PebHmong Discussion Forum
Hobbies & Interests => Computer & Technology => Topic started by: bulbasaur on August 09, 2015, 04:15:06 AM
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Technology has really grown quickly the past few years. Growing up, only a few kids had computers in their homes. Now, every kid has a computer in their hands. There are kids today who don't know of a world without the Internet. It has been interesting to live through this change. And to remember this change, here is my ongoing list of tech that no longer exists...
The Zip Drive
It was summer camp, and a counselor called some of us over. He said, "I heard you guys like computers. Check this out." He pulled out some funky big blue disk. It looked like a regular disk, but bigger. "It's called a zip drive," he said. He plugged it into some external blue drive that was connected with the parallel port. It held 100mb! And it loaded a full screen picture in less than 5 seconds! The best part: just $20 for 100mb storage! What a bargain!
Zip was cool for a few years. Almost all the computers integrated them. 100mb went to 250mb. 250 went to 750. However, CD's soon became the medium of choice, which was then followed by DVD's. And now, we have USB HD and USB thumb drives and clouds and network drives, etc.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VBjQM%2BO%2BL._SX300_.jpg)
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The Belt Clip
In the early days of mobile devices, it was cool to clip everything on your belt. PDA, work phone, personal phone, pager, ipod, whatever....be lt. Everyone looked like Batman, but with only the utility belt. These days, not many people rock the belt clip. Maybe field workers do, or people who have to be "on call." Anyone here still rock the belt clips?
(http://www.pocketberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/cell_phone_belt.jpg)
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Logitech iFeel Mouse
This mouse was supposed to be the next evolution in interfacing with your computer. The mouse would vibrate over hotlinks. Or, act as a semi-rumble pack for games. All the apps were supposed to take advantage of this tech. But, like fetch, it never happened.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517S7YHCN9L._SX425_.jpg)
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DIVX
No, I am not talking about the codec. I am talking about the video rental program by Circuit City (if people still remember Circuit City). CC would let people rent DIVX for about $5. The cool thing was that you could watch it whenever and there was no late fee. However, once you started, you had 2 days to finish it. If you wanted to extend it or buy the movie, you could pay more. If you didn't want to buy it, just throw the disc away. The downside, the DIVX players were expensive compared to DVD, and you had to signup for the service. DIVX could only be read with a DIVX player, so even if you bought the movie, you can't even lend it to a friend with a regular DVD player. Renting from a video store or simply buying was a better option.
(http://static3.businessinsider.com/~~/f?id=4ab9b9146641b248178a7d00)
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Asian Avenue
So you want to connect with someone today, what do you do? Facebook, of course. Or, maybe one of the other popular social networking sites. Well, before then, we had Asian Avenue (black people had Black Planet). This was the site where young enthusiastic people went to connect with other...and on the far chance, love. ;D
Anyways, one could argue that PH is one of the legacies of sites like Asian Avenue.
(https://a2-images.myspacecdn.com/images03/24/32bf51e0b89943b9b668e01a0163a966/300x300.jpg)
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AOL Instant Messenger
AOL really dropped the ball. This should really be what people still use today on their phones. Unfortunately, AOL has made some really bad decisions. Anyways...
AIM was what people used to talk with each other and leave each other messages. It was really popular with the college kids. There were other alternatives, like IRC or MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, but AIM was top choice. It was text messaging before cell phones were common.
AIM and such programs eventually added more and more features. Everything from group chat, voice chat, video chat, file sharing, etc. Skype is probably the result of all these messenger services. In fact, MSN Messenger was faded out and replaced by Skype.
There were even programs that linked all these messaging programs together, like Trillian.
There were hacks that got rid of all the ads, and hacks that let you clone AIM so you could use multiple user names.
AIM was even influential in Siri. AIM had a bot where you could ask it several questions. You could ask about movie times, tickets, etc. It even had smarta$$ remarks if you asked smarta$$ questions, just like Siri.
Funny thing, I still have have AIM running, but no one is on. It still works (though maybe not supported). I am waiting for someone to log back on.
