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Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

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Re: Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

#11

Post by junto »

antocv wrote: post #3
eterm wrote: post #2

It hurts to read this. How did we lose the freedom, the idea that everyone is an equal peer? Was it just the realities of money, that an end user would rather pay a tiny fraction of the real cost of being truly on line and pay instead with their freedom? We used to laugh at AOLers because they weren't experiencing the real internet, because they sold themselves out to an online service. Are today's ISPs with their fi…

The masses. We lost because of the great masses, the eternal october but on a much major scale. The same people that still watch TV and who become numb from their everyday medium to low-wage work, all those who are fighting against each other to climb the ladder just a tiny amount up. See the original internet users were scientists, officers, business people, those early adopters who have the resources and curiosity…

That reminds me of this awesome picture: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Pyramid_o...

Re: Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

#12

Post by Sharlin »

thisiswrong wrote: post #5

> Learning the Internet now, or at least learning about it, is wise. By the turn of the century, "network literacy," like "computer literacy" before it, will be forcing itself into the very texture of your life. Wow, the prediction is a decade off... but 100% correct for those who live in the developed world! It's funny, because EXACTLY the same could be said right now about cryptocurrencies, blockchains, and Distrib…

How is it a decade off? Internet was ubiquitous in developed countries already a decade ago.

Re: Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

#13

Post by RyanMcGreal »

jstalin wrote: post #8

Weird, no mention of Al Gore's role in creating the Internet.

Not sure if you're just being ironic but Al Gore never claimed to have created or invented the internet. Here's what he said:

> During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.

He was referring to the many initiatives he sponsored and promoted during his time as a U.S. Senator that made the internet as we know it possible. In response to the ridicule that followed the out-of-context quote "I took the initiative in creating the Internet," no less than Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn wrote, "No one in public life has been more intellectually engaged in helping to create the climate for a thriving Internet than the Vice President."

Re: Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

#14

Post by dijit »

mseebach wrote: post #10
eterm wrote: post #2

It hurts to read this. How did we lose the freedom, the idea that everyone is an equal peer? Was it just the realities of money, that an end user would rather pay a tiny fraction of the real cost of being truly on line and pay instead with their freedom? We used to laugh at AOLers because they weren't experiencing the real internet, because they sold themselves out to an online service. Are today's ISPs with their fi…

> How did we lose the freedom, the idea that everyone is an equal peer? It's not lost in any real sense, you just have a romanticised picture of "the good old days". Look up the the term BOFH for a reality-check. A dial-up ISP would be oversubscribed and thus effectively throttled, just like today. Downloading too much on your university account, especially in peak hour, would get you banned. If you want total freedo…

$1,000 for a leased line half a mile away last time I checked, that excludes set up fee.

Re: Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

#15

Post by r0muald »

Sharlin wrote: post #12
thisiswrong wrote: post #5

> Learning the Internet now, or at least learning about it, is wise. By the turn of the century, "network literacy," like "computer literacy" before it, will be forcing itself into the very texture of your life. Wow, the prediction is a decade off... but 100% correct for those who live in the developed world! It's funny, because EXACTLY the same could be said right now about cryptocurrencies, blockchains, and Distrib…

How is it a decade off? Internet was ubiquitous in developed countries already a decade ago.

Only if by ubiquitous you mean "all my friends use it" or developed country = [US, UK, Germany and a few others]. Really.

Re: Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

#17

Post by jstalin »

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #13
jstalin wrote: post #8

Weird, no mention of Al Gore's role in creating the Internet.

Not sure if you're just being ironic but Al Gore never claimed to have created or invented the internet. Here's what he said: > During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educationa…

Yes, I was being ironic. But those quotes don't help his case much. Saying "I took the initiative in creating the Internet" is, with or without context, just laughable.

Re: Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

#18

Post by stone2020 »

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #13
jstalin wrote: post #8

Weird, no mention of Al Gore's role in creating the Internet.

Not sure if you're just being ironic but Al Gore never claimed to have created or invented the internet. Here's what he said: > During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educationa…

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but Democrats can say dumb things too.

Re: Bruce Sterling: Internet (1993)

#19

Post by jstalin »

eterm wrote: post #2

It hurts to read this. How did we lose the freedom, the idea that everyone is an equal peer? Was it just the realities of money, that an end user would rather pay a tiny fraction of the real cost of being truly on line and pay instead with their freedom? We used to laugh at AOLers because they weren't experiencing the real internet, because they sold themselves out to an online service. Are today's ISPs with their fi…

Wow, what's with all the frowns and sad faces? The Internet is perhaps the most incredible invention of humanity ever. Billions of people are connected to each other like never before, any information is at our fingertips, anyone who wants to create a web site is free to do so and post whatever they want (except maybe in China), commerce is available to the individual on a global basis, etc etc.

Whining about the "good ole days" when .000001% of the population had even heard of the internet and it was reserved, at great cost, to academics and researchers, is just pathetic.

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