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[ Retro Scan of the Week ] Internet in a Box

January 20th, 2014 by Benj Edwards

CompuServe SPRY Internet In a Box Advertisement 1996There was a time when you could fit the entire Internet in a box.

[ From Internet World, February 1996, p.1]

Discussion Topic of the Week: What ISP did you use to first connect to the Internet?



This entry was posted on Monday, January 20th, 2014 at 2:17 pm and is filed under Computer History, Internet History, Regular Features, Retro Scan of the Week, Vintage Computing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

19 Responses to “[ Retro Scan of the Week ] Internet in a Box”

  1. John Labovitz Says:
    January 21st, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    I worked on O’Reilly & Associates’ Global Network Navigator project, and we partnered with Spry to create Internet In A Box. One day, soon after the product was launched, our receptionist announced that someone had called and said, ‘I’d like to buy a copy of the Internet, please.’ Apparently the caller took the product name a bit too literally.

  2. Eagles409 Says:
    January 21st, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    AOL I’m ashamed to admit was the only way I got to their version of the internet for a long time. For a while I assumed that the internet was just chat rooms and instant messenger. “Welcome, You’ve Got Mail”.

  3. Stan Says:
    January 21st, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    First internet access was through my University’s dial-up service in 1994. You could dial into a Unix shell and get access to email, newsgroups, telnet, ftp, and, later, the lynx web browser. All at 2400 baud.

    I didn’t sign up for a proper ISP account until 1996, from one of the dime-a-dozen ISPs that popped up around town. But even then I still preferred browsing the web from the Univeristy’s servers using lynx; it was so much faster Netscape over dial-up.

    By 1999 I had my own Linux server and broadband internet through the local cable company. And suddenly I’m feeling nostalgic for my old @home.com email address, ICQ, Yahoo Java Games, AudioGalaxy, Netscape Communicator, and Red Hat Linux 6.0.

  4. Tim Pabon Says:
    January 21st, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    I actually won that in a contest of some sort. Seem like it was just barely outdated when I got but was still a viable option. I may have it stored somewhere I never opened it.

  5. Multimedia Mike Says:
    January 21st, 2014 at 11:52 pm

    University dialup for me as well starting in 1993. When I graduated, I migrated to a local broadband provider. It just occurred to me to check up on them and I was quite surprised to see that they still exist.

    My first online experience/community was the proprietary Prodigy network, though.

  6. idisjunction Says:
    January 22nd, 2014 at 2:50 am

    Juno (pre-merger).

  7. Jistuce Says:
    January 22nd, 2014 at 3:20 am

    My First Internet(tm) was a NetZero account on blazing fast 56k dialup.
    Back in 1999, right before we all got flying cars(or at least an IBM ad with Captain Sisko asking why we didn’t have flying cars).

  8. Thomas Says:
    January 22nd, 2014 at 7:17 am

    I was a bit late to the party as I got a 33.6k modem and a subscription with Swedish Tele2 in early 1997. 10 years later I was surfing the Net with a 100/10MB fiber connection. Amazing how time flies and technology changes in an instant…

  9. DMR Says:
    January 22nd, 2014 at 9:38 am

    University for me as well – 1991. And it was still a DEC VAX account. Discovering the world through gopher and downloading files via kermit. At the same time I was getting involved in local BBS’s – I was a latecomer to the PC world – my first PC was a 386DX-16 with 1MB RAM and a 40MB HDD – and I quickly added a 2400 baud internal modem.

    In ’93 we moved and I went to a community college that didn’t offer internet service. I looked through all the info I could find at the computer lab and finally poked my head into the office to ask – they looked at me like I was a foolish dreamer. I was crushed. Had to sign up with an ISP for the first time. I did dabble with AOL, but I signed up for a service that was all command-line and had an internet gateway, but I can’t remember the name…

  10. Justin M. Salvato Says:
    January 22nd, 2014 at 9:41 am

    My first true internet experience via a browser (World Wide Web) was through American Online in 1995 at home and through my college via a T1 line. We were using Netscape Navigator in college.

    My first “online” experience was with Prodigy Interactive Service in 1990. I miss Prodigy.

  11. Daniel Says:
    January 22nd, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    I first accessed the Internet via a College BBS that had an Internet gateway using telnet and ftp. I also had e-mail access via a UUCP feed. Later, I accessed the Internet via several ISPs (ICAN, Unitz, AOL, Persona/Eastlink, Vianet) and also through the local University’s DEC VAX shell account (using lynx, pine, ftp, telnet, etc..) Still remember using Kermit and Zmodem protocols to download files from my VAX account to my PC using a terminal emulator program.

    I still have a Unix shell account with http://sdf.lonestar.org/ for when I’m feeling nostalgic.

    I still remember using some of the old web browsers (Cello, Mosaic, Netscape Navigator 2.0) in Windows 3.1 and Netscape for OS/2.

  12. Pat O'Connor Says:
    January 25th, 2014 at 6:53 pm

    Anyone want a 1986, I think, IBM pc in original box looks like in good condition. Free, must pick up in Metuchen NJ. Need to know immediately.

  13. Ant Says:
    January 25th, 2014 at 10:15 pm

    My university’s shell account with TIA and SLiRP! 😉

  14. Dave Says:
    January 28th, 2014 at 7:09 am

    My first experience was Prodigy internet, AOL didn’t have a local number back in 1995, it was a blazing fast 28.8k. Eventually Erol’s internet provided service and I hoped on the 33.6 bandwagon a year later.

  15. Bill S. Says:
    January 29th, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    I first hit the internet via dialup to a BBS that had a small handful of newsgroups and email addresses, then later became moderator/helpdesk for the company until it closed down in 1995ish or so. All text until then.

  16. Matt Says:
    January 31st, 2014 at 10:03 am

    College in 1993 for me too. PINE email and animated GIFs at 14.4k!

  17. Mike P. Says:
    January 31st, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    My family’s first ISP was AOL back around 1996-97 we used them until we got set up with DSL from Verizon around 1999-2000. My primary e-mail address is the same AOL one I set up in 1998.

  18. Johan Says:
    February 1st, 2014 at 11:33 pm

    Through my university or company, late 80s/early 90s. Can’t remember how we used to access newsgroups like rec.humor. “Tin” in the early 90s, for sure, but can’t remember how before that. Ah, the salad days.

  19. elfie Says:
    February 5th, 2014 at 4:09 am

    Prodigy in Spring of ’91. Maybe it was 2400 bd at most. DOS commands at start up then the disk. Not much has changed. 😉

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