Computer Woes Solved? Multi-browser, Multi-system Malware Stopped! [I Hope]

Me, until a couple of hours ago.

Noted here in the last couple of posts, I've been beset by computer woes since some time mid-weekend. Somehow, all of our devices were plagued by malware, weird ads and attempts to get us to install various software. Neither of us knows how it happened, but I seem to have sort of solved the problem. I think. It's too early for cartwheels.

But I'm going to explain in as detailed a way as I can, so that if you have a similar problem, you can try the same thing.

We were getting popups, over-sized browser windows with either a) legit looking ads, b) fake looking ads, c) alerts to either install or upgrade video players, plugins and whatnot, and d) actual attempts to install files, all you have to do is click "ok." Fortunately, both of us here are smart enough not to install anything, though the source of this problem remains a mystery. And that's not all. Clunky, ugly, blinking, 90s-style "scare" ads started showing up in areas of web pages that ordinarily hold Google AdSense-type ads. But the weirdest part is, this was all of the sudden happening on a Windows 8 PC, a Windows 7 PC, a MacBook Pro running Mavericks, and a Galaxy S4 phone running Android Kit Kat.  And on these devices, it was happening in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari, variously. Weird, right?

Didn't matter what device or operating system.

I called Cox, our internet provider, because even though I'd run every malware and virus program I could think of, the devices themselves were insisting that they were clean. It must, I thought, be either the router or the modem. The first lady was nice as could be, but had no idea what my problem might be. The second tier of help was too smart for me, two or three notches ahead of my experience level (which isn't ordinarily too shabby). But she got me the solution that is holding at the moment:

Factory reset the wireless router. Rename the router. Change the password, and keep it complicated. Then, I restarted all of the devices, one-by-one got them onto the network with the new settings. Also, I opened the internet pages I knew to be experiencing phony ads. I then reloaded the pages holding the shift key in. Poof, the bad ads

Didn't matter what browser either, though it
affected different browsers on different
devices.

disappeared. For reals. So far, the popup ads seem to be gone as well. On all systems.

So, though I won't even pretend to understand where this came from or what was really going on, it's clear that this goofy malware was coming through the router and running clean, because no anti-virus or anti-malware software could even see it running. Doesn't this sound kind of new to you? I've certainly never heard of it.

EDITED TO ADD: The Cox tech lady also advised me to assign individual MAC addresses to individual devices, somthing that is both a little outside my experience level, AND, seems to me like it would be awkward when we have guests, or want to add devices. So, I'll reserve that trick for if this bizarre occurrence ever happens again.

Blast from the Past: Old Computer Commercials

Bill Cosby image from ComputerCloset.org

I'm going through some computer woes with my MacBook Pro (more about that later), so I have been running through my past experience with the dreaded beasts. My experience with computing goes back to the Commodore 64 if you're talking hands-on experience with keyboarded computers. Prior to that, I had some exposure to my uncle's Commodore Vic-20, and the early home gaming units like Sears Tele-Systems (Atari) Pong, and the RCA Studio II gaming console. Of course, after that I've had some experience with countless gaming systems, and numerous other computers, to the point that I'm considered something of a guru, though sadly not with the Apple iUniverse.

Back in the early days, everyone was a novice. And picking which system to align yourself with was all guesswork. Commodore won out for a long time--at least with home systems--but eventually collapsed. Strong contenders were Atari, Texas Instruments and Radio Shack, all of which eventually died off. But it was a fun time, and there's a reason I included gaming systems. . .there was significant cross-over between them and dedicated computers, to the point that they usually took gaming cartridges.  Here are some of the commercials from the days when computers were nerdier versions of video games. See if you remember them. Or if you're too young, see what you missed!

#1 - Commodore 64 - This was the best of the bunch. A computer console with a scant 64K of memory, but endless expandability and creativity. They pushed this baby as far as it could go, and it was wildly successful for many years.

#2 - Atari 400 - This is a generic ad for an Atari computer from 1981, probably the 400. Atari tried so hard to capitalize on their arcade and home video game successes with a home computer. But they never really caught on. Noble effort though, and a great commercial.



#3 - TRS-80 - This commercial is from a later model. Radio Shack's little computer chugged along for years on fumes. I remember a friend touting the superiority of his first-generation TRS 80 to our Commodore 64. The truth was, his TRaSh 80 was little more than half-step past Pong.

#4 - Texas Instruments TI99/4a - TI made it big with calculators, and so they tried to get in on the home computer craze. The case was cheesy, and the computer was lame. But they got Bill Cosby for their ad!

