I know that this is a really random video, but I came across it on YouTube earlier and just couldn't resist. It's from January 1994 and shows Vice President Al Gore logging on to the "Information Superhighway" to participate in an "Electronic Town Meeting".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXHRWS9CYmE

I especially love the part with the guy explaining to everybody that you can't see what the user on the other end of the computer has typed until after they hit the return key on their keyboard. There's also another funny part in the full video on C-SPAN where Gore is chatting with a young college student who gets knocked off the net in the middle of his conversation with the Vice President because his dad tried to make a telephone call. ;D

It is really amazing though to think about how far the internet has advanced just within the lifetimes of those of us here on this board. Certainly, back in 1994, everyone in that room would've been stunned at the fact that they would one day be able to watch the entire video of this event over the web at the touch of a button.

LOL, they're so amused!!!  ;D

Broadband internet FTW!

I can't believe it's been 20 years since the age of the internet.  :o

I love high speed WiFi but I kind of miss the dial up days. I know it was really slow. But all the old graphics and games. It was a simpler time for internet. Exciting.

That kid in the end was addicted to the Internet in 1994  :o

I love high speed WiFi but I kind of miss the dial up days. I know it was really slow. But all the old graphics and games. It was a simpler time for internet. Exciting.


I miss the old days when the dial-up made that sound when it was about to be turned on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNaR6FRuO0

Dial up was a huge pain  ;D

Dial up was a huge pain  ;D



I know it was, you had to wait till someone got off the damn phone! ::)

I know it was, you had to wait till someone got off the damn phone! ::)

My mom was a housewife and didn't have a cell phone. She was on the phone 24/7!

My mom was a housewife and didn't have a cell phone. She was on the phone 24/7!


So you never got to use the phone?

So you never got to use the phone?


From time to time. I was never huge on phone calls though.

From time to time. I was never huge on phone calls though.


Why was that? ???

Why was that? ???


All my friends lived nearby, or I talked to them on MSN.

I think people sometimes forget that a big chunk of the 90s was pre-internet. People were just becoming aware of it at the time of this video, halfway through the decade.

I think people sometimes forget that a big chunk of the 90s was pre-internet. People were just becoming aware of it at the time of this video, halfway through the decade.


Well, it was popular during the mid-late 90s. But it wasn't as popular during the early 2000s, when everybody had it.

I think people sometimes forget that a big chunk of the 90s was pre-internet. People were just becoming aware of it at the time of this video, halfway through the decade.


Yeah, I compare it to television in the 1950's. You always see people calling the '50s the first "TV decade", but that's not really the case if you think about it. Very few people in the early '50s had television sets, and even as late as 1960 or beyond it wasn't uncommon for those that lived in poorer areas to not have one. My grandfather, for example, has said that he didn't get his first TV set until 1959.

Same with the '90s and the internet. It really started to explode in popularity around 1995-96, but it was still probably less than 15% of the country that actually had access to it at that time. I live in a rural area and did not use the internet for the first time until 1998. We didn't get internet access at our house until 2000.

Yeah, I compare it to television in the 1950's. You always see people calling the '50s the first "TV decade", but that's not really the case if you think about it. Very few people in the early '50s had television sets, and even as late as 1960 or beyond it wasn't uncommon for those that lived in poorer areas to not have one. My grandfather, for example, has said that he didn't get his first TV set until 1959.

Same with the '90s and the internet. It really started to explode in popularity around 1995-96, but it was still probably less than 15% of the country that actually had access to it at that time. I live in a rural area and did not use the internet for the first time until 1998. We didn't get internet access at our house until 2000.


The difference is that television came about at a time when trends moved slower, and took off at a relatively earlier time in the decade compared to The Internet. I'd say once I Love Lucy hit big in late 1951, most of the public were at the point where they should get a set. It was expensive, and what most people did was to either visit a friend's house, or even the store window of an electronics shop where there would usually be a bunch of televisions tuned into the same channel, and most people who didn't have the money felt kind enough to divert to those places. If 1951 was to TV to what 1994 was to The Internet, 1961 was to TV to what 1999 was to The Internet, with the stock market boom of the '90s much more rapid compared to the slow but steady '50s economy.

I think people sometimes forget that a big chunk of the 90s was pre-internet. People were just becoming aware of it at the time of this video, halfway through the decade.


True.  The "90s Internet" was pretty much a second half of the decade thing.  A lot of people didn't have Internet during the first half of the decade.  For digital information, multimedia packages such as MS Encarta and MS Bookshelf were more popular. 

