I am probably one of the few, but I miss the old non-web internet. What is the non-web internet you might ask, that would be irc, usenet, etc. There are several protocols that existed on the internet, and were used and even existed before http (the web).
This longer for the older internet (mind you I am not saying the new internet that we have is bad, I enjoy it a lot, I am just saying I miss the older stuff too) I have started playing with a service out there over at sdf.org it is a unix shell access system. They have a local community going that you can talk with in real time (ala irc) using the com command and they have a text based BBS system going (bboards) It kind of fun to be connection to remote shell accounts instead of just consuming web pages.
So now I have my personal cloud computer out on the internet that I pay for at Digital Ocean (Digital Ocean that I use for a svn server, and backup of my user data. I play on using it for some tomcat work later on in time. I have access to a true time share system over at sdf.org there are people there chatting on the roof all the time (I finally found an active chat area that you don’t have to access via the web) if you join up there look for me, my login is mpop. I been going though the old IRC servers not finding much life around there.
Been having fun with those so far, next I just have this urge to see if I can pull together a gopher client and explore there a bit, just to see if there is anything still on that area.
Also who remembers AIM for instant messenger, no I am not saying you should have been on aol, but almost every one had AIM at a time, that was after ICQ. I wonder if SMS has truly killed IM or have people just forgotten of IM.
Another thing I have worked on was instead of continuing to read email off a web interface. I have moved to a command line type email client, the email will still be stored on the gmail servers and my email of mpop@mikeoconnor.net will still work, but I am using older technology that still works, to pull in my email over imap to read it, then stmp (authenticated) to send it so for no one will see a change in how I read my email except for me.
I am setting up my computing setup to look and feel old school for the most part, while at the same time enjoying some of the latest tech, the best of both worlds. Come join me in a lark in the jungles of the internet that still exists and many don’t try and there we will find ourselfs and have fun doing it, and find things that the non-geeks could only imagine.
