The History Of The Internet. When Did you hop on?

[joe.pistell]

The History Of The Internet

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

Very cool Joe! It's amazing how far we've come in such a short time frame. Makes you wonder what will happen in the next ten years. Skynet?

 

[DrewAment]

WOW.....takes me back. I started with Quantum Link in about 1986, this was the OLD AOL that was dedicated to Commodore 64 and 128 people, yes I had a Commodore 128! (one of the few). While not truly the "internet" at that time, it was a pretty good size of users. My Mom let me set-up an account on a temp basis - saying my grades would be the deciding factor (yes I was 12). Their focus at the time was really games and chat - I think it was $19.95/month - and the first month I won one of their community strategy games - with a prize that was 1 year of free service! LOL, bet my Mom didn't see that coming!

I also started designing BBS's for some local guys in my area, these were all ASCII at the time. And on a 2400 baud modem, was really all anyone could handle.

I actually got a code-name - "Gotcha" - and spent late nights figuring out computer things that a early teen should probably not be figuring out. Let's just say I had alot of fun - with the FBI being involved at one point.

Turned 16, got my car, and the computers went bye-bye - until I took a class in High School for Pascal programming about a year later. Got re-hooked and the rest as they say is history....

 

[joe.pistell]

Drew, WOW, BBS's at 2.4k baud! OMG, BACK IN THE DAY!

I sold my 2 Auto Acessories stores and my Home Theater/Automation store in '94 (messy divorce) and bought a PC to start a career in graphics. Then Steve Case of AOL put free floppy's in all the magazines and away I went. I've been employed and self-employed full-time on the internet ever since.

Joe Pistell, Internet Class of '94
Drew Ament, Internet Class of '86

hahaa

 

[Chip Grueter]

Now everything has an IP address, even our fridge!

Joe, you still into HT and Automation?

 

[joe.pistell]

Now everything has an IP address, even our fridge!

Joe, you still into HT and Automation?

No, not really Chip. Got the surprise Divorce notice served to me and blew a fuse and sold out to my partner. Took my big a*s check, gave 1/2 to the IRS and the other 1/2 to the ex-wife, got off the fast track, put on flip-flops, moved to Anna Maria Island and never looked back.

The HT and Automation biz was a 5,000 sq Ft startup in it's 1st year back in '94. HT was so pre-historic, gigantic laser discs the size of LP's, I was a Pioneer Elite dealer, I still have a 15year old Pioneer VSX902s multi-room rcvr that's never been turned on. Hell, X-10 was X.0010 back then! hahaha. Had big plans for that startup, but, that was then... Anyways, Island living and the brand new internet swallowed me up.

I've just built a new home and I'm settling down again, I'm getting the HT/automation bug again. Doing some custom landscape lighting, and while we're on the subject, WHY CAN'T MY HOT TUB BE SET VIA WEB BROWSER? That's neoanderathal bullsh*t!

 

[Alex Snyder]

Now everything has an IP address, even our fridge!

That's just cool! Literally ....okay, I'm a nerd.

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

That's just cool! Literally ....okay, I'm a nerd.

Let's rephrase that Alex, repeat after me, "I am an Apple nerd."

 

[CliffC]

Joe,

Compool 520500 IntelliTouch Home PC Interface Kit - ITC15 Protocol Adapter & Wireless Router 520500, 58-264-0500

Let me know if you need any custom API's

Cliff

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Joe you're old.

I got in on the net just as the World Wide Web was being released. I read an article in some magazine about this thing called the WWW - I don't remember what magazine it was but it encouraged me to jump into my GTi and head over to Sunrise electronics in the next town.

I was 17 and somehow got approved for credit and within a few days I had my HP 133 set up in my bedroom dialing out to a local service called mindspring - later bought out by EarthLink. Mostly stuck to different newsgroups until Netscape became the browser of choice.

We sure have come a long way so fast.

Here is one for ya...

My son at age 2 (he's seven now) was a whiz with the mouse.

My daughter - now 2, wouldn't know what to do with a mouse if you showed her. But she can navigate my ipad like no ones business.