People also forget in the early 2000s, most people were still on dial-up, unless you were one of the lucky early broadband adopters.  High speed Internet didn't become standard until the middle of the decade.  Even then, it wasn't uncommon for people to linger on dial-up until around 2007 or 2008.  Most PCs still came with 56k modems until the late 2000s.

The difference is that television came about at a time when trends moved slower, and took off at a relatively earlier time in the decade compared to The Internet. I'd say once I Love Lucy hit big in late 1951, most of the public were at the point where they should get a set. It was expensive, and what most people did was to either visit a friend's house, or even the store window of an electronics shop where there would usually be a bunch of televisions tuned into the same channel, and most people who didn't have the money felt kind enough to divert to those places. If 1951 was to TV to what 1994 was to The Internet, 1961 was to TV to what 1999 was to The Internet, with the stock market boom of the '90s much more rapid compared to the slow but steady '50s economy.


I think that gramophone records in the 1900s, radio in the 1920s, TV in the 1950s, and the Internet in the 1990s can all be compared directly.  They all completely changed the world and the way we consume entertainment and news.  Those were the pioneer decades of those mediums.  All of them required adjustments in the way certain sectors of the economy did business.  Believe it or not, record companies in the 1920s were frightened of radio and that it would kill demand for gramophone records and systems, but they learned to adapt.  Same with TV in the 1950s and then the Internet.

TV in the early 1960s was similar to the Internet in the early 2000s.  People forget how slow rural areas and the older generation were to adopt the Internet in the first place, and then to adopt broadband.

True.  The "90s Internet" was pretty much a second half of the decade thing.  A lot of people didn't have Internet during the first half of the decade.  For digital information, multimedia packages such as MS Encarta and MS Bookshelf were more popular. 

People also forget in the early 2000s, most people were still on dial-up, unless you were one of the lucky early broadband adopters.  High speed Internet didn't become standard until the middle of the decade.  Even then, it wasn't uncommon for people to linger on dial-up until around 2007 or 2008.  Most PCs still came with 56k modems until the late 2000s.


I remember when dial-up got so annoying at the time when it was popular.

Well, it was popular during the mid-late 90s. But it wasn't as popular during the early 2000s, when everybody had it.


The internet continued to gain popularity and influence throughout the 00s. But there was a bit of a lull in the early 00s after the dot-com crash and before social media took off.


I think that gramophone records in the 1900s, radio in the 1920s, TV in the 1950s, and the Internet in the 1990s can all be compared directly.  They all completely changed the world and the way we consume entertainment and news.  Those were the pioneer decades of those mediums.  All of them required adjustments in the way certain sectors of the economy did business.  Believe it or not, record companies in the 1920s were frightened of radio and that it would kill demand for gramophone records and systems, but they learned to adapt.  Same with TV in the 1950s and then the Internet.

TV in the early 1960s was similar to the Internet in the early 2000s.  People forget how slow rural areas and the older generation were to adopt the Internet in the first place, and then to adopt broadband.


Those are good comparisons. The mid 90s through the late 00s (when the internet became fully mobile) will probably all be seen as part of the 'internet revolution.' Things have slowed down over the last few years. It's hard to imagine another frontier for the internet... maybe VR/MR if it catches on.

The internet continued to gain popularity and influence throughout the 00s. But there was a bit of a lull in the early 00s after the dot-com crash and before social media took off.

Those are good comparisons. The mid 90s through the late 00s (when the internet became fully mobile) will probably all be seen as part of the 'internet revolution.' Things have slowed down over the last few years. It's hard to imagine another frontier for the internet... maybe VR/MR if it catches on.


That is a good point since the development of TV in terms of technology during the 1970s was nothing compared to that of the '50s/'60s, although in the late '60s/'70s portable TVs became popular and this is comparable to viewing the Internet on smartphones at the end of the '00s and this decade. To me the rise in social media from the mid-late '00s into this decade could be compared with TV going from black & white to color. VR/MR is more comparable to TV sound going from mono to stereo with the addition of closed-captioning (during the '80s, so this would likely be during the 2020s for this technology). The rise of original programs on streaming services right now could be compared with the beginnings of cable TV in the '70s, with the rise of cheaper cloud storage comparable to the first VCRs.

Those are good comparisons. The mid 90s through the late 00s (when the internet became fully mobile) will probably all be seen as part of the 'internet revolution.' Things have slowed down over the last few years. It's hard to imagine another frontier for the internet... maybe VR/MR if it catches on.


I think the shift to Web 2.0 in the late 2000s can be compared with the shift from black & white to color TV in the late 1960s.  The revolution had already occurred, but improving technology made it better.  With gramophone records, a good comparison is the shift to electronic recording in the mid 1920s.

