this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2025
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That time period was after everything was monetized and full of ads though.
You don't remember NetZero, do you? A free dial up ISP that gave free Internet connections under the condition that you give up like 25% of your screen to animated banner ads while you're online.
Or BonziBuddy? Literal spyware.
What about all the MSIE toolbars, some of which had spyware, and many of which had ads?
Or just plain old email spam in the days before more sophisticated filters came out?
C'mon, you're looking at the 1990s through rose tinted glasses. I'd argue that the typical web user saw more ads in 1998 than in 2008.
I used NetZero dialup and played shooters online. I'd get killed a LOT with the lag. Also I uninstalled that damned ape buddy from dozens of peoples machines.
I remember that if you feared everything and only used programs and visited websites your friends recommended, you'd be much better than now. If you were careless, you had a bunch of banners and a porn blocker at the end of the day.
There's something refreshing in this TBH.