Comments on: “Whatever Happened to…?”

By: Netscape Founder Backs Next-Gen Browser (PC World) : Information Technology – You !

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:06:36 +0000

[...] is widely credited as the browser that helped popularize the Web during the early to mid-90s. In response to Netscape's popularity, Microsoft developed Internet [...]

By: Backlin

Backlin — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:46:49 +0000

Believe it or not, I still use a VCR with VCRplus, and it works great! Of course, now I record TV shows in high-def, all digital, over-the-air; but it’s always great to put in a VHS, press play, and have the timestamp that was written on the tape come up with the date and time I recorded it, what channel it was on (it even marked the A/V inputs), and the custom-typed description (I typed it with the remote, very frustrating). All the public TV stations around my area still broadcast the time also.

By: Wat gebeurde er met… | Computertaal

Wat gebeurde er met… | Computertaal — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:01:56 +0000

[...] 25 grote technologieën stonden op en zijn ondertussen weer (bijna) vergeten. We denken daarbij aan dot matrixprinters (wat zijn dat ook alwaar?) Minidiscs en Monochrome monitoren, bijvoorbeeld. Sommigen daarvan zijn niet kapot te krijgen. Anderen… Wel, die hebben het tijdelijke al lang voor het eeuwige verwisseld. [...]

By: Radd

Radd — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:57:24 +0000

you didn’t mention EXCITE

this was as popular as yahoo in the early days, but slowly lost its shine

By: Benj Edwards

Benj Edwards — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:24:14 +0000

Excellent work, Harry. I love it.

By: Will Fastie

Will Fastie — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:04:11 +0000

Sony’s MiniDisc was a great technology that would have really taken off had it not been for Sony’s nutty stance on DRM from the gitgo. It was only in the past two years or so that it was possible to transfer a recording made by the device to a computer – Sony was worried that any track on the disc, including commercial music, would be copied.

But remember the timing here. Had Sony also made a floppy drive replacement based on this technology, it would not have been able to build enough. This was well before flash memory and while we were still struggling with the 100MB Zip drive. The original MD would have held about 180MB of data, been re-writable for much longer than CD-RWs (which were hideously expensive at the time), and been smaller than the old 3.5″ floppy. Then the 1GB Hi-MD would have given the technology a great mid-life kick.

Now that Sony has acknowledged that a recording made by me actually belongs to me and lets me upload it from the device, it’s too late. At this instant in time, the cost per GB of flash memory is the same as for Hi-MD discs. Why buy a mechanical media when a solid-state media costs the same and is going down?

Nonetheless, it is still hard to find an economical recording device with good recording quality. With its high price, the last of the MD line from Sony doesn’t quality. I’ll keep using my 8-year old model until it dies.

MD was a great technology sadly ruined by the stupidity of its maker.

By: Great article I came across about old tech still being used today | Where does this wire go?

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:36:14 +0000

[...] http://technologizer.com/2009/03/26/whatever-happened-to/ [...]

By: Nancy-NY

Nancy-NY — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:28:04 +0000

This list brought back memories. Had to chuckle though, at the first item — dot matrix printers. While not used for word processing, they are still widely in use (as you and others mentioned) for their impact capabilities. I deal with them almost daily in a tech support capacity.

My first pc was an IBM PS/2 which came preloaded with Windows ver 1. (Horrible!) Still have it in a closet along with a bunch of vintage hardware and software. (Anyone interested? LOL) And to really date myself, I was an early user of Prodigy.com. ID was rrrs42a.

Enjoyed reading your list!

By: William

William — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:46:53 +0000

Great memories!! Thanks for a great lead-in to the weekend. Interesting to see how many companies Microsoft simply buried, most of the time through tactics that are illegal (bundling for free).

What about Kaypro and the original Compaq? And what was that portable with the itty bitty screen called again?

By: Tom Storm

Tom Storm — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:20:48 +0000

Thanks for this refresher on obsolesence. I can finally lay to rest my technophobic anxiety over the expensive software and hardware I have owned since buying my first computer – circa 1983. BROTHER thermal printer; (JUNK) KAYPRO portable – weighed 35-40 lbs. (UNDERPOWERED/OVERPRICED) 3.5 floppies (and a drive!) (HOPELESSLY INADEQUATE) I also still have portable and fixed Mini-disc recorder/players.(EXQUISITE ENGINEERING) – headed for the defunct no museum I guess….still use it. Also have the heavy duty 4 track console for recording. My Zip/Jaz drive still works!
I am headed into retro now – my two thousand LP vinyl collection deserves digital preservation – but also a turntable so I can hear the analogue warmth.
Apple Newton? I got one stored in a box somewhere.
SONY Cleo – lost all data when the power ran out. what a dog. Anyway – enough. I am reverting to analogue/paper & ink.

Please bring back coin operated street corner phones. I don’t need to be that accessible.