When did you first use the Internet?

[wagstaff]

It would be fair to say that the Internet has become such an integral part of our lives that it's hard to believe that only since the mid-1990s has it come into mainstream usage in Western countries like Australia.

My first experience with the Internet was at school in 1996 when it was introduced into the Library around the time for the Atlanta Olympics. But I really only got hooked on it when I went onto Internet cafes in 1997 and spent enormous amounts of time on just one web site like the Simpsons archive This one.

Only then did I see how much potential and interest was contained within the Internet and the World Wide Web.

When was your first experience of using the Internet and were you completely won over by it at the time or did you have doubts that it would take off like it did? What web sites did you use to view in those early days?

 

[coxon]

started around 93/94...
when i bought a frickin netcomm 28.8 modem for $560.. haha..

began with the BBS (bulletin board system) first... interactive chats with other users, online ascii games, downloading pr0n (on bbs, no thumbnails.. just lame descriptions! haha)...

early '95 when i started uni, got a proper internet account...
sites i viewed in the early days:

yahoo cool sites of the day
nba.com
rollingstone.com
midi download sites (before mp3)

 

[Captain Random]

Started using the internet in 1993 at Uni to hunt up inter-library book loans, and promptly got addicted to MUD's.

Didn't look at the net again until 1996. What a difference. All this new-fangled graphical stuff - looxury!

 

[ozzult]

'Bout 1994, they had it at our school on good ole win 3.1, used it all the time then.

Then got it at home at around 96

 

[Mr Eagle]

First had it at home in 1994, on our 486-SX33. A big ol' 33.6k modem was too much for it to handle - we could barely get 1.0k/sec!

 

[Sydneyfan]

Back in '95 in a computer tutorial as the teacher went out all these guys in class started looking at 'real' pics of Sandra Bullock, Mariah Carey and the like naked. My mates and I asked how'd they find it, and they said click on the Netscape Navigator and that was it!

Up until '98 would mainly just surf the net at uni when I had some free time and it wasn't we got a home in '98 when I became hooked.

At the time I'd mainly go to Yahoo and check out the What's New and What's Cool sections. I thought it was pretty exciting then but it has sure developed in the intervening 7 years, be scary to imagine what the Net's going to be like in 2010!

 

[eagleskickass]

i think it was 98 when i got a decent computer, and also got the net. Slow modem, slow net connection and 20 hours a month, was all i required then. Boy have things changed.

 

[TheMase]

Ahh it was a long time ago.

Probably very early 90's for bulletin boards etc .. but the internet as we know it now .. probably 95 ish

Anyone ever played TradeWars (speaking of BB games)

 

[Goldenblue]

1995.

Signed up with MSN using my 14.4 modem, on my 486 DX66 with 8M Ram and 170MB HD.

How things have changed since then.......

 

[i_luv_westcoast]

To be honest I can't remember the first time I actually got onto the net. I had wanted it for about 2 years but my Dad said it was to dangerous. A friend got it when he was about 15 and I finally convinced my Dad it would be ok and I would act responsibly. So I got it for Christmas when I was 15 (1995). I remember that day I was waiting for my dad to leave me alone so I could finally look up some pr0n . Since then I have met a few ppl off the net, and havn't been kidnapped so far .

 

[Squeak]

Late starter. Would've been 1998 at school, think I went to nba.com or baggygreen.com or altavista. Obviously wasn't a hugely memorable experience. Wasn't until I got ICQ in '99 that I started taking a real interest in the net.

 

[Rohan_]

1997 First year University. I was amazed at this new thing that had so much pr0n. Given that records were broken....

 

[PrincessPark]

First saw it at a mate's house in 1996 but used it myself first in 97 at a library.

Pretty soon I was down there every second day or so, LA Live chat and then The Park chatrooms. Hey, there's not much else to do in Port Hedland. Got Hotmail account. Signed up for those pox free lifestyle emails.

Got it at home (parents) end 1997. First thing my Mum looked up were crash photos of Princess Di. Still chatting on The Park, and building a homepage on Angelfire *chuckle*

Moved to Melbourne late 98 and got my own computer and internet start 99. The Park died . . . got over online chatting. Favourites included AFL, carltonfc.com.au, RSVP *chuckle*, ICQ, IMDB.

This year discovered TBV and then Big Footy, Schoolfriends etc.

These days I also use it for booking flights, banking, ordering flowers, and staying in touch with everyone on MSN. Never online chatting. People are weird.

 

[bluechampion]

those were the days...

1996, days before the Grand Final in, of all places, Launceston.

Used it at the University of Tasmania Launceston Campus, in the Media Office of the Student Union.

Used a ChatBoard first, and about 15 minutes in found some folks having Cyber-sex.

Marvellous.

 

[DaveW]

Got it at home in early 1996. Got hooked on irc about a year later.

 

[catattack]

First got it in school in early 1996 or so, and got it at home early 1998.

 

[PrideofSA]

First got it at school in 1996 (yr 7) and then also got it at home that same year

 

[Grendel]

First heard about it very late eighties with 'geek' mates (who are now all very rich geeks ) talking about what there comps at Uni could now do over the phone connections (or whatever it was back then). Yea right.. Im going to the footy leave you to your 'toys'....

First really 'hands on' was around 92/93 again on a mates computer. Had no idea what the fuss was about with this oh so slow sending/recieving files chat etc..

Like most others started to get more into it from 97 onwards when 14k modems (hurrah) seemed to become affordable.

Been on-line since pretty much since then.

 

[TheMase]

My dad brought his first modem for $1000 (they were retailing for $1500 - $2000)

He ran a bulletin board.