Whoooo! My broadband connection was switched on today -- two days before the official
connection date. So now I have ADSL at 512k up and 256k down with freedom2surf
who were recommended to me.
I was being a bit sad and checking the line several times a day because I knew
my friend Miss Noodle's broadband had been turned on early. I kept getting a 'line
is down' message. But then, suddenly...
It was a magical moment when I saw it connect for the first time. The truth
is, I had a big lump in my throat and nearly cried because I've waited so long
for a fast connection and felt sure something would prevent it at the last minute
(probably the antique wiring in the block where I live).
I rate this alongside the day I got my first modem for my Amiga A1200 and logged
into a bulletin board. That was probably in 1993. The speed of the modem was 2,800
bps.
A bulletin board was software that ran on a computer in someone's home. You
dialled in directly to their number. There were files and images to download and
message forums.
My telephone bills were huge, as all the calls were long-distance for me. But
some people ran a great service. I had a free e-mail account with a BBS called
Crystal Tower in London, which used to upload and download e-mail to and from
the Internet twice each day. I relied on that for all my business e-mail for several
years until ISPs began to appear in 1996. The first time I ever saw the web was
in the first months of that year and by the summer I had designed my first site.
When the web came along I realised that the days of the BBS were numbered.
Somewhere I have a video that I made as I logged into one, so I could record the
experience. It's astonishing how quickly that entire network withered away. It
had some good qualities -- particularly that everything was done free for the
love and enjoyment of it rather than profit and a good feeling of community.
I haven't quite figured out what difference broadband will make to my site. I'm
just mad busy at the moment.
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