The World Wide Web Turns 30: A Timeline

[bhattaraib58]

Well TechSpot, you forgot one thing. TechSpot was established in 1998 as a leading computer and technology publication company.

Well I can't find old published news but I found maybe first news (from 2002):
https://www.techspot.com/news/2949-nintendo-fined-for-price-fixing.html

and snapshot of May 3rd, 2002 (from wayback):
https://web.archive.org/web/20020503111603/https://www.techspot.com/

 

[m3tavision]

I remember using Nexus.

And going to UofM/Eastern's basement to use the VOX to login, etc. I was just barely old enough to drive but ran a BBS and knew thingz.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Funny how the first half are all positive things and the 2nd half are mostly negative things. And we know that's not actually reality, since MS getting busted by the justice department in the 1990s was a BIG deal. And the bad news of recent years like killing NN, warnings of evil bots, and the impending 'Dark Age', aren't actual problems.

How many homicides, suicides, stalkings and assaults can be attributed to this marvelous invention?

Your point being? No matter how wonderful an invention you could always find something bad to do with it.

 

[Julio Franco]

Well TechSpot, you forgot one thing. TechSpot was established in 1998 as a leading computer and technology publication company.

We were tempted to include that and some other TechSpot milestone but ultimately dropped the idea because it was too meta, but we're glad someone brought it up here

 

[psycros]

I feel like we topped out around 2007. After that the focus became monetizing Internet users rather than delivering real innovation and connecting people in meaningful ways. The web is now actively reducing our ability to communicate effectively with kids unable to spell or, in many cases, even speak coherently. They talk in hieroglyphics - our language is devolving into symbols that express a basic idea or emotion. Teachers have to deal with students using online lingo in their schoolwork. Meanwhile the rise of manufactured movements and fake news is herding us into digital tribes, making us easier to control. Governments absolutely love where its all heading, which is why Big Internet has gotten a pass on everything. Even the current debates about online privacy and economic fairness are largely a farce to push (barely) hidden agendas.

 

[JamesSWD]

I still remember trying to get my PC's modem to hook up to the Internet around '93. Buying books from Crown Books about Netscape and the Internet to learn more, a CD in the back so you could install NS or some other browsers, plus all the utilities they included on the CD.

Also falling in love with AOL back then, because it actually worked to get you online...and then you found a world you'd never seen before...people all over the world you could talk to, the beginnings of the Internet and searching, etc. There wasn't much more back then...but it was fascinating.

How times have changed.

 

[BadThad]

Missing ICQ and AOL IM, those were just too huge to ignore.

 

[D3z4R1]

I remember connecting to the Net on an IBM PS/2 and US Robotics 14.4 modem.

I later replaced the PS/2 with a Cyrix Cx486 cobbled together from spare parts a buddy of mine had. I later upgraded that to an AMD K5-233 with 32MB RAM, ATi Rage with a Diamond Voodoo 2 and USR 56k modem.

I remember trying up my second phone line from downloading an ISO of Slackware Linux 3.4.2 and a bunch of other ISOs. I remember getting a call from my ISP. Although it was an "unlimited" bandwidth account, they didn't want me to periodically disconnect and re-connect; not treat it like an ISDN.

When the local @Home cable service was made available in my area, I jumped at the chance of making use of the service. I remember it too being "unlimited". It wasn't long until they started applying bandwidth caps and offering tiered services based on staggered caps. Now if only they offered unlimited mobile data in my area. /sigh

 

[woofer]

I remember the first time I saw Mosaic in early 1994. Even then when there weren't a ton of places to go, and most were all text -- it was clearly awesome and seemed likely to only get better, which obviously it did.

Reminds me of getting involved about then with "web stuff" at work setting up simple web servers on DEC VAX/VMS and their Digital Unix X-window workstations. Fun stuff.

 

[EClyde]

I remember the day I invented the web

 

[ttrtilley]

Facebook and CGA icons aka T I L E S
lol
...

usenet barely mentioned

....

Usenet pre-dated the Internet which pre-dated the Web.
The printing press is not mentioned either.