#5 - Coleco Adam - Adam was the logical outgrowth of the popular ColecoVision, and both systems had adapters for the Atari 2600 game cartridges. Probably was a victim--like the others--of trying too hard too soon. Technology just wasn't there to make these things practical workhorses.

#6 - Apple II - Apple probably got to where it is today by insinuating itself into schools early. Every school with a computer lab in the early 80s had the Apple II, Apple IIc, Apple IIe or Apple III. I knew nobody who had them at home, but this was right before the first Macintosh, and really is where they got their start as a known entity.

Sadly, I couldn't find commercials for other early computers like the Timex Sinclair, and after that they get pretty obscure anyway. Of course. Atari, Commodore, Radio Shack and Texas Instruments tried other models, and some were moderately successful for a while. But when first the Mac and then Windows caught on as home systems, it was all she wrote for these other guys.

So, that's it for this weekend's edition. Have a great week, everyone. Happy Monday!

Is Microsoft an Underdog?

This past week, while I was back in Ohio, I ended up--as I often do--doing a lot of computer repairs for my family. I recreated Mom's defunct home wireless network, I resucitated Mom's year-old but dead as a doorstop HP TouchSmart computer, I refreshed Mom's slightly older notebook computer, and helped salvage a hard drive from my sister's and brother-in-law's ancient business computer (destroying the rest of the computer in the process).

Image from source, Huffington Post

These procedures were performed on machines running various iterations of Microsoft Windows (Millenium Edition, XP, Vista and 7), all with their attendant ideosyncracies. Along the way, I got to thinking, what's the future of Microsoft anyway? While the overwhelming majority of computers still run on one of those operating systems, the era of boxed software on a specific platform is clearly waning. Even a long-time Mac-O-Phobe like me now owns a Mac. We've got smart telephones with their own software (only a minority of which are run by Microsoft software). We've got PS3s and Blu-ray players that wirelessly connect to the internet. There are countless other devices, new ones all the time, and many of them are neither Microsoft Windows, nor Mac OSX related. And even when they are, there are tons of ways to get your work done without laying out $300 to upgrade to the latest Office suite.

For years, it has been obvious that we're headed to some sort of convergance of all of this technology. The real winner is going to be whatever company becomes dominant in tying together our entertainment systems, computing systems, gaming systems, cable, and telephone into one cohesive, interconnected thing. That's my opinion anyway. And who knows, it could be Microsoft. Or it could be CyberDyne Systems, and we could be headed for the dystopian future of The Terminator.

[Excerpt]

Microsoft's Cracked Windows: How The World's Technology Juggernaut Lost Its Buzz And Became The 'Underdog'



. . .Microsoft as underdog. At the beginning of this decade, this description would have been ridiculous, like referring to the Yankees as an unsung, longshot baseball club. From the spread of personal computing through the dawn of the World Wide Web, its software governed the desktops of more than nine in ten desktop computers. Microsoft was so dominant that it became a symbol of monopoly power run amok, supposedly snuffing out innovation. Its rivals affixed pejorative labels like "Death Star" and "Evil Empire. . ."
 
Read more at: Huffington Post

Mac Update: My Struggles with "Switching" Continue (Take 3)

I've never had this happen before. I've written essentially the same post twice before, and both times had all of it simply vanish.  The post itself may not even be worth the effort, but having narrowed down the problem (a website that apparently doesn't want their images used, attributed or not), I'm going to give it a shot anyhow.

In my ongoing effort to teach myself the Mac OS X Leopard operating system and Adobe CS3 graphics suite, I've tried to teach myself something new every week by creating something.  So, when I needed some street signs for a blog post, I forced myself to sit at my Mac rather than my PC. Using CorelDRAW X3 on my PC, I could complete the job in just a few minutes.  All I needed was two rectangles with radiused corners, some white text, and a nice faux green reflective background. Throw in a soft drop shadow, and voila! Child's play.

Image from Corel.com.
Note the absense of clutter.

I found the project much more vexing with Adobe Illustrator on the Mac platform.  My one-off job took me an hour and a half as opposed to 5-10 minutes.  Part of the problem is just the clutter and distraction offered with the Adobe suite. I've loathed Adobe products since the old days of PageMaker. I don't like the way anything is displayed, I don't like how "import" is called "place," and I especially don't like the 1,000 palettes covering up what I'm working on. Add this to the Mac showing any open programs through all of the little gaps between palettes, and it all hits me like gibberish.

