One of the things I really miss about those days was the sense of optimism. We knew computers were getting more powerful, we knew they would change society, I hoped they could help make things better for people everywhere. What we got was lock-in and locked-down hardware, mass-surveillance, ad-driven content farms and the attention economy. There have been positives, but man. What a let-down.
criddell · 1h ago
Computers used to be fun.
IBM launched the PCjr and it was a cover story. When's the last time anybody wrote about a new desktop? I guess Apple and Framework do something interesting occasionally. Does anybody else?
michaeldoron · 31m ago
I appreciate my elders' experience, but do note that contemporary AI researchers and enthusiasts often feel similarly about AI advancements:
We watch AI models become better each month, not in ads, but in blogs and posts. While not making cover stories, new models do make the news. I was so excited when Dall-E first came out, I even hosted a guess-the-prompt party four years ago with what seems now like prehistoric-level generated images.
The AI industry may face more scrutiny and criticism than the computer hardware industry of the olden days, but we even have a semblance of open source communities who are trying to democratize this for everyone.
All this to say, similar sentiments still exist in the frontier, it's just that the frontier moved.
CharlesW · 1h ago
The industry has been around long enough to see itself become the villain. I'm sad for those who weren't around during its "hero" days. There was something special about running code copied from magazines, meeting and "trading" with like-minded people at early user group meetings, and having your mind blown by the computers and software that emerged from the tech heterogeneity of that time.
AnimalMuppet · 1h ago
Not just "we knew they were getting more powerful". We could watch it, month to month, just by reading the ads. Every month there was an ad or three for something that I had never even dreamed you could do with a computer.
hagbard_c · 44m ago
You get what you make of it and I think your description of what we have is far too negative. You can actually get out of that oppressive world, you might not be able to use the latest hardware and may need to maintain some defence against the data parasites you describe but I'm fairly content with the situation we are in running:
- old off-lease hardware providing our services
- those services are based around free software and keep our data where we can 'see' it. No Apple-Google-Meta-Microsoft-etc accounts needed or wanted.
- older laptops, notebooks, mobile devices running free software
Content filtering takes care of the advertising and other data parasites. As to 'the attention economy' that is up to you as an individual to keep out of your life. Ditch the legacy media and you're already on the right trail, find alternatives where needed and you'll be fine.
If some product is locked down you just have to refrain from using it no matter how enticing it looks, no matter how slick the advertising, no matter how heavy the group pressure. You may have to live with your text messages showing up in a different colour on the screens of those who drank the Kool-Aid, you may have to insist on using a different communication channel than the one pushed by FaceMetabook, etc.
In short there is still a bright future for those who know how coax it from the materials at hand, you'll just have to fight the parasites who always appear in thriving ecosystems. Squash them like the bugs they are and you'll be fine unless you happen to live somewhere where the state uses repressive means to keep everyone and everything under its control. If this is the case you can try to fight it, especially while they have not achieved full control and there is still a chance of turning the ship around. If not you're probably best off by moving out of that state, the world is a big place and there's likely to be some country where your skills are welcomed.
FuriouslyAdrift · 32m ago
I think the biggest difference is, in the past, technology felt "enabling" and now it feels "predatory"
ryandrake · 9m ago
Another view: in the past, when you started using a new technology, you wanted to explore it and find new ways to use it. Now, when you start using a new technology, you need to tiptoe around it and/or find ways to disable it.
iroddis · 46m ago
I still subscribe to Linux and Admin magazines, and look forward to getting them. They are nostalgic while still filled with genuinely useful information. There is something categorically different in the experience of sitting down and reading curated articles vs consuming an endless stream of updates. Both are worthwhile, and I’m glad both are options.
Plus, it’s a rare win/win of indulgence and plausible productivity.
Back in 1975, my dad got a copy of Creative Computing magazine from a colleague, and gave it to me as he knew I talked about computers. I was in heaven reading that mag. I still have it.