(http://prog-city.ru/uploads/posts/2012-02/1330217851_aol-instant-messenger.jpg)
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Netscape Navigator
Back in the early days of the Browser Wars, there were only 2 big names, Netscape and Internet Explorer. Most people would agree that Netscape was much better. In fact, it was actually the default for most. User used to have to pay for it, but it was later given out for free. Unfortunately, AOL bought Netscape, and innovation stopped. Netscape soon disappeared, and IE won the browser wars. After "winning" the Browser Wars, Microsoft also stopped innovating. Thus, we had a few years of awful web. This gave an opening for Google to swoop in and play Big Brother.
Fear not Netscape fans, its code lives on in Firefox. So in a way, it kinda beat IE.
(http://web-browsers.softwareinsider.com/sites/default/files/494/media/images/t2/Netscape_Navigator_9_Web_Browser_60620.jpg)
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Tandy 1000 and Apple LC
One of the first computers to hit schools was the Tandy 1000 series (I think) and the Apple LC series (Apple actually had some earlier ones, but they were slightly before my time). I learned all the basic functions on those things. I even learned Fortran on that little Tandy.
And of course, we all were Super Sleuths at Carmen Sandiego, and why is Mary always getting sick on the Oregon Trail! Good thing I was good at hunting bears.
(http://lowendmac.com/wp-content/uploads/lc-with-12-inch-color-384.jpg)
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VHS
Before streaming video, Bluray, and DVD, there was VHS. VHS was amazing because now people can have their own movie library at home. Having a movie night with friends or family was actually something special. Or as they used to say, "Make it a Blockbuster night." People would display their VHS tapes along side their entertainment system. Having a good library was just as important as having a good system.
The problem with VHS is that the quality wasn't as good as the movies. Or, the aspect ratio was cropped. Studios later tried to fix this, which is why there are so many different Star Wars on VHS.
VHS did beat out Betamax and Laser Disc in the format wars.
VHS was also cool in that people could now take family videos. Looking back, the video quality is awful, but at least there are videos. Anyone have VHS family movies?
My first VHS movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMDY2/z/rLQAAOxygLxSZujo/$T2eC16h,!zgFIdZohL4pBSZujnoZDQ~~60_35.JPG)
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VooDoo
For those who remember, this was a brand for computers and gpu's by 3dfx. I am not really sure why both companies decided to use the same name. It's a bit confusing. Anyways, both computers and graphics were cool for a time. HP eventually bought the computer company, and Nvidia eventually bought 3dfx. HP kept the VooDoo brand for a while, but it's virtually gone now. I always wanted to try a VooDoo gpu, but I was an ATI guy at the time.
VooDoo computers are nice. They still look nice today.
(http://cdn.ubergizmo.com/photos/2008/11/voodoo-envy-133-468.jpg)
As for 3dfx VooDoo cards...it has such a bada$$ box.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Voodoo5-5500-photo.jpg)
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Palm / Handspring
People loved PDA's (no, not that PDA, but Personal Digital Assistant). Palm was the leading brand, but Handspring was just as good being that it was formed by the same people. Business types all had their Palm or their Handspring. Students had theirs for time management. I think I still remember how to write the alphabet on those things.
Handspring eventually merged with Palm. Palm should be the dominant name in smartphones today, but they made bad decisions because they refused to evolve. Palm didn't realize that people didn't want to use two devices anymore. Apple swooped in, and Palm is now a memory. I liked WebOS, too. It sorta lives on with LG.
And BTW, Apple totally stole the idea of portable apps from Palm. Not surprising that Apple would steal good ideas though...
I had the Handspring Visor Edge. It had a full metal silver body with a metal flip. It was hipster.
(http://the-gadgeteer.com/assets/edge1.jpg)
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The Overhead Projector
If you work in a business environment or an education environment, you may have come across smart screens, smart boards, smart projectors, etc. They are all different ways to give a presentation or to teach. They are replacing whiteboards, blackboards, regular projectors, posters, etc.