I couldn't figure much of anything out without the Help menu (which turns out to be pretty awesome).  I find this learning curve to be much steeper than the one I faced 13 years ago, when I had to apply my Corel knowledge to the Gerber Omega/Graphix Advantage Composer sign software.  The sign industry grew up on the PC platform, and I was lucky to have started there too with VP Graphics, and then CorelDRAW 2.  While clunky at first, Composer grew to adopt many similar characteristics of Corel's software.  But with Adobe, I'm a lot more adrift.  The knowledge transfers, but the learning experience is frustrating.

A screenshot of Illustrator on my Mac

But I had an epiphany while trying to write this (three times).  Since Corel allows you to set up CorelDRAW and Photo-Paint to look nearly identical to Adobe Illustrator and PhotoShop, my next lesson is going to be on the PC, but with this feature turned on.  It would be nice if Adobe offered a similar feature, but maybe I'll have an easier time of things if I'm in a familiar program while navigating unfamiliar tools. We'll see.  Meanwhile, my home schooling project is turning out to be a lot more frustrating, and a great deal less fun than I'd hoped.

Mac Update: My Progress Report, Week 2

Two weeks ago, as I detailed in this space, I got my first Mac.  As a 20-year "PC-guru" who would rather fight than switch, I replaced my wheezing Celeron laptop with a 2005 PowerBook G4 15".  The goal was not to "make the switch," but to become familiar--fluent, hopefully--in a second computer "language." It is long past time I got over my Mac-phobia, and see what all the fuss is about.  I opted for the used computer, as a way of hedging my bets. Why invest a small fortune in something you might end up hating?

For a much smaller investment (thanks to Ron and Tracy!), I got what was once a near top-of-the-line, originally $2,200 computer, with the next-to-most recent release of Mac OS X Leopard.  It ain't "Snow Leopard," but it'll do. It also came preloaded with all of the graphics and office software I could need to get up to speed on how the other half computes.  My goal was to set aside a few hours every weekend to work on a specific project, no matter how frivolous, just to familiarize myself.  After all, just sitting in front of a PC, farting around, was how I self-taught myself MS-DOS 4 or so, all the way up through Windows 7.

Original Image, Cut-out, Background
and Finished Image
(Green Lantern is ® DC Comics)

So, how's it going? Well, the social calendar intruded a bit, as did some basic laziness. But I've actually worked with the Mac more than I'd intended, but mostly for my usual blogging and surfing around.  I have learned a few tricks, and even applied some knowledge back to the PC platform.  For instance, in Apple Safari (both PC and Mac), you can drag an image straight from the browser into PhotoShop or Photo-Paint.  I got lucky on my first try on the Mac, dragging a drawing of Green Lantern from an image, and plopping him onto the page, already cut out of the background. I was floored!  This allowed me to pop him onto any background I wanted, with no tedium of drawing masks. 

I hurriedly ran back to the PC to try it there.  It works in Safari and Firefox, but not in Google Chrome or Microsoft Internet Explorer.  But cool, I learned something new.  The result at right is no masterpiece, but considering I accomplished in in about half an hour? Not bad!  And, I have some nifty, home-made Green Lantern wallpaper for my Mac.

Learning the simplest things about how the Mac works is akin to me teaching others how a PC works. It's ground floor time, baby. But I figured--and I was right--that if I just puttered around, I'd figure it out.  Well, most of it.  There are still some vexing problems. So, I went to the library, and looked at the computer references guide.  The second or third book I saw, was Switching to the Mac, Leopard Edition by David Pogue. Perfect!  It seems to be thorough, and written in a way to ease confusion. But it shares a trait that every computer reference book (and web site) has. That is, it will tell you in a step-by-step way how to do something, and when you go to do it, the buttons, menus and links do not match.

Oh, not every time. Lots of stuff is correct. But it turns out this book was written for users of Windows Vista and Windows XP. I have Windows 7.  But aren't I a PC-guru? Yes, yes I am, but networking has always vexed me.  And nothing I do from the book or from websites I've visited has helped me to network the Mac to my desktop PC. Nothing matches, and nothing they say will happen happens. Arrggghh.

