this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2024
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When you connect a new device to a 'smart' tv, you must pay homage to the manufacturer with a ritualistic dance. Plugging and unplugging the device. Turning them on and off in the correct sequence like entering a konami code.

Every time you want to switch devices, the tv must scan for them. And god forbid you lose power, or unplug something. You are granted the delight experience of doing it all over again.

I have fond memories of the days of just plugging something in, and pressing the input button. Instant gratification. It was a simpler time.

What is some other tech that used to be better?

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[–] [email protected] 172 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (4 children)

The internet.

The internet of the 90s was wild, creative, and not as accessible. We dreamed that as it grew and became more accessible, a utopia of information and creativity would flourish.

Instead we got a bland, corporate wasteland, and free soapboxes for every shithead out there.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 4 months ago

Yup, most of the internet is now sadly an ad-infested monetized corporate hellhole, and as a bonus it's now rapidly being filled to the brim with AI slop, because it clearly wasn't bad enough just yet... :(

[–] [email protected] 22 points 4 months ago (7 children)

Is there a solution (other than being on Lemmy)?

[–] [email protected] 48 points 4 months ago (4 children)

There is a bit of a smolnet renaissance happening in niche tech and creative circles. Using IRC to socialize, reviving gopher protocol for blogs, creating lofi and pure HTML/CSS sites instead of using bloated JS frameworks. And of course, creating simple and/or federated services for media sharing.

Tell me if you'd like to know more. Additionally, my home instance is full of people with such interests.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 months ago

I would like to know more.

Mind linking some communities?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I've been thinking of starting a blog to help motivate me to do more writing. For a while I felt burnt out because I knew I'd have no hope in hell of being able to do a bunch of SEO stuff to enable people to actually see if anything I write, but I've concluded that people based networks are the only way something like this will work for me. After all, most of my favourite blogs or blog posts are ones I've heard of through word of mouth.

I've not heard of gopher protocol though, that sounds interesting

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

If you are interested in gopher you might also like gemini protocol.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

To be honest i hate irc, im glad matrix is slowly replacing it

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

IRC will never be replaced. Matrix is just a more modern option.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Theres XMPP too, its nice

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

If you haven’t tried I2P, it gives me those old web vibes.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Ooh, I looked it up and it sounds interesting. I look forward to figuring it out and experiencing it for myself, thanks! :)

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Webrings, decentralized networks and list of links proposed by a blogger you like. That's a good start I'd say.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Yep, theres a lot of old/new sites for that:

https://yesterweb.org/community/

https://www.notechmagazine.com/

https://goblin-heart.net/sadgrl/cyberspace/webrings

All kinds of stuff. https://melonking.net/melon

Most kinda look like the old geocities lol

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Decentralized & federated networks: Lemmy, Mastodon, Nostr, Freenet, I2P, etc

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Donate monthly to Wikipedia

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Go back to gopher :)

[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 months ago (1 children)

All that chaos is still out there. Its just that its smaller and you have to not get stuck in the corporate bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Finding it is almost impossible though. I've tried and tried but the search engines don't show any of these cute little niche sites that are definitely out there.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Back then, you didn't find them in search engines either. Your friends told you about them.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I feel the bigger problem is that there just aren't as many of them.

Why host a webpage now when you can just set up a Facebook page for it?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

I wish people would realize there are people from every generation who won't touch Facebook, IG and other meta things. When we finally got s new mayor who actually said our town with soon have a real website, I nearly wept with joy.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

You know, you aren't wrong.

I've been noodling on an idea for a while:

What about a.. fediverse focused/ federated search engine?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I disagree. There's so much more creativity and information out there than there was in the 90's.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

It’s just easier to access and in a prettier box, covered in advertisements.