FoxTrot Classics by Bill Amend for November 30, 2018

oh, how nostalgic when used to having dial-up Internet

I do believe the date on this is 1996. At that time, I was using an external 14.4 modem. It took me roughly an hour and a half to navigate to the relevant website and place my order for a new computer with an internal 56k modem.

I remember in 1996 getting ready for a business trip to Ireland. I wanted to check what the weather was going to be in Dublin. Took 45 minutes to get that information.

Yup. Still remember having to beg the SysOp for extra BBS time because I couldn’t download the ~650K Zip file of Wolfenstein 3D in the standard 30 minute session with my 2400 baud modem.

And yet people continue to complain these days.

I do miss the beeping, but not the interminable slooooowness. It would take hours to download a 250 MB file and it would usually glitch and you had to start again.

I had dial-up for several more years than most people. Hi-Speed was too expensive then, so since the only benefit was speed I figured keeping dial-up would teach me patience. I waited for four years until the price of hi-speed came way down.

Sometimes I miss that little blue “crawl bar” from AOL. We would hit the dial – up (with a list of 6 alternate local / toll free lines to call) sit down, have dinner, and perhaps celebrate the kid’s birthdays (one in April and one in November) while waiting for that modem connected tone and the infamous “You’ve got mail” announcement.

With net neutrality ending we’re heading back in that direction.

Not a lot better now.

Bzzzt … zzzzt … krrrrrrkkkk … zt-zt … brrrrreeeepppp!

I kind of miss hearing that “squeeeee Squaaaaaaaaw bong bong bong” while in the kitchen getting snacks and picking out a magazine to while away the wait.

It really made downloading porn frustrating. #SlowDown

How nostalgic. This strip is 20 yrs old! Wow how the tech world has changed. 300 baud

This strip is 20 yrs old! I still had 1200 baud back them.

AOL when it first started. I am not exaggerating!