In the 80s, I regularly went to B&N to troll the computer mags. They're all gone now.
My hot rod magazines have all disappeared, too. Magazines like "Chrysler Engines". Sigh. The only one left is Hot Rod.
Dachande663 · 30m ago
I miss the days of eagerly picking up the latest PCFormat from the cornershop. The guides, the reviews, but mostly the CD running some old Macromedia Shockwave/HTML website with random apps and tools I could never download in the few minutes a day of dial-up time. Wish I’d kept some of my favourite issues.
WalterBright · 31m ago
> Today I almost certainly have more retro computer magazines than you do. By my count, I now have nearly 700 issues of various computer magazines from the 70s, 80s and 90s!
I have nearly 200 issues just of PC Magazine. If I toted up the rest, I might have more than you!
nobodyflies · 40m ago
OP had a commitment to preserving history. Well done.
But no “Nibble”? That was my go to mag for Apple programming. I wish I had saved them like OP!
eej71 · 36m ago
I always enjoyed Softline - the irreverent sibling to Softalk.
Simulacra · 51m ago
I fondly remember when Wired magazine was almost all tech articles, instead of 50% advertisements, and 40% paid content.
criddell · 10m ago
I think Mondo 2000 is the spiritual predecessor of Wired. So much weird stuff in there. I used to flip through articles about smart drugs wondering if they really worked. The caveat was always that the long term consequences aren't known.
Well, there could be a cohort of Mondo readers who have been on them for the past 40 years. They might be able to say if there have been long term consequences.
IBM launched the PCjr and it was a cover story. When's the last time anybody wrote about a new desktop? I guess Apple and Framework do something interesting occasionally. Does anybody else?
We watch AI models become better each month, not in ads, but in blogs and posts. While not making cover stories, new models do make the news. I was so excited when Dall-E first came out, I even hosted a guess-the-prompt party four years ago with what seems now like prehistoric-level generated images. The AI industry may face more scrutiny and criticism than the computer hardware industry of the olden days, but we even have a semblance of open source communities who are trying to democratize this for everyone.
All this to say, similar sentiments still exist in the frontier, it's just that the frontier moved.
- old off-lease hardware providing our services
- those services are based around free software and keep our data where we can 'see' it. No Apple-Google-Meta-Microsoft-etc accounts needed or wanted.
- older laptops, notebooks, mobile devices running free software
Content filtering takes care of the advertising and other data parasites. As to 'the attention economy' that is up to you as an individual to keep out of your life. Ditch the legacy media and you're already on the right trail, find alternatives where needed and you'll be fine.
If some product is locked down you just have to refrain from using it no matter how enticing it looks, no matter how slick the advertising, no matter how heavy the group pressure. You may have to live with your text messages showing up in a different colour on the screens of those who drank the Kool-Aid, you may have to insist on using a different communication channel than the one pushed by FaceMetabook, etc.
In short there is still a bright future for those who know how coax it from the materials at hand, you'll just have to fight the parasites who always appear in thriving ecosystems. Squash them like the bugs they are and you'll be fine unless you happen to live somewhere where the state uses repressive means to keep everyone and everything under its control. If this is the case you can try to fight it, especially while they have not achieved full control and there is still a chance of turning the ship around. If not you're probably best off by moving out of that state, the world is a big place and there's likely to be some country where your skills are welcomed.
Plus, it’s a rare win/win of indulgence and plausible productivity.
https://www.linux-magazine.com/
In the 80s, I regularly went to B&N to troll the computer mags. They're all gone now.
My hot rod magazines have all disappeared, too. Magazines like "Chrysler Engines". Sigh. The only one left is Hot Rod.
I have nearly 200 issues just of PC Magazine. If I toted up the rest, I might have more than you!
But no “Nibble”? That was my go to mag for Apple programming. I wish I had saved them like OP!
Well, there could be a cohort of Mondo readers who have been on them for the past 40 years. They might be able to say if there have been long term consequences.