCKING RAID MY KINGDOM IN UTOPIA WHILE TALKING TO ME ON THE PHONE! FUCK YOU ADAM!

Show threadhrimfaxi_workJun 17, 2023
I feel nostalgia for the days of anxiously waiting for an image of Anna Nicole Smith or something to load from the top down, only to learn after 2 minutes that she was wearing a swimsuit 🫠
Show threadtoomanyjoints69Jun 17, 2023
I feel like this picture right now
Show threadComratJun 17, 2023
I was ready to put on some rose colored glasses and be all contrarian, but nah, you're totally right
Show threadgawdahmJun 17, 2023
If you really want a 90s throwback, have a look at neocities.com
Show threadcoldvJun 17, 2023
Oof. Right in the nostalgia. Looks better than Geocities though
Show threadScrofJun 17, 2023
I've been on Lemmy for a only a couple of days and I'm already saving posts left and right.
Show threadgawdahmJun 17, 2023
Yeah, I'm kinda tempted to start a "InternetIsBeautiful" clone where we can post random links to cool things.
Show threadgh0stcassetteJun 17, 2023
Please do!
Show threadgawdahmJun 17, 2023
https://sh.itjust.works/c/internetisawesome
Show threadGuy DudemanJun 17, 2023
https://lemmy.ml/c/internetisbeautiful
Show threadGuy DudemanJun 17, 2023
https://lemmy.ml/c/internetisbeautiful
Show threadOtome-chanJun 17, 2023
kbin definitely needs a "save thread/comment" feature. sounds handy.
Show threadNebLemJun 17, 2023
Is that Myspace Tom in your avatar?
Show threadgawdahmJun 17, 2023
Maybe I am Myspace Tom
Show threadgawdahmJun 17, 2023
Guess you'll have to click on my profile to find out
Show threadNebLemJun 17, 2023
Your profile says exactly what I'd expect Myspace Tom to say, so thanks for being a friend to all!
Show threadAstralWeekendsJun 17, 2023
I feel hurt.
Show threadlivusJun 17, 2023
I have to admit, this whole fediverse adventure is making me feel like I should really make myself a neocities homepage!
Show threadSpezCanLigmaBallsJun 17, 2023
I’m a techy person and I’ve tried to figure out kbin but I can’t lol. I got mastadon and Lemmy. I haven’t really tried more than like 5 minute to get kbin but I couldn’t figure it out in that time and I was able to do Lemmy and mastadon within that time range
Show threadgeoffervescentJun 17, 2023
The beauty is it doesn't matter too much. I'm seeing and replying to this from a kbin instance of this post, you see.
Show threadOtome-chanJun 17, 2023
the cool thing is that I can post and enjoy from here on kbin and you can do so from lemmy :)
Show threadpopshabangJun 17, 2023
Out of curiosity, what couldn't you figure out? Haven't tried setting up an account on Lemmy, but I just created an account on Kbin in a minute and was up and running
Show threadSpezCanLigmaBallsJun 17, 2023
I couldn't figure out how to search up communities. When I would use the search feature it would show posts with that term in it. I use mobile so idk if something is hidden to the side or what. There was some screen I kept on getting stuck on also that I don't remember now
Show threadpopshabangJun 17, 2023

Ah yeah--that is confusing here. I think there's a lot of UI improvements that are sure to come. For some reason there are two searches--a post search and a magazine search. The post search is the one that's visible on the top bar, and the magazine search is in the magazines tab (that lists all magazines), and in my experience is pretty good. If I search "tech" I get results from all sorts of instances.

All in all there's a lot of room for improvement, but it's such a young piece of software that I'm pretty confident it (and lemmy) will improve pretty rapidly in the coming months/years

Show threadtallwookieJun 17, 2023
I honestly prefer the minimalistic (comparatively) UI here than on kbin. and since it's federating again now, I can enjoy the best of both worlds
Show threadhrimfaxi_workJun 17, 2023
In some way, yes. In other ways, also yes.
Show threadCasmaelJun 17, 2023
https://imgur.com/2Yvj2YB
Show threadmarx2kJun 17, 2023
That's what BBSes and some parts of the internet felt like. Then it all just became a shitty megamall.
Show threadwagesj45Jun 17, 2023
we're returning now. all hail ActivityPub and personal blogs and self hosting.
Show threadmarx2kJun 17, 2023
I kinda wish usenet was still popular for more than downloads :/ I used to forte agent and slrn like a motherfucker
Show threadpassportJun 18, 2023
be the change you want to see in the world
Show threadkestrel7Jun 17, 2023
The global village is a company town.
Show threadmarx2kJun 17, 2023
Depressing
Show threadMonkeyhogJun 17, 2023
Honestly, yes. It does remind me of those days. Reminds me of the old Usenet.
Show threadfuboJun 17, 2023

... the last time I saw that graphic I think was Homestuck.

So yes, completely realistic.

Show threadThe GrunklerJun 17, 2023
My only worry about this site is that somebody might have taken a screenshot of my first comments, when my screen name was still set as Zoosmell Pooplord.
Show threadfuboJun 17, 2023
h3y coolk1d ...
Show threadcybervseasJun 17, 2023
Yes. When you got to Yahoo and just started to click through the directory pages it was an experience filled with wonder. It was, as someone else already mentioned, much slower.
Show threadeatmoregreenfoodJun 17, 2023
I literally had this book
Show threadgeoffervescentJun 17, 2023
Whever anyone asks what the internet used to be like I send them to a little old site called www.homestarrunner.com It's still up after all these years. Truly beautiful.
Show threadvercimusartJun 17, 2023
The simple pleasures of Trogdor the Burninator
Show threadaeternumJun 17, 2023
It's parked page for me.
Show thread6fnJun 17, 2023
The link looks right but has one too many r's in the URL. Try www.homestarrunner.com
Everybody! Everybody!

Homestar Runner
Show threadblahajJun 17, 2023
Oddly enough even with the proper URL I'm getting a server not found error
Show threadNRVultureJun 17, 2023
Maybe we gave the site the very first Fediverse hug of death
Show threadjclinaresJun 17, 2023
Yeah, I think that's what happened. We did it Fediverse! :D
Show threadpilvlpJun 17, 2023
try https://homestarrunner.com/
Everybody! Everybody!

Homestar Runner
Show threadA_Chilean_CyborgJun 17, 2023
I don't understand that site, can you explain?
Show thread6fnJun 17, 2023

To try and give context, Homestar Runner was made in Adobe Flash and in its time rectangles were notoriously uncool in web design. Flash sites weren't limited to the rigid structure of a typical webpage, so you would often be mousing over (very important for this site) and finding objects to interact with. These came in whatever whimsical shape the designer wanted to have on screen.

The landing page is of similar design. It's the little blue flag that will take you to the main page that people remember

Main

Homestar Runner