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As we know it? It already has several times. How many of you out there are browsing the web using Gofer? The centralized oligarchcentric web that we know today needs to die and great new things are coming along to take its place. Returned to more sustainable collaborative websites and services. Like the fediverse.
The only solace I take in the enshittification of the web and the resulting rise in prices, is that we might see (be forced into) a return to the small web and an escape from the stranglehold that big tech and social media has had on us for the last 15 years.
If we’re lucky, the late-stage capitalism effect of ruining companies long term futures for short term gains might happen to entire industries instead of companies.
I see a lot of potential for it to push people back to the small web too. Lots of people becoming interested in personal blogs lately, decentralized social media, the whole indie web movement, etc.
I’ve been seeing a slow but steady movement that direction too
Definitely. The conditions that created this version of the web have been gone for some time now. We’ve gone from connections that were temporarily and required hours to download a few minutes of postage stamp sized video. To always on connections capable of streaming multiple HD streams faster than real time in both directions.
For my part I’m also looking in to purchasing and trying to set up a small Adhoc mesh Halow network and running a few services on it for myself and any others in the neighborhood that are interested. A small, free (after the hardware) anarchist wireless network. 16mbps can do a lot with simple services, etc.Plus, if a number of people in the area decided to adopt and contribute more nodes to the mesh, you could go faster still.
Back to dial up internet and BBS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos
The 90-minute live demonstration featured the introduction of a complete computer hardware and software system called the oN-Line System or, more commonly, NLS, which demonstrated for the first time many of the fundamental elements of modern personal computing, including windows, hypertext, graphics, efficient navigation and command input, video conferencing, the computer mouse, word processing, dynamic file linking, revision control, and a collaborative real-time editor.
In 1968
Gopher was not the original protocol of the web but an alternative to HTTP/hypertext. It didn’t get the same traction, however, and has practically been dead for decades.
Why Gofer when Gemini?
Long ago, when I first got on the Internet, the big social media forum was Usenet. It was a distributed network of instances where users would have an account on a particular instance, where they could subscribe to “newsgroups” dedicated to particular topics. Their instance would broadcast their posts to a newsgroup to all the other instances that were following that newsgroup, so everyone could interact even if they were on different instances.
Then the World Wide Web grew, and centralized sites like Digg and Reddit appeared that handled the same sort of social media. Usenet faded. It’s still around, I suppose, though these days last I checked it’s largely a mechanism for distributing pirated files.
Someday those centralized sites might also fade. Who knows, maybe a decentralized system like Usenet might grow again to replace it?
The wheel turns.
So Usenet was the first fedi site? Reassuring that the concept predates the current paradigm and still has legs, however niche it is atm.
That’s why almost no ISP is offering it anymore. No one made money from it, so dump it, maybe try to squeeze some cash out of those hwo really want it but better just drop it.
Sort of. It predated the web, so calling it a “site” is wrong. Just like you can have an email application that’s completely separate from your web browser, you can have a Usenet client that’s also its own thing. Of course, people made web-based clients as time went on.
Your ISP ran a Usenet server that connected to other Usenet servers. The biggest problem with this system was that your ISP would automatically delete posts past a certain age. Following old threads was a pain.
Google Groups started as a Usenet archive where messages were kept forever. Google bought them and turned it into what it is now.
…and YouTube is one of the major reasons. The web’s not a fucking TV and if you’re using it as a TV you’ll get stupid even faster than from watching actual TV.
Wouldn’t that depend on what you’re watching?
You can watch reality TV on YouTube, or traditional television.
You can watch educational content and documentaries on YouTube, or traditional television.
Hell you can watch some traditional TV shows on YouTube or traditional television.
YouTube is just a platform for hosting content. Now they may have a “better” algorithm compared to traditional television, but that doesn’t really change much.
Well, have a look what content is getting the most views. I had no idea someone could be that stupid.
Well, have a look what TV show is getting the highest ratings. I had no idea someone could be that stupid.
I’ve heard this argument for like 30 years. Everything old is new again.
