Bruce Barnett wrote:
(Larry Bud) writes:
You guys are the old sysops from the 80's and early 90's whose power
has been taken away by the internet.
correction:
You guys are the old sysops from the 80's and early 90's who BUILD the
Internet.
I think you mean "built" don't you?
Maybe, maybe not. Experiences may vary, but my experience was that the
internet was the realm of an elite, privileged few. Some big industry
types, military types, college students, professors. We were off to the
side doing the BBS thing in a completely different world. We had echo
boards like FIDONet and the other one... Hrm. Anyway, "The Cathedral and
the Bazaar" calls guys like me "DOS hackers." We weren't part of the UNIX
scene, and weren't part of the internet in the '80s. Not my generation,
especially. Those born in the '60s, and who then went on to be in the
right place (universities, big industry, military) at the right time were
doing that deal in the '80s, but we children of the '70s didn't really get
our first taste of the internet until the early '90s.
I had a dialup shell account at my school for a year or so, as soon as I
managed to cajole my way into getting an account, even though I wasn't a CS
major. Shortly thereafter, they started one of the nation's first ISPs in
the next town, giving me access to the internet "directly." It was pretty
cool. I used to ftp stuff from some yonder to the university computer, and
then download the files to my home computer with zmodem or kermit, at a
screammmmmming 9600 baud, if I was lucky enough to catch the one 9600 baud
modem in the pool. Most days it was 2400 if I was lucky.
The web was in its earliest infancy back then, and I had heard rumors about
it, but I couldn't do any graphical stuff with that original setup. We
didn't even have lynx. I didn't see the web for the first time until '93
or '94, I guess, when I got the SLIP account.
Even at that, only being on usenet since maybe '92, I once tallied up all my
old posts in a fit of boredom. Projecting forward, and adding some email
into the brew because most of the places I hang out these days are mailing
lists, I have a pretty reasonable estimate that I have pounded out around
1,250,000 words on this keyboard, in about 25,000 messages.
Damn I talk a lot.
I hate Microsoft with intense passion, but if anyone has an original
Microsoft Natural Keyboard in good shape, I'll take it off your hands.
This one has served me well, but it won't be much longer before I actually
wear through some of the keycaps. The lower row right hand keys are
getting pretty thin on top, and they lost their letters five years ago.
Like so many other things in this world, the ones they're making now are
complete crap. I want to collect about two more of these olds ones, which
I figure will tide me over until the machine can scan my retinas and tell
what I'm thinking in about 20 years.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/