How long have you been connected?

[Cracker]

One of Aussiefriend's posts got me to thinking about how long I have had Internet service.

I had a Compaq 286 and dial up in the early 1990's. I had personal computers before that, but no Internet. Do you remember Wombat and typing in all the commands before you could play on the amber screen or programming your own fields on Lotus 123? If I think waaaaay back, I can remember when the TRS80s had a cassette tape deck as a drive for programs (ELIZA was the first actual program I ever used that I didn't type in myself).


How about you?

And did you spend large parts of the first year you were connected looking at porn? I am thinking that is relatively universal.

[Duchess]

I first got online in the 90's and I had dial up right up until last October when I had FIOS installed. No lie, dial up for all those years. When I first got high speed internet I told everyone I was going to OD on youtube & porn. I've yet to watch any porn.

[IMaDick]

I started with a Commodore. Everything was done in basic.

I remember the first time I made a ball go from one side of the screen to the other, it was a programming masterpiece. it was close to a full days work and several hunderd lines of programming to achieve.

[Lady Cop]

i resisted getting a computer for years. finally someone gave me one and i was doomed! that was about 2001. i truly never looked for or at porn, i was captivated with the ability to research ANY DAMN THING I WANTED! WITH PICS! WHOOOHOOOO! i was in hog heaven of crime and history. i'm self-taught, the more i learned about the ability to stay in touch with people all over the world and exchange mail and photos, the more i was hooked. then i discovered the FORUM! i went directly to a crime forum.
do not, even today, ask me any tech shit.

[QueenBee]

Not sure what my first computer was..my brother cobbled it together for me. I know it was Windows..a very early version. About 1993 or so. had dial up..and a whopping 2400 modem. Yes..you read that right 2*4*0*0 God awful slow. Took about a week to download a picture.

[Cracker]

I started with a Commodore. Everything was done in basic.

I remember the first time I made a ball go from one side of the screen to the other, it was a programming masterpiece. it was close to a full days work and several hunderd lines of programming to achieve.

I had a Commodore 64. hahaha They came with that book full of the programs to type in. If you had one character or space in just one of the damn lines wrong, it wouldn't run. You had to "debug" it.

I learned to program with a classmate in a special program in high school. They trained the two of us so we could teach adults how to work with Basic. He went on to the Navy then ended up in Redmond, WA with Microsoft twenty years ago. Rich MOFO now. Me, not rich. I fucking hate him. Coke bottle glasses mutherfucker.

[Cracker]

I first got online in the 90's and I had dial up right up until last October when I had FIOS installed. No lie, dial up for all those years. When I first got high speed internet I told everyone I was going to OD on youtube & porn. I've yet to watch any porn.

I remember teasing you about the dial up. Now you are all fancy and shit.

I spend a couple of hours online almost every day. I wonder what I would be doing with my life if I would ditch the web? I bet I would get more shit done and exercise more. I need to limit myself to two hours a day. I do get up and do stuff in between reading, but there is always a live connection in this house.

[Cracker]

i resisted getting a computer for years. finally someone gave me one and i was doomed! that was about 2001. i truly never looked for or at porn, i was captivated with the ability to research ANY DAMN THING I WANTED! WITH PICS! WHOOOHOOOO! i was in hog heaven of crime and history. i'm self-taught, the more i learned about the ability to stay in touch with people all over the world and exchange mail and photos, the more i was hooked. then i discovered the FORUM! i went directly to a crime forum.
do not, even today, ask me any tech shit.

I "know" people I wouldn't have met because of computers, BUUUT, do I need to know them? Hmm. I wonder.

I do constructive things similar to your crime research like read classic literature and science/science fiction and learn more about my job, but I am never without a connection, even on vacation. I wonder what an entire week with no Internet would be like?

[Lady Cop]

BC (before computer) i was always at the library in my off time. now it's wonderful to read any newspaper in the world, visit familiar or exotic places, find art and photography, and to shop online!! (i hate shopping in malls etc.)

[Cracker]

Not sure what my first computer was..my brother cobbled it together for me. I know it was Windows..a very early version. About 1993 or so. had dial up..and a whopping 2400 modem. Yes..you read that right 2*4*0*0 God awful slow. Took about a week to download a picture.

I would have at least 10 images from different newsgroups downloading at once.

I don't know how many of those dial up modems I have bought in my lifetime. Every time a big thunderstorm would come through, lightening would hit my damn line and break that little piece of foil in them. I have had the same cable modem and wireless router now for several years.

[IMaDick]

i resisted getting a computer for years. finally someone gave me one and i was doomed! that was about 2001. i truly never looked for or at porn, i was captivated with the ability to research ANY DAMN THING I WANTED! WITH PICS! WHOOOHOOOO! i was in hog heaven of crime and history. i'm self-taught, the more i learned about the ability to stay in touch with people all over the world and exchange mail and photos, the more i was hooked. then i discovered the FORUM! i went directly to a crime forum.
do not, even today, ask me any tech shit.

I "know" people I wouldn't have met because of computers, BUUUT, do I need to know them? Hmm. I wonder.

I do constructive things similar to your crime research like read classic literature and science/science fiction and learn more about my job, but I am never without a connection, even on vacation. I wonder what an entire week with no Internet would be like?

I went through a week with no internet a few months ago, I took my computer in and had some stuff done to it, it was not a good week.

[Cracker]

Maybe we should all commit to doing a few days without the computer (except for work) and then report back to see if our lives improved, stayed the same, or sucked.

[Duchess]

I wonder what an entire week with no Internet would be like?

It would be hell. HELL! I went bat shit crazy after only a couple of days & I swore I would never be in that position again, I now have a desktop, laptop & my BlackBerry & I'm considering an IPAD. I don't care that the internet is my crack. I cannot imagine taking care of business without it. I'd be on the road all the fuckin' time. *shudder*

[Cracker]

But could you JUST use it for business for a few days? NO personal and NO forums and NO news and NO entertainment at all?

[QueenBee]

But could you JUST use it for business for a few days? NO personal and NO forums and NO news and NO entertainment at all?

To be honest, probably not. I am much like LC..I love all the news I can read here. I had to go just TODAY without checking CNN and other news online and about went nuts.

[Maggot]

Around 2005 I found the internet. I could drop it like a rock on a trail at any given moment. I'm Zennish like that and like having a landline, ham radio, hell I have been known to drive 200 miles just to say 'hello"

[username]

I'm showing my age, but I remember when electric typewriters were the shiznit. The first computer I used was an Osborne. Way before the internet.

[Duchess]

But could you JUST use it for business for a few days? NO personal and NO forums and NO news and NO entertainment at all?

No way. I take my laptop on vacation. I check my email at stop lights and the other evening at dinner I got the evil eye for whipping out my BB. It would be VERY difficult to give it up for even a few hours & the thought of giving it up for days makes me feel a little anxious.

[Duchess]

I'd rather give up weed than the internet.

[Duchess]

I think...maybe...maybe not now that I think about it. I hope to never be in a position to have to make a choice since it appears they run neck & neck in my mind.