Overall, I have to stand by my previous assessment that the Mac isn't exactly "better," it is just "different." OS X is a little more elegant, and Windows 7 a bit more staid and business-like. For a Windows user like me, I prefer to have whatever program I'm using be full-screen. I cycle through my open programs in a flash with ALT+Tab, or WIN-Tab. I use keyboard shortcuts as second-nature. So I'm relearning, and adjusting to the differences. I'm still not used to all the open pallets and floating toolboxes all over the place on my Mac. And one program that is barely functional on the Mac? AOL.

Yes, I still use AOL, and have since 1994 or so. I use it in tandem with IE or Firefox, and I like the way I can arrange things on my screen. That is out the window (!) on the Mac, as the AOL browser there is more sluggish than anything on my Celeron, and the program looks and works different anyway. So when blogging on the Mac, my work habits are quite different, and my email has to be accessed via Safari.

But I'll get used to it. And I'll keep playing with it until it's second nature. One of the things that'll make that easier is that the Mac "wakes up" when you open the lid almost instantaneously, at least in comparison to my Celeron.  The "sleepy toddler" behavior of my Celeron upon wake up was my initial inspiration for replacing it in the first place.  So if nothing else, I've solved that problem.

Greenlee Gazette Goes Mac

Okay, as a Mac-O-Phobe, I have to state right out in front that I'm not officially "switching" from PC to Mac.  But I am broadening my horizons, and I am retiring my old (very, very slow Dell Celeron PC) computer to the guest room.  I got the idea one night a couple of weeks ago when the Windows 7 "whited out" repeatedly, and that--originally gorgeous, now merely annoying--blue circle would just spin for no reason.

When this happens, the computer is obviously doing something, I just have no idea what.  My first thought was to drop the computer from an extreme height, enjoy the destruction, and then buy a new Dell or HP to replace it.  Then a bell went off in my head.  Maybe I should consider a Mac.  Not because I hate Microsoft, but because I have zero experience using a Mac, and almost none using Adobe graphics products.

Now, I have no intention of quitting my job, especially in this climate. But I realized that I'm wasting away my (mandatory) Fridays off, and that I should probably find a project. What better way to exercise my brains, gain some knowledge and experience, and boost my resume than to learn how to do graphics on a Mac?  It could even help me with my current job, should we receive a file in this format.

But I didn't want to just run out and buy a new MacBook. That's an expensive experiment.  So, I put up an inquiry on Facebook, and very, very quickly got a response from my friend Tracy. She knew a guy (my new friend Ron) who had a PowerBook G4 for sale. After some back-and-forth messaging, and some advice from friends, I decided to go for it. Especially when I found out it was affordable, and included all the Adobe and Microsoft software I'd need to really complete my experiment! Woo-hoo!

Ron did a great job packaging the Mac up, and it was no problem to set up. There was a slight worry when I ran a software update, which took way longer than I thought it would.  But after that, it was easy-breezy. I'm using it now!

I know that beyond upgrading the memory, this machine is maxed out. Apple no longer updates their MacOS X for this model.  And yes, my friends Travis and Stupid Monkey Planet warned me about that. But this is just to get my feet wet, and my brain acclimated.  Once I'm fluent in MacIntoshese, maybe I'll jump in with both feet. But if anyone ever sees this blog become an affiliate of The Cult of Mac, send in the anti-cult brain-unwashers for me, okay?  I don't want to become a shill for any corporation!

I'll probably get some more RAM for it, just to max it out to its limit. And I'll have to learn (and unlearn) tricks and shortcuts (such as a keyboard shortcut for italics and bolds, etc.), and learn about the file structure and differences from Windows. But I thank Ron and Tracy for this chance to embiggen my brain!

Is Microsoft's Windows 8 Cribbing from Apple?

Image from source, CNN

Ugh. I hope not. I don't need any Macification, I really don't. Too shiny, happy, simplified, blecch.  Though I WOULD like to see my laptop wake up faster. 'Course it's a Celeron, so it may not even run Windows 8.  Ah, progress.

[Excerpt]

Windows 8 leaks show Microsoft's eyes on Apple

Although still early in the process, newly leaked documents about Windows 8 offer some keen insight into where Microsoft wants to head with the next version of the operating system.



One thing that is made abundantly clear is that Microsoft has been paying attention to Apple. In the documents, which appear to come from an April meeting with computer makers, Microsoft discusses its Cupertino, California-based rival and outlines plans to offer a Windows Store similar to the way Apple distributes software on its iPhone. . .

