While searching through the usenet archive's on google I came across this link: http://groups.google.com/group/net.flame/browse_frm/thread/64696a1b035aab72/9d78b6a94111c70e#9d78b6a94111c70e


It's a discussion about the Y2K bug and its effects on computers from Jan. 1985. I always found internet history interesting so this really caught my intrest. Some other cool links:

http://groups.google.com/group/net.general/msg/205f828a7595fc94~This is the earliest archived post on usenet and likely one of the oldest archived posts period. It's from Mar. 1981.

http://groups.google.com/group/net.singles/browse_frm/thread/8040ef0a5678edf8/521a5c2edfdb1745#521a5c2edfdb1745~This is the first thread about the AIDS virus. From 1982.

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.politics/msg/373b40ecb65f4c7c~This is the first post about the Tienanmen Square massacare in June of 1989.

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.apple/msg/5a1ad727846a51db~This is the first mention of AOL. From 1989.

I remember reading a ton of these a couple of years ago.  More specifically I remember reading some topics from 1983 of people talking about "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (Which was just released at the time)

It was very interesting to see them carry on conversations about movies back then, because they talked about them the same way people still do on the internet today (using such slang as "Spoilers", etc.)

I remember reading a ton of these a couple of years ago.  More specifically I remember reading some topics from 1983 of people talking about "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (Which was just released at the time)

It was very interesting to see them carry on conversations about movies back then, because they talked about them the same way people still do on the internet today (using such slang as "Spoilers", etc.)



Yeah, I checked out the Star Wars ep. 6 thread from '83 too. Stuff like that intrests me because I always liked to see the way people felt about things as they happened, not later on when there opinions may have changed. It's strange to think about how small the internet was back then compared to now :o

Is there a link to those 1983 ROTJ posts?

Is there a link to those 1983 ROTJ posts?



A few:

http://groups.google.com/group/net.movies/msg/1cf7b5461f1032f5~This is the first mention of the movie online, from 1982.


http://groups.google.com/group/net.movies.sw/browse_frm/month/1983-06?hl=en~Here's some from June 1983, right after the movie came out.

Thanks for those. aA lot of posts to get through there.

So what kind of people had internet back in 82/83?

A few:

http://groups.google.com/group/net.movies/msg/1cf7b5461f1032f5~This is the first mention of the movie online, from 1982.


http://groups.google.com/group/net.movies.sw/browse_frm/month/1983-06?hl=en~Here's some from June 1983, right after the movie came out.


  Man, that is just crazy...

  These vintage topics on ROTJ, a year proir to, and just after it's initial release is some of the coolest stuff on Decades - period...

  God, I'm in, like, the seventh and eighth freakin' grades when these were posted on usenet..!

  Thanks much, mach!ne_he@d  :) :)

  Man, that is just crazy...

  These vintage topics on ROTJ, a year proir to, and just after it's initial release is some of the coolest stuff on Decades - period...

  God, I'm in, like, the seventh and eighth freakin' grades when these were posted on usenet..!

  Thanks much, mach!ne_he@d  :) :)



No prob Davester, and I know how you feel. At the time of those posts I wasn't even born yet ;D. Here's a few more:

http://groups.google.com/group/net.audio/msg/dc130650df697e00~This is the first ever online mention of the compact disc from 1982.

http://groups.google.com/group/fa.telecom/msg/77f2cca289b1ae26~Announcement of Cell Phone development from 1982.

http://groups.google.com/group/net.works/msg/35a7598e05d9a09b~I thought this one was pretty neat. It's a 1982 reference to the idea of 'emoticons'. One of the first references to them.

Here's an interesting one from the "Return of the Jedi" topics (This one is from May 1983)

http://groups.google.com/group/net.movies.sw/browse_frm/month/1983-05

From: rba-dx - view profile
Date: Fri, May 27 1983 6:42 pm
Email: rba...@allegra.UUCP
Groups: net.movies.sw
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        After seeing "Return of the Jedi" Wednesday, I was left with
    a question. I'm pretty sure that Episodes I, II, and II will be
    about Anakin (Darth Vader) Skywalker and how he was drawn to the
    Dark Side of the force (what is the offer he couldn't refuse?).
    But, what will Episodes VII, VIII, and IX be about? Will the
    Empire rise into power once more, lead by a sinister, new leader?
    Or will a new enemy terrorize the galaxy?

