The internet was better...

[Axeman]

... before smart phones.
Agree, disagree?
Go!

[markem]

The internet, as most people know it, came about in 1993 with the advent of the web. It was around for a very long time before that. Before, it was NSFNet and before that it was ARPANet and before that it was DARPANet.

All those were restricted. (D)ARPANet was restricted to military, some government, and universities with DAPRA contracts. At this time, what people would consider the internet was really USENET, which wasn't restricted as DAPRANet was. In fact, USENET traffic was (technically) disallowed on DARPANet.

The days of USENET had trolls, spammers, viruses and all that. The modern web just makes all of that easier to reach more people who are not technically savvy.

So, I'd say 'no', but then I've been around it since 1976.

The first prosecuted computer worm was in 1988 but many worms and viruses were known long before that. The first Unix virus was created by Ken Thompson, one of the Unix creators. It was very early in the 70s. His paper is titled, "Reflections on Trusting Trust".

Some links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_worm
https://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/linux/hh...son/trust.html

My brush with fame for catching such things as backdoors and password cracking came in 1993. https://law.justia.com/cases/oregon/...01/a91702.html

[icehog3]

Still the same on my desktop, and my ability to use it on my phone anywhere makes it better in my eyes, Lance, but I am open to having my mind changed.

[Porch Dweller]

I'd say it was better before social media, but not smart phones.

[Brlesq]

Originally Posted by Porch Dweller

I'd say it was better before social media, but not smart phones.

^ This

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Porch Dweller

I'd say it was better before social media, but not smart phones.

Well said, James.

[Axeman]

Interesting perspective Mark.
I saw this saying in a meme, which kind of makes the point.
I left it as open as I saw it. No definition of better.
I think the smart phone has made everything fast and small. This has led to content being instant and disposable, repeated and often very shallow. Easily visible yet always concealed. Densified.
This forum is social media. Yet it is more like a bunch of people around a table. Smart phones have made social media like a lot of moths on a hot night night in a well lit parking lot, flying around, darting at whichever light they see next. And there are spiders, and bats, and lots of female moths.
I started on FIDOnet. Dial up at 1200 baud to a BBS and leave a message. Come back the next day and read the thread.
I like metaphors. So I'm poking the napping Dad in the sun. Cuz I want him to get up and play.
Social media was better before smart phones. IMO.

[mosesbotbol]

Internet was more fun before advert of wireless internet around 2001. More wild west back then. Modems, comm ports, irq's...

[markem]

RFCs published by the IETF are the standards for the Internet. Here is the standard for one wireless network from 1990. It's an easy read.

https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1149

[Axeman]

Thanks, Mark. Is there one for percussive wireless?

[markem]

Originally Posted by Axeman

Thanks, Mark. Is there one for percussive wireless?

Dunno. You can go to ietf.org, though, and search for all RFCs published on April 1.