Read more at: CNN

Star Trek's Data Encounters The Blue Screen of Death

If you're a PC user, at some point you will encounter the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. It's the point where your computer has a nervous breakdown, and becomes catatonic.  There are variations, like the Red Screen of Death and the Black Screen of Death, (and there is a Mac equivalent, so Lord Steve Jobs can't even save you) but the color has little relevance to the user. You're stuck with a useless lump of a computer, and you just cross your fingers, reboot, and hope it doesn't pop up again any time soon.  Windows 7 seemed to be the answer to the BSoD, but no. It still happens, though more rarely (and it usually recovers quickly).

My friend, Stupid Monkey Planet knows of my great hate/hate relationship with BSoD, and found this wonderful animated gif that shows by the 24th century, Windows 75.5a will still have this problem.  Star Trek: The Next Generation may have the sweet voice of the late Majel Barrett, but Lt. Commander Data will still have to deal with the Blue Screen of Death.

(Source Unknown)

iPad Security Breach

Image from source, Business Insider

Wait, wait, wait. I thought this sort of thing only affected Windows-based products! Isn't that what the Cult of Mac is always saying?  Poor Steve Jobs. First he had an iFail at his iPhone demo, and now this?  Bill Gates has probably hurt himself laughing by now.

[Excerpt]

Apple's Worst Security Breach: 114,000 iPad Owners Exposed

Apple has suffered another embarrassment. A security breach has exposed iPad owners including dozens of CEOs, military officials, and top politicians. They—and every other buyer of the wireless-enabled tablet—could be vulnerable to spam marketing and malicious hacking. . .

Read more at: Business Insider

A Question to the Ether About Microsoft Windows

I don't expect an answer to this question, given my rather small readership. But I'm asking it anyhow, because I've got to do something with my frustration.

OK. When I'm using my notebook computer, particularly if I've awakened it from a slumber, the computer takes a very long time to fully wake up. And even after it has, it goes through periods of delay, characterized by a brightening of the screen, and a twirling blue icon. My question is: What the hell is my computer actually doing while it has rendered itself inert like this?

Something has to actually be happening while I sit helplessly watching the icon spin, right? Some process, some function, something is going on. Or is my computer deliberately taunting me?

What I Did With My Sunday: Windows 7

OK, so dangle a new toy in front of me, and tell me I can have it for free, or at least sort of on a lay-away program, and you've got me by the nose. The computer I'm using was purchased on a whim, after lusting over new computers for several months. When I found a "last one" at Sam's Club for $711 (down from the high $850s), I just had to have it. The thing about this story that made it almost free was that my mom had bought new computers for my brother and sister for Christmas, and agreed to pay for $500 of the total bill. No brainer right? So, I bought it.

Of course I forgot about the hassle of getting all of my old programs onto my new computer, and making it. . .well. . .kind of exactly like what I had. Sort of. It's faster, newer, has more storage, more RAM, a 22" monitor, and it has Windows Vista Home Premium instead of the old Windows XP Home. I got my feet wet with Vista Home Basic on our notebook computer, but that's just my noodling in front of the big TV computer. I do all of my real work in my office.

So, I had to familiarize myself with Vista, and how it works. Having grown up with Windows from version 3.0, each new version brings its joys and its headaches. I'm still not quite fluent in Vista, but I don't know what so many people are complaining about either. Works just fine. But all of that is moot now, because I've taken the Windows 7 plunge.

If you haven't heard, you can download the "release candidate" version of Windows 7 for free at Microsoft's site. It won't stay free of course, but it will be for a while. And I've already pre-ordered two copies of Windows 7 Home Premium at their site as well ($49 ea., which ain't bad) for when the free versions expire. But I may have forgotten a lesson I learned when I beta tested Windows XP several years ago.

See, the download on the notebook was to upgrade the 32-Bit Home version of Vista. What I didn't find out until it was installed and running, was that the install version is Windows 7 Ultimate, the big daddy--quite expensive--version. And since I had to do the "clean" install (more on that in a minute), it can't be undone to my knowledge. When this happened with XP, I was forced to upgrade to the higher version (then XP Professional), because the lower version couldn't be done. So my newly ordered product may not work, and I may have to pony up bigger dollars. Yikes.

The thing is, I thought I'd made a mistake of some kind on the laptop, or that the clean install was the culprit. And with the tantalizing "new toy" aspect of the deal, I went ahead and installed the 64 bit version on my desktop computer as well. It turned out to be the Ultimate version too. But it doesn't tell you that until it is done. This time, though, I was able to do an ordinary install on top of my old Windows. And one of the options at startup now, is a rollback, so I'm hopeful (really, really hopeful) that it will do just that, and allow me to install Home Premium later.