One tech that was used for presentations that kids today may never see is the overhead projector. This was already old when I was growing up, but some old teachers were still using it. In fact, one of my favorite college professors used an overhead projector. He was into his 70s, but he really enjoyed teaching. He used his overhead projector everyday, and he hand-wrote all his notes for us. It's amazing he could get away without using a computer in this day and age. Despite the low tech, he was highly effective.
(http://www.kevland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/proj.jpg)
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Symbian
Oddly enough, a lot of people don't remember Symbian. As recently as 2010, it was the most popular OS for smartphones. Symbian was the OS of choice for many manufacturers, especially Nokia. Unfortunately, like most companies when they are on top, they didn't innovate fast enough. Android entered and took over the market. Apple took the niche, and Symbian was faded out.
(http://core0.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/06/symbianfamily_gallery-100042363-large.png)
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I still have some zip drives AND jazz drives (booya!). And Voodoo cards were all the rage when 3D cards were hitting mainstream. The video card wars are still going strong. We also had an early laser mouse (with reflective pad cuz lasers!) and a comptec tablet. I probably still got them somewhere in storage.
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Video Card Wars. That should be a thread all to itself. I bought a card a while back, and those things are huge. Some of them looked like they need a power supply all to themselves. Those two fans on that VooDoo card were awesome back then, but now you can get some monstrosities.
As of late, my general assumption is that GeForce is better for performance, but Radeon is better on the budget. I could be wrong. I don't really keep up.
I got a Radeon because the performance vs. price was better than the GeForce equivalent. However, drivers and settings were a pain. Maybe the GeForce would have given me the same issues, too. But, I was expecting a plug and play. Maybe cards today are too complicated for simple plug and play. Maybe vendors think that anyone who drops this kind of cash on a card would want to personally tweak it.
I still have some zip drives AND jazz drives (booya!). And Voodoo cards were all the rage when 3D cards were hitting mainstream. The video card wars are still going strong. We also had an early laser mouse (with reflective pad cuz lasers!) and a comptec tablet. I probably still got them somewhere in storage.
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Technology has grown pretty fast but now the leaps aren't as big as they use to since everything has advanced so much. I use to read everyday on my phone about tech and there was always soo much new info on upcoming tech. Nowadays it seems the same info is recycling. I use to be big on the smartphone world always keeping up to date so I can plan what phones to get and also just to know what's out there since people always asked me for advice. Of course I always knew we was gonna come to a point like this cuz there's only soo much you can put in a smartphone considering size and cost and companies just wanna milk out as much as they can from what sells before jumping to what they should have already made. Smartphones lately have been made with a cookie cutter design. The high end phones pretty much have the same processor, cameras, and displays with each company adding something gimmicky and their own UI and release by spring and fall. Anything released in between is last season's phone marketed to try to make some sales until next seasons phone comes in.
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AOL Instant Messenger
AOL really dropped the ball. This should really be what people still use today on their phones. Unfortunately, AOL has made some really bad decisions. Anyways...
AIM was what people used to talk with each other and leave each other messages. It was really popular with the college kids. There were other alternatives, like IRC or MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, but AIM was top choice. It was text messaging before cell phones were common.
AIM and such programs eventually added more and more features. Everything from group chat, voice chat, video chat, file sharing, etc. Skype is probably the result of all these messenger services. In fact, MSN Messenger was faded out and replaced by Skype.
There were even programs that linked all these messaging programs together, like Trillian.
There were hacks that got rid of all the ads, and hacks that let you clone AIM so you could use multiple user names.
AIM was even influential in Siri. AIM had a bot where you could ask it several questions. You could ask about movie times, tickets, etc. It even had smarta$$ remarks if you asked smarta$$ questions, just like Siri.
Funny thing, I still have have AIM running, but no one is on. It still works (though maybe not supported). I am waiting for someone to log back on.
(http://prog-city.ru/uploads/posts/2012-02/1330217851_aol-instant-messenger.jpg)
I miss having AIM, MSN, and IRC. I used to always be logged on. In the early days when Windows Mobile was still good I was always signed on from my phone. Funny back then people seemed to message more when smartphones weren't as abundant lol.
