The Internet, then and now

To me, in 1995 the Internet was not a thing; I had no idea it existed! I was 12 at the time and was more concerned with riding bikes and just being a kid. So when I was asked to write a blog on what the Internet looked like in 1995, I wasn’t sure I knew what to talk about. I did some research and I found that the Internet in 1995 was . . . how do I put this nicely? . . . for super nerds.
I only say this because the way the Internet was accessed and the way information was found and gathered was very time consuming and not for the average computer enthusiast.

In 1995 the Internet was very basic and very new to the world, not to mention very slow. The Internet was accessed (like it is now) through a service provider. The largest at the time was CompuServe. You would connect through a modem, rated in baud. A 9,600-baud modem would transfer 9.6Kb/s. Compare that to FRII’s new infrastructure (in progress): we are capable of transferring 10Gb/s, which is over 1 million times faster than the speeds in 1995.
Once online, you had a few options:

1. Telnet to sites – this is like connecting to Internet sites, however, it’s accessing another computer (could be a personal computer or one that is used for .gov, .edu, etc.) that is connected to the internet, provided that you have a valid username and password.
2. Gopher to other internet Sites – way to find files on the internet
3. FTP to other Sites – after using Gopher to find the files you were looking for you would then FTP those files to your system
4. Use Archie to search for files – This was a bit more specific, in that you would either have to know the name or portion of the name of the file you were looking for
5. Lynx – World Wide Web Browser

The Lynx World Wide Web browser was not what we are accustomed to today. HTML was still very new and not many companies were using www sites, most would use alt.topic for path names that could be used to find certain files in Gopher or Archie. In the early days of www a good website could generate 20,000-30,000 total views in a week. Today, the most visited site, Google, generates 250,000 unique visitors per week! Encryption technology was also in its infancy, as companies were figuring out that they could sell goods/services online and the idea of “cyber cash” was already in the works. Today there are several different methods to protect yourself when making a purchase online.

The Internet of 1995 compared to 2015 is essentially the same; however, due to advances in technology, it is no longer just for the super nerd. The average person can now easily access the Internet, set up email, and join social media to post their latest food pictures or selfies. As FRII looks back on the last 20 years of the Internet and how far it has come, we also celebrate 20 years of continued service throughout Colorado. We look forward to the many more Internet advancements that are sure come, and look forward to continuing to grow with them.