People who remember the internet of the late 90s and early 2000s know it was a very different place than it is now. Back then we didn't LIVE on the internet, as it was not designed for people to stay on 24/7.... We lived in the real world and would have designated times to go online, chat, look at cool websites, or get information on something, etc.... almost as like a BREAK from real life.

Nowdays we are connected to it constantly with our phones and all... It's almost like we take a break from the internet to OCCASIONALLY live in the real world.

I like how someone put it, we used to live in the real world, then go onto the internet to FIND things to bring back into our real lives ~i.e. info, cool website, or whatever~ Nowdays we take things from our real lives to the internet, like pics on social media.... now as soon as we take a pic, it HAS to go up on facebook, where as used to if we ran across something cool online we would have to print it off to show our friends in the real world, almost just the opposite.

Do you like things better now or then? Did you like it better when we lived in the real world and just visited the internet occasionally, or now where we live on the internet and just visit the real world occasionally? lol

I prefer "back then." Today people over-communicate via text or other messaging.

Conversing on an important subject via messaging can lead to misunderstandings, which mostly would not happen via voice communication. The main thing that can happen is that one party might miss a small detail from the other party. It could mean nothing, but it could be a crucial item that could lead to real trouble. Simple solution: "Let's talk."

Today's is simply Overload Baulderdash, too much too much too much. I live very well wth the Old Net as it gives me plenty and even overload if I allow that.,

People who remember the internet of the late 90s and early 2000s know it was a very different place than it is now. Back then we didn't LIVE on the internet, as it was not designed for people to stay on 24/7

As a pre-teen, teen and even adult into my 20s, it sure seemed like I LIVED on the Internet. When I wasn't in school I was online, and I know I'm not alone in this.

Although I sometimes long for the nostalgia of the "old days" of the Internet where forums flourished and AOL was huge with instant messenger and chat rooms, it just doesn't compare to all that you can do these days. Not to mention dial-up and the first "high speed" connections that weren't all that speedy.

Although I sometimes long for the nostalgia of the "old days" of the Internet where forums flourished and AOL was huge with instant messenger and chat rooms, it just doesn't compare to all that you can do these days.

Remember getting those "Free Trial" CDs from AOL in the mail constantly?

I miss waiting 10 minutes for a picture to load.

As a pre-teen, teen and even adult into my 20s, it sure seemed like I LIVED on the Internet. When I wasn't in school I was online, and I know I'm not alone in this.

Although I sometimes long for the nostalgia of the "old days" of the Internet where forums flourished and AOL was huge with instant messenger and chat rooms, it just doesn't compare to all that you can do these days. Not to mention dial-up and the first "high speed" connections that weren't all that speedy.


We got the internet in 1996 and I would have been 15 at that time. I would have certain times that I would get on for an hour or so, but it just didn't seem like there was THAT MUCH to do on it like there is now... Of course you could pass a couple of hours in a chat room or reading about movies you like, but I would start to get bored after a couple of hours or so. I just remember those days, I'd get on, read about something I was into, check out a cool website, maybe chat a bit then get back off.... That's why, to me, it just didn't seem like the internet was designed to stay connected to all the time in those days as it is now

I dunno, I like the internet more how it was probably in the 2000s... it just seemed like it was easier to move around on it and keep your identity hidden more so than now. I was curious as to if chatrooms still existed a few years ago and I found some and as soon as I entered people instantly knew where I was from!!:eek: And I was like NOPE, I'm outta here. It just seems like EVERYTHING about you is at everyone's fingertips now and I liked the "hidden" aspect of how it used to be.

I also prefer forums to Discord... I've never been able to figure it out, a friend kept trying to get me to get on it, I tried but I couldn't get any sense out of it

I miss waiting 10 minutes for a picture to load.

I remember when Youtube first came out, it would take like 30 mins for a vid to download on our dial-up lol

Remember getting those "Free Trial" CDs from AOL in the mail constantly?

Not only do I remember those, I remember before that when they would send the free trial floppy disks, lol.

I remember when Youtube first came out, it would take like 30 mins for a vid to download on our dial-up lol

Definitely don't miss dial up.

The Old Internet but I love to see more of it

I prefer the original net :(

I have to say today's because of the ease with which images are captured, stored, and transmitted is superior.

Some of us were dealing with computers long before the 'net existed. Many people are unaware that computer programs decades ago used to have to be run via punch cards, a true chore. Thankfully those were more-or-less obsolete by the time I had to begin learning Fortran in the fall of 1983. Nearly 40 years ago. I don't miss hanging around the computer lab at 3 a.m. due to my partners' procrastination for a project due that day.

Later that semester, one of my classmates got his Macintosh pc, which one of our professors warned was "not an engineering machine." It was all about serious work back then, though by 1986 I was able to exchange frivolous emails in the Microcomputers lab with my classmates. Within a few years I was playing Tetris, Wheel of Fortune, card games, and Jeopardy on an IBM pc.