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Symbian
Oddly enough, a lot of people don't remember Symbian. As recently as 2010, it was the most popular OS for smartphones. Symbian was the OS of choice for many manufacturers, especially Nokia. Unfortunately, like most companies when they are on top, they didn't innovate fast enough. Android entered and took over the market. Apple took the niche, and Symbian was faded out.
(http://core0.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/06/symbianfamily_gallery-100042363-large.png)
Palm and Windows Mobile were good. I enjoyed Windows mobile but I think that was because I enjoyed their phones more. But both should still be around if they would of adapted instead thinking they were too good to be touched. I know a lot at the time didn't think the iPhone was gonna be all that. I know I did and was planning on getting a Windows mobile HTC MDA 2 until I played with an iPhone and bought it. Everyone still had a chance still even when the G1 came out. Heard soo much about "real multitasking" and was disappointed. Real multitasking was already around with Palm and Windows Mobile.
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Winamp
Back in the early days of 2x CD burning, a new format came into popularity, MP3. The compression was awesome because now we could listen to songs at just a fraction of the size. The player of choice was Winamp.
There were many other players out there, such as Sonique, Quintessential, WMP, Real, etc. Winamp was the first (for me anyways), and it was great. I could DL skins or make my own. The skins were fun, but the classic look was more functional. It sounded pretty good, too.
Over time, Winamp started to lose favor, especially when iTunes kicked into full gear. Winamp started getting bloated, and users had to pay for all the newer features. Winamp eventually went under. Personally, I still use Winamp despite that I know there are better players out there. But, I still think it really whips the llama's a$$.
(http://www.nilovelez.com/files/2011/06/winamp-2.91.jpg)
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I still use Winamp. You want to talk bloat? *looking at you itunes*
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Winamp was cool. I think everyone used it. I use iTunes now. Simple to use and organizes all my music easy.
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Winamp was cool. I think everyone used it. I use iTunes now. Simple to use and organizes all my music easy.
itunes should seriously consider breaking apart the functions and wazoo that itunes is trying to cover. I like Apple's aesthetics and build material; top notch stuff for looks, physical feel and 'teh feelz' but damn some of their software user interface can use a major overhaul. It is so counter intuitive but yeah it's Apple. Gotta' appease the masses. I have over a terr of mp3s. Can you even imagine the mess created if I tried to organize it in itunes?
(http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/9784/375768-bt3_0087.jpg)
Never forget the copy protection apparatuses (either a book, manual, extra disk, special tinted glasses to be only able to see certain words or my favorite the wheel). Never...
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Creative Sound Blaster
Back in the day, if you wanted sound from your computer, you needed to get a sound card. These things could run up a few hundred bucks if you got one with all the nifty features. Some came with a nifty 5.25 bay attachment. Some had a separate component you put on your desk. I remember using one to run a podcast in college way before it was even popular. We didn't call it a podcast though; we called it an online radio show. I guess I was just ahead of the curve.
Anyways, most mobos today come with decent 5.1 or even 7.1 surround sound, which is good enough for most people. Maybe only musicians would get a sound card these days.
(http://c1.neweggimages.com/BizIntell/item/29/102/29-102-189/29-102-189_1.jpg)
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Real Player
Maybe you knew it as Real One, or Real Audio Player, or Real Player G2. Real was trying real hard to be the multimedia player of choice at the dawn of the Internet. Some people really preferred Real over Winamp for mp3's (although very few use either today). The real advantage of Real Player was it's ability to stream. Really nifty for the time. It was eventually replaced by Flash, and now, HTML 5.
Later, the program became a nuisance. It got bloated. Adware. Spyware. Etc. Eventually people started using Real Alternative instead of the actual Real Player. Even then, the .rm format was becoming a pain. The buffering for videos was just annoying. You didn't know if it crashed or if it was buffering. It was even worse if you were streaming.
