Open Thread Update: The End of a *Bop TWEE!* Era
Last time we asked for AOL and early internet thoughts…and learned that several readers were online before AOL.
Pre-AOL internet adopters
AOL wasn’t the first! Reader Sheldon recalls Delphi, Reader Malcom favored Prodigy, J Nowak favored Compuserve and and Reader Linda S., as a Computer Science student in the 80’s used an acoustic modem – read her story in the comments. Reader Sylvia even had a computer custom built for her in the early 90’s. Reader Peggy says the Internet saved her career!
The launch of dial up sparked careers for some Senior Planet readers.
In 1978, I was writing industry publications about electronics and video, including VCRs, cable TV and home computers. I started hearing about interactive technologies and companies such as QuantumLink (AOL’s prececessor name), CompuServe and others. I recognized their significance, especially after I saw other BIG companies sniffing around (AT&T, IBM, major banks and media firms). So I started my own publication to track their progress. It changed my life and shaped my career. Early Adopter!
-GH
Vintage Tech Love
Several readers like Dr. Jeanne and Virginia S. mentioned their love of old tech…
I not only still have a DVD player, I have a VHS player and a land line. Oh yes. I remembered the other day that I have an MP3 player, otherwise known as an Ipod. It still works. The great thing about these older technologies is I don’t have to constantly download new updates. My cell phone does not run my life. And I don’t trust the Cloud. I remember not being able to use my phone when using AOL. I don’t miss that.
-Virginia S.
WHOOPS! Dial up downsides
Not so fond memories of AOL and the initial internet! My stepson was living with us, and we knew he stayed on the computer a lot. We could hear the modem dialing up to connect. He was/is a computer geek, so we figured he knew what he was doing–that is until we received a $1,500 phone bill!
I presently live in Plattsburgh, NY. I have learned so much from Jesse & Nathan about how to use all these new tech devices and I am still learning! I can now FaceTime my extended family (even very far away.). I can take photos and can create albums., photo books and canvas prints, as well as calendars, cups and glasses all with photos on them. I know now how to use Spotify and Canva, find recipes, make flyers! My whole life has changed.
ORIGINAL COLUMN
When AOL and dial up service first came out 1989, it was dawn of a new era. The installation CDs were everywhere. People used them as coasters or portable frisbees. The mail carrier delivered hundreds of them a week.
Now they are in the Smithsonian….along with the other dinosaurs of early technology, like VCR players, Blackberries and Pagers.
At the time, though..
At the time, AOL was a transformative technology. Imagine all the information at your fingertips! All the connections! Reaching out across space and time to find bulletin boards to share information, or news, or hobbies. It was going to be a new Golden Age.
Uh huh.
The first time my husband and I logged on, we downloaded every Simpsons catch phrase extant at the time.
Remember this?
Well, it’s 36 years later and the internet has morphed into a Goliath – or a Godzilla, depending on your point of view – impacting every aspect of our lives. Whether you use it to watch cat videos or use AI to diagnose x-rays, the Internet has irrevocably changed our lives, society and culture forever. And it all started with those silly little discs.*
YOUR TURN
What was AOL and dial up’s impact on your life and on society and culture? Do you still use dial up? What other vintage tech do you still own and use?
Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers and blogs about New York City life. Send your “Open Thread” suggestions to editor@seniorplanet.org.
*If you live somewhere without connectivity, don’t lose hope. Providers like NetZero and Juno still offer dial up if you live in areas with limited or no other internet access.
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Comments
I not only still have a DVD player, I have a VHS player and a land line. Oh yes. I remembered the other day that I have an MP3 player, otherwise known as an Ipod. It still works. The great thing about these older technologies is I don’t have to constantly download new updates. My cell phone does not run my life. And I don’t trust the Cloud.
I remember not being able to use my phone when using AOL. I don’t miss that.
Same here. I have a dvd player and DVDs, wish I had a VCR, still have vinyl LPs and CDs. Our library provides a multitude of dvds and cds — for free. Why pay for streaming? Yes, I have a land line which is very reliable — and a smart phone. I could go on. (I remember dial up — can do without that). Yes, we have computers (desk and laptop). But sometimes I wish I still had an IBM Selectric — such a wonderful, useful machine! I could go on.
While I was a student back in the late 1990s, I had dial-up with AOL. Well, several years of dial-up caused me a lot of issues due to being kicked off the internet too many times. I checked around, and AT&T had an offer that worked better for me and my budget. I had to get a new telephone to upgrade that at the time, and the Phone company was able to come into the house and check the wire for their equipment to be changed. Everything has been working since that time.
My first telephone-connected online memory is Prodigy, backed by Sears and IBM. We started with a 300 baud dial-up device. Until I won a raffle at my computer club meeting: 2,400 baud here-we-come!
We ended up with a 2nd phone line, just for Prodigy, and all the games, and stuff I don’t remember. We all used it from about 1998 to 2001 when it was overtaken by the whatevers coming next.
In early ’93, I got my first account with an ISP called Delphi. When I connected to a university server in Australia, I was amazed! No graphics then, all text based, web didn’t exist. Went on to learn programming and eventually have a career in networking and technology.
I remember the first time I saw something animated on a computer screen: it was Charlie Chapman doing a little dance.