It barely existed 1990-1994. Even in 1995-1999, most people were not online. Plus, the 1995-1999 internet was probably only half as advanced as today.

It barely existed 1990-1994. Even in 1995-1999, most people were not online. Plus, the 1995-1999 internet was probably only half as advanced as today.


Yeah, 1995-2005ish was Web 1.0.  From 1995-1999 it was designed for 56k and slower dial-up.  It did not have the kind of interactive content you have today.  When I wanted reliable information on something during that era, I used Encarta, not the Internet.

Yeah, 1995-2005ish was Web 1.0.  From 1995-1999 it was designed for 56k and slower dial-up.  It did not have the kind of interactive content you have today.  When I wanted reliable information on something during that era, I used Encarta, not the Internet.


Man Encarta. Now that's taking me back. We got a free Encarta 2000 CD-ROM when my parents brought their first new computer (a Compaq Presario in 1999). At the time it was amazing because, up to that point, I'd always had to go to the town library whenever I needed research for a school project or something. Kind of weird to think about just how far Wikipedia has blown it out of the water. :o

Man Encarta. Now that's taking me back. We got a free Encarta 2000 CD-ROM when my parents brought their first new computer (a Compaq Presario in 1999). At the time it was amazing because, up to that point, I'd always had to go to the town library whenever I needed research for a school project or something. Kind of weird to think about just how far Wikipedia has blown it out of the water. :o


Yeah and at the time, Encarta was the only way you could get a complete interactive multimedia encyclopedia.  The Internet, for most people, was still too slow and too primitive to offer videos, sounds, and even large images to go along with the articles.  Today, with broadband and Web 2.0, there isn't a need for Encarta, but back then it was a real game changer.

Another thing that's amazing is how far computers themselves have advanced since even the late '90s. As I mentioned, the first new computer my parents ever purchased was a Compaq Presario 5460 back in 1999. I went and looked up the specs on Wikipedia and it's stunning how primitive this thing is by 2016 standards:

475 MHz AMD K6-2 Processor
96 MB PC133 SDRAM
6 GB Hard Disk Drive
32x LG CD-ROM drive
ZIP Drive
2 x USB 1.1 Ports
Soundblaster-compatible sound board (integrated within motherboard)
8 MB Ati Rage Graphics Card (onboard)

My laptop (which I got way back in 2012) is multiple times more powerful than a desktop PC from 1999, as is every single smartphone on the market. Hard to believe how far technology has advanced in such a relatively short period of time.

Another thing that's amazing is how far computers themselves have advanced since even the late '90s. As I mentioned, the first new computer my parents ever purchased was a Compaq Presario 5460 back in 1999. I went and looked up the specs on Wikipedia and it's stunning how primitive this thing is by 2016 standards:

475 MHz AMD K6-2 Processor
96 MB PC133 SDRAM
6 GB Hard Disk Drive
32x LG CD-ROM drive
ZIP Drive
2 x USB 1.1 Ports
Soundblaster-compatible sound board (integrated within motherboard)
8 MB Ati Rage Graphics Card (onboard)

My laptop (which I got way back in 2012) is multiple times more powerful than a desktop PC from 1999, as is every single smartphone on the market. Hard to believe how far technology has advanced in such a relatively short period of time.


You couldn't even pay anyone to use that now ;D

Another thing that's amazing is how far computers themselves have advanced since even the late '90s. As I mentioned, the first new computer my parents ever purchased was a Compaq Presario 5460 back in 1999. I went and looked up the specs on Wikipedia and it's stunning how primitive this thing is by 2016 standards:

475 MHz AMD K6-2 Processor
96 MB PC133 SDRAM
6 GB Hard Disk Drive
32x LG CD-ROM drive
ZIP Drive
2 x USB 1.1 Ports
Soundblaster-compatible sound board (integrated within motherboard)
8 MB Ati Rage Graphics Card (onboard)

My laptop (which I got way back in 2012) is multiple times more powerful than a desktop PC from 1999, as is every single smartphone on the market. Hard to believe how far technology has advanced in such a relatively short period of time.


Our computer from the mid 90's had a 512 MB hard drive.  That's all I remember about the specs.  Nowadays a flash drive has way more than that. 

The internet definitely has changed a lot when compared to back in the day.  I remember that  the Internet provider America Online used to limit how many hours you could use the Internet through them, but they switched to unlimited hours quickly.  They used to send disks in the mail offering something like 10 free hours for people to test it out. 

I didn't have the Internet during that decade, but I do remember the '90s holdover that was early '00s Internet.