All of that being said, I watched Dragon Ball Z on .rm. It was awful quality. It's much better to pay a few bucks and watch it in good quality. Plus, it'll help encourage the series to continue...whi ch may or may not be a good thing.
Apparently, Real is still going. Personally, I don't mind it being off my computer. My goodness, look at that cluttered interface.
(http://img.brothersoft.com/screenshots/softimage/r/realplayer_for_windows-53204-1.jpeg)
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Gnutella
You may or may not know what Gnutella is, but you most likely used it if you were around in the early days of the Internet boom. It was a large P2P network that supported Limewire, Morpheus, Bearshare, Kazaa, Shareaza, and many more. This is what people used for their music, movies, and shady activities. It was great for its time despite all the viruses and adware.
These days, there are much better and legal options. Streaming video services, Youtube, Spotify, etc. Although businesses hated Gnutella, it was the motivation for these modern services.
(http://www.freelimewiredownload.net/images/free_limewire_download.jpg)
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The Flatbed Scanner
They still exist today, but most people don't buy one. People who need a scanner will usually have it in some kind of printer/copier/scanner combo. The quality in those are often good enough. The only people who would get a dedicated flatbed scanners might be professionals who need the best quality. But that is today...
There was a time when people felt the flatbed scanner was an essential part of the home office. Every computer setup had a flatbed scanner on the side for documents, pictures, etc. The scanner was very useful, but it soon started losing its usefulness as devices went digital.
HP, Epson, and the typical big box companies made scanners then. They still do now, but they seem to target professionals with specific needs. However, there were some popular brands that just seem lost in time, like Umax. They were such a big player in scanners. What happened to them?
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/715Q50KYCVL.gif)
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Geocities
For those who don't remember, Geocities was the Facebook of yesteryear. In fact, Geocities should be what Facebook is today, but poor management hindered innovation, and they went the way of the dinosaurs. Too bad so sad.
Back in the day, everyone had a Geocities page. It was the early days of the internet, so there were "Under Construction" banners, blinking signs, gifs, multi-colored font, confusing frames, etc. Many of the usernames were HoTcHiC_2000 or CuTiEBoI or SeXiGuRLo or something of the sort. People didn't quite understand webpage design at the time, but it was still a fun way to browse people from around the world and post your pictures.
Geocities was shut down in America a few years ago, but apparently it is still going in Japan.
(http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/64986125.jpg)
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Cingular
Back in the day when cell phones were just booming, one of the biggest names was Cingular. They were new and hip. They had some of the slickest phones, and they had a cool marketing campaign. They were one of the early companies to really push "roll over minutes."
Today, Cingular is gone; it was bought out by AT&T. Kids today will never know what fits them best or how to raise the bar anymore.
(http://cnet2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/2007/01/02/844ddc87-f4d7-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc/525bac6065ead0b8fe89b74112f3646a/cingular.gif)
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Maybe? I always thought Cingular bought AT&T mobile service, then AT&T bought them back. But, that is after a few more changes and acquisitions. I could be wrong though. I am going off memory. I am sure someone can Google it.
^ I don't think that's what happened.
IIRC. They bought out AT&T's phone service then rebranded themself to AT&T.
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I only kinda know because I worked part-time in wireless when I was in college. The pay wasn't good, but it was fun work.
Maybe we're both correct lol.
I don't know the latter half too well. Maybe they were bought by the bigger AT&T later.
I only know the beginning part because I had At&t as a mobile carrier, and then we got swapped over to cingular which eventually became At&t.
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CompuServe
You have to be really geeky to remember this one. Back in the earlier early days of the Internet, there was CompuServe. Back then, people still used the term "Information Super Highway." Nowadays, using that term is just lame. Also back then, we would get charged by the hour. These days, no one would want to get charged by the hour. Times have changed.
(http://tidbits.com/iskm/iskw2html/pt3/ch09/imgs/09fig29.gif)
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Dont forget these
(http://www.11points.com/images/sony-walkman.jpg)
(http://static.commentcamarche.net/ccm.net/pictures/l3U5HPIL-gameboy-s-.png)