this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
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did you use the internet in '92 or something? because even in mid to late 90s the ads were so cancerous that pop-up blocking eventually became a standard feature of browsers before ad blockers were even a thing.
My first contact with the web (I had been in the internet for some time already) was when a collegue at university told me about the Arena browser, and this new system, "like Gopher, but with Hypertext and pictures". And yes, I've seen the CERN website, served from Tim Barners-Lee's NeXT cube, too.
So yes, I knew the web before there were ads, the internet when services were normally open to all sides, and when people on the internet that were actually much smarter than average.
Up to early 00' most webs didn't really have many ads. Some may have abusive advertisement but it wasn't everywhere like now.
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Seriously. Someone never clicked on the "you are an idiot" popup that auto-played music, moved around the screen, prevented task manager from opening and cloned itself if it was closed.
The installers for every major software company riddled every single computer with adware. And you needed a compsci degree to get rid of it. Weren’t there lawsuits over that shit, that led to regulations? I remember that happening. It’s not like they were going to stop doing that of their own accord.
oh yeah there was all that bs too. oh the toolbars!