That all said, I really dig the new Windows. Things I learned along the way still apply, and everything has been easy to find. I've been able to tweak things to my preferences, and all of my old programs and hardware still seem to be working. Of course it's all new, so that may turn out to only be partly true. The laptop particularly has sped up considerably, and the screen which was only passable before is beautiful now. Startups and shutdowns are faster, and the computer doesn't require constant "reminders" about just what a wireless mouse is.

Practically speaking, I can't tell you if you "need" Windows 7. It's very pretty. It's fast--that was the selling point for me--even on my old Celeron laptop. But what's with that name, anyway? Windows 3.0, 3.1 and 3.11 were named like every other program of the day. Then came Windows 95, 98, 2000 and Millennium Edition, which were bad ideas for names, because they looked silly even a year after they came out. Windows XP sounded like it was trying too hard, and Vista sounded kind of pretty. Going back to numbers seems kind of retro, but not in a cool way. I think I'd have gone for "Windows Now" or "Windows Next" or something, and just kept it there, consistently upgrading the same-named product. I don't know.

I'm sure I'll be posting on the subject again, should problems or discoveries arise. Meanwhile, if you're like me, and can't stand ignoring a new toy, I have a few pointers that might save you some time and trouble.

- If you're worried about not being able to roll back changes, and later having to pay a $300 upgrade price, skip it and wait until October when Windows 7 is released. Or, remember that the free version will work until May of next year, which is plenty of time to save.

- You will need a DVD burner (or possibly a 4Gb+ removable flash drive) to start your install. But first, you have to download the "ISO" file from Microsoft.com. Once it is done downloading, you double-click it, and your DVD burner program opens up. So if the computer you are upgrading doesn't burn DVDs, you can still download it on one that does, and burn your disc there.

- You need a clean, unburned DVD, or if you have old rewritables, have several at hand. You can erase a DVD/RW, but one of the first one I tried continually produced errors. This lead to three or four annoying aborted installs. I blanked another one, tried again, and it worked just fine. So remember, if you get "Error Code: 0x8007045D" or some such, try again with a different DVD.

- If you don't have a lot of programs installed that you care about, or if you don't mind reinstalling them, you can choose the "clean" install option, which is like buying the computer with Windows 7 already installed. Your entire old Windows folder is renamed "Windows.old", so everything remains on your computer, but the programs there mostly won't run anymore. But hey, brand-spanking-new Windows with no clutter.

- The process (even when successful) can take an hour or more, so if you need your computer, plan some time for it to do its thing. And be prepared for errors, like a program it finds that is incompatible, or the aforementioned data error on the DVD.

It isn't painless (paneless?), but this kind of thing has always been fun for me, in a tear your hair out, grumbling four-letter words sort of way. Hopefully, if you're reading this, it can ease some of that for you.

Oh, and by the way, I saw a new display of computers at Sam's Club this weekend. Better than my 6-month-old Core2Duo computer in every measurable way, including screen size. The price? $699. Unbelievable. And a great deal. But I'm not tempted. Are you?

Blast from the Past: When the Internet was Young

I moved 2,000 miles across the country from Columbus, Ohio to Las Vegas, Nevada almost 15 years ago. The world of 1994 dosn't seem that different from today's world at first blush. But then I start to remember a few things. My brand new computer that year was a first-generation Pentium 60. If the hard drive consisted of gigabites, they were in the single- or low-double digits.

That computer ran Microsoft Windows 3.1. Windows 95, 98, Me, XP and Vista were years away. I had recently acquired an online service called Prodigy, which was connected via phone line on a 14.4 kbps modem. Prodigy was completely text-based, with no graphics. And I quickly got hooked. But Prodigy was on the wane, and I quickly took up America Online. AOL was a self-contained online network, with 100% proprietary information. There was no "Internet" to be had there.

It wasn't long before AOL started to offer a portal to the Internet. And it didn't work very well. Netscape was the web browser of choice in that day, and Microsoft was late to the table with Internet Explorer. But it would be several more years before everybody was online. We'd never have believed you could watch streaming, HD video on your computer. Or download songs in seconds. Or play rich, detailed, online games with people all over the world. Mostly, we never imagined the porn!

Now, blogging has taken us back around to the beginning. Sure, they're prettier than the old DOS-based message boards, and we can put in YouTube videos and such, but it is sort of the same concept. Anyway, if you want to see what it was like--really not all that long ago--take a look at this video.