Wow, good guess  :D

I love reading these old posts too, it's pretty cool.

Thanks for those. aA lot of posts to get through there.

So what kind of people had internet back in 82/83?


I don't know for sure, but probably very intelluctual and/or nerdy types on some of the really good colleges across America. 

This is probably really stereotypcal, but I keep getting the impression that Gilbert and Louis from Revenge of the Nerds (1984) were the types that wrote a lot of these early internet posts.  In the 80s, anyone who spent a lot of time on the computer was seen as a geek.   

You notice these posts are usually well written and smart, and not as inchorent as the ramblings of many random posts today.  

Here's an interesting one from the "Return of the Jedi" topics (This one is from May 1983)

http://groups.google.com/group/net.movies.sw/browse_frm/month/1983-05

Wow, good guess  :D


  Yeah, I'd been hearing that speculation since the late seventies.  Pretty much spot-on...

 

I don't know for sure, but probably very intelluctual and/or nerdy types on some of the really good colleges across America. 

This is probably really stereotypcal, but I keep getting the impression that Gilbert and Louis from Revenge of the Nerds (1984) were the types that wrote a lot of these early internet posts.  In the 80s, anyone who spent a lot of time on the computer was seen as a geek. 

You notice these posts are usually well written and smart, and not as inchorent as the ramblings of many random posts today. 



Yeah, I noticed that too. The internet was actually a fairly small community(compared to today,lol), made up mostly of more 'technically inclined' people. Therefore you didn't have any of those inane guest types like around here ::)

Exactly.  I know it's super stereotypical, and I'm bound to offend someone, but if you were regularly getting on the internet in 1982, it's like what the hell kind of mega geek were you.  Everyone else was still being wowed by Pac-Man and Atari and you are on the internet. 

Even in 1992 it would have still been odd, so 1982?  It was a totally different community back then, whereas today everyone and their mother gets on the net.

Back then, it was largely relegated to college campuses and communities too. The development of the microcomputer was still in its infancy, and only schools and the government had a lot of them.

Just figured I would bump this topic to include a few new links:
http://ia311507.us.archive.org/1/items/EstimateOfIntegratedMonthlyCostForImps/EIMCIMPS.txt~This was a message posted over the ARPANET, which was a precursor to Usenet, on September 21st, 1970.

This is the absolute oldest internet posting i've been able to find to date. It's mostly technical stuff, and I really didn't understand what the person was talking about, but its still very historically significant. You can find more of these older posts here:http://www.archive.org/details/arpanet. There may be some even older than that there, but I haven't been able to find them yet.

Here's a few more:

http://groups.google.com/group/net.misc/browse_frm/thread/455bb321f3bd0e9a/fd9636141155ff0e#fd9636141155ff0e~The first disscussion about 'New Coke' from 1985.

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.hypertext/browse_frm/thread/7824e490ea164c06/395f282a67a1916c?#395f282a67a1916c~The announcement of the world wide web project from 1991.

Exactly.  I know it's super stereotypical, and I'm bound to offend someone, but if you were regularly getting on the internet in 1982, it's like what the hell kind of mega geek were you. 


Are you effing nuts?  Offend?  Dude, I'm honored!  :)

Exactly.  I know it's super stereotypical, and I'm bound to offend someone, but if you were regularly getting on the internet in 1982, it's like what the hell kind of mega geek were you.


No offence taken.  Indeed, I'd have been honored.

I got started a few years after that - and I fling in your general direction the thing that got me startedon network humor:  "NutWorks".  This was something from BITNET - Because It's There NETwork, (Because It's Time NETwork) which was... well,

http://nethistory.dumbentia.com/archive.html

Nutworks ran from 1985, to (26 issues later), 1989.  Let's leave it at that.

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.apple/msg/5a1ad727846a51db~This is the first mention of AOL. From 1989.

"I bought the latest computer;
      it came fully loaded.
      It was guaranteed for 90 days,
      but in 30 was outmoded!"

Weird that there was that kind of problem in 1989!

Deborah Gibson "Between The Lines" internet newsletter (from 1989 to 1997)


Some interesting  stuff, though mostly about her music, facts, and tv appearances...  :)

Who knew Joan Rivers had a talk show  ::) :P

I just checked out the ROTJ posts, they seemed pretty nerdy.  ;D

It's fun looking at those old '80s posts - doesn't seem 20+ years ago!