Internet News in 1981

1981. You have a computer and even a modem. You want to read the news. It takes you 5 hours to download the newspaper, and you pay 5 Dollars an hour for the honor.

News? On the computer? Nah, it will never catch on :-)

The state of the internet, 1981:

Vintage, Retro, Old and Fun: A Journey to the First Days of the PC

Those were the days. The Apple ][e is the best computer ever made. Hours playing Karateka. The sound of the Commodore tapes. When 4 colors were an amazing thing on a screen. When they still made TV commercials for PCs. When Internet was only BBS. Those were the days.

Here are some clips that will take you back to the old days, the first days of personal computing - from Amiga to Commodore to Apple ][e and much more:

Apple II forever! (Hell, yes!)



100 Amiga games in 10 minutes



100 Commodore 64 games in 10 minutes



Karateka - This game never gets old!



Another Classic: Tapper!



Browsing the web with an Apple II - AMAZING!



Mac classic



Alleycat! No more explanations are needed.



Beyond Castle Wolfenstein Gameplay (More of a speedrun, really)

Cool Photos of Vintage TV Sets

Nostalgia at its best: take a look at this amazingly cool set of vintage TV photos. You can even see TVs from 1929.

Good thing the TV set was developed into something prettier and sexier over the years, though. I wouldn't want to watch Lord of the Rings on something like this:

10 Reasons why the Apple ][e is the Best PC Ever Made

Computer nostalgia is one of my favorite subjects. I suppose that growing up in the 80s had its effects on me. I got my first computer at age 6 - it was a hand-me-down from my uncle. And, you guessed it - the machine was a fabulous Apple ][e.

It was the best PC I have ever owned or worked on - and I have tried and typed on many different kinds of computers: from original IBMs to Mac Classics, through horrible Compaqs and wonderful ThinkPads. Still, no matter what happened, I can't forget my first ever personal computer.

Discovering the existence of emulators, some 10 years ago, was a very happy moment for me and my 80s friends. Hearing the old beeps again made us really jump for joy - and I still play the Apple ][ emulator every now and then.

So, why is the Apple ][e so grand? Trust me, it's not just because of the memories:

1. My TV was my monitor: A computer wasn't a cheap thing in the 80s. A computer monitor was pricey. I don't remember how exactly, but my Apple ][e was connected straight to my TV set. I bet I was one of the few who enjoyed a 19" screen back then.
   
   
2. It hardly ever crashed: I don't really recall it getting stuck, frozen or slow. It worked all the time, and it was very reliable.
   
   
3. Instant Boot: Turn it on and it was on and ready for you. That's about it. No waiting.
   
   
4. All in the keyboard: The entire computer was inside the keyboard! If I needed to open it, I just did - and every card and chip was right there in front of me. Easy, small, convenient. No ducking under the table and eating dust just to hook up a pair of speakers.
   
   
5. It taught me English: There was only one language on the Apple ][e - and it was English. I needed to learn the language pretty quickly in order to operate the computer and enjoy the games. So I did. How many Hebrew-speaking 6-years-olds can spell "catalog"?
   
   
6. Gaming was GOOD: This marvelous piece of work came with 2 floppy-disk drivers and a joystick, which made for a mean, lean, gaming machine. The games were sophisticated and cool - still, most of them were no larger than 50 KB. I remember "Summer Games" and hours of fun trying to make the perfect pool dive. The games were also cracked, which was amazing by itself.
   
   
7. Hundreds of games: I think I had about a hundred disks (5.25" of course), each contained at least 3-4 games. All in all I had hundreds of games to play with - and I never got bored.
   
   
8. Oh so quiet: No fan noise whatsoever. How much do you pay for that kind of stillness these days?
   
   
9. It had a voice: There was an actual speech program for the Apple ][e, and it worked rather well. Of course, we mostly fed it curse words, but it gave us hours of fun. My personal favorite was entering "jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj". I still find it funny, for some reason.
   
   
10. Karateka: Need I say more?

The Internet in 1993

One of my favorite activities is indulging in computer nostalgia. Along with keeping up with the hottest, newest developments on the internet and in the computer industry, I boldly claim that the Apple ][e was the best PC ever made, I enjoy emulators very much and I miss the BBS days.

So, it was a great pleasure to encounter this particular video, which shows a news report about the Internet, way back in 1993. I must admit I wasn't connected to the internet in 1993. I was still struggling with busy BBS lines, chatting with 3-4 people maximum on the same time, and downloading files at 0.9 KB/s. Still, I was ONLINE, and it's wonderful to look back and see how it was 14 years ago.

Some of the things changed dramatically, but a lot stayed unchanged - we still chat and socialize, we download files and the trolls and flamers are still out there, in full force.

Enjoy:

The Internet In 1993 - Watch more free videos