6 ms·

Oh man, the memories. For people who have grown up in a hyper-connected always-online world, it's hard to explain the pure joy of hearing the sound of your com

by peckrob 11y ago

Oh man, the memories. For people who have grown up in a hyper-connected always-online world, it's hard to explain the pure joy of hearing the sound of your computer picking up the phone and sending those tones [0]. Because it meant going from isolated, disconnected and unitary to being part of a wider world. Suddenly, everything was at your fingertips and it was intoxicating to me as a teenager. Fire up Trumpet Winsock and dial into the local mom and pop ISP. Suddenly you're surfing the early web using Netscape. Or open up WinVN and read some newsgroups. Or spend way, way too many hours playing MUDs (seriously, I think I spent almost every night MUDding during my teenage years). Or learning cool HTML tricks by looking at the source of a page (back when pages were simple and you could tell things by looking at the source). Some of my earliest exposure to "programming" was because I wanted to make cool web things on my 1mb of ISP provided web space. So yes, thank you Trumpet Winsock. Without you my formative years would have been very different and I likely wouldn't be in the career I'm in now. [0] http://www.windytan.com/2012/11/the-sound-of-dialup-pictured.html http://www.windytan.com/2012/11/the-sound-of-dialup-pictured...

gww 11y ago
Wow, MUDs I have not thought about the one I spent my teenage years playing until you mentioned them. I just checked and to my surprise it is still online. Too bad it looks like no one plays anymore.
- peckrob 11y ago
  Some of my best computer memories of that era are from playing various MUDs, and even 20+ years later I still keep up with some of the friends I met playing MUDs during those years. Many of the MUDs I played on are sadly long gone, but a few are still around. I still connect every so often and chat with folks, maybe do a little light RP. Some of those same friends I've been playing with, on and off, for since the early to mid 90s. Even though we're scattered all over the world, it feels like we grew up together. I suppose, we kinda did. It always struck me odd that MUD playership kinda died off, seeing as how there are many many more people using the Internet now than there were in the 90s. Even accounting for cultural changes and technology moving on, I would have guessed that be enough new people interested in the old ways to keep the population at least level, but alas that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm glad I got to be a part of that era.
  - eropple 11y ago
    World of Warcraft (and sure, Everquest before that, but less so) seems to have done a number on text-based games. Less so MUSHes and the like, but the combat loop of MUDs--even RP-heavy ones--hasn't fared well today. I'm glad I got to be a part of that culture. I learned a lot dealing with the everyday disasters of Bad Old C and ended up with responsibility and management long before I ever would have in the real world. Plus, they were a hell of a lot of fun when you found a neat spot that maybe nobody had seen since it was built.
- ryan-allen 11y ago
  MUDs are still a thing! There are heaps of little bespoke ones here and there, and lots of resources on Reddit [0]. I played one called Major Mud back in the day. When World of Warcraft came out, I thought, it's about time! [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/MUD/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MUD/ EDIT: Check out this MUD, which won MUD of the Month on the subreddit above: http://www.luminarimud.com/FMud/FMud.html http://www.luminarimud.com/FMud/FMud.html
  - gww 11y ago
    I will certainly have to check that subreddit out. I really miss playing them they were something really special. I learned to program because I wanted to build areas and monsters on the MUD I played.
  - adamkittelson 11y ago
    I've actually been working off and on on a MUD using Major Mud's dataset in Elixir for the last two years.
    - ryan-allen 11y ago
      Really??!! That would be so good. It was such a vast game and I don't know where you can really play it anymore. The only bad thing about it was how you had to let your character grind away for days and days on end. Most people would only come back to check on their grinds for an hour then let the script go back to its work.
      - adamkittelson 11y ago
        I've tweaked my implementation some to make it more conducive to non-automated play. The experience needed to level is significantly lower after level 10 or so than in the original. Also in my implementation rather than play as the original races / classes you play as Angels or Demons which can possess and play as monsters/npcs to experience different play styles without having to create new characters. The Angel class is the default for new players and has a mechanism by which experience points are redistributed periodically from players with more to players with less which helps newer / less active players catch up / stay relevant. Veteran / active players who get tired of carrying the team can go dark side and become demons.
- cotillion 11y ago
  Things are actually looking much better now for the MUD i help run. Websockets made it possible to bring the game to a whole new crowd without requiring them to install some odd telnet thing. We had a few years when things did not look good at all and player numbers dropped every month.
peteretep 11y ago
I've been recreating that experience recently by trying to connect to my university VPN from China. Less the noises themselves of course.
brandon272 11y ago
> So yes, thank you Trumpet Winsock. Without you my formative years would have been very different and I likely wouldn't be in the career I'm in now. Same here. I still recall the first time I ever went online. My mind was blown and it changed everything. I try to think about what a younger generation who was born into an "always connected" world will experience during their time as a truly transformative moment like that.
oinksoft 11y ago
It surprises me how clearly I remember the first time I used the internet in 1995 (I was barely 7). My father worked on a predecessor to modern email in the 80s and by then was no longer programming, working in telecom instead. He had a keen interest in the internet, but it was a long time relatively speaking before we could justify the expense of a computer, modem, and home connection (service provided by Erols). He loaded up AltaVista and explained what a search engine was, in terms that I could understand, by relating it to a library catalog. I'd only used those DOS catalogs to that point, and they were picky. I carefully typed on the Power Mac's keyboard, "Davis, Jim". As the results crawled down the screen, I knew immediately that this was a world apart from reading old Garfield books at the library, that it was something totally new (and daunting). I really didn't know what to make of it. A few days later I snuck into the office and printed out the career statistics of "Moon, Warren".
jlgaddis 11y ago
> those tones http://evilrouters.net/56k.mp3 http://evilrouters.net/56k.mp3 (MP3) It's my ring tone. I love the weird looks on people's faces when I'm in a meeting and my phone rings -- especially the "older" crowd (some of the "youngsters" don't recognize the sound).
- m_st 11y ago
  Such a great idea :-)
- djcapelis 11y ago
  Mine too! I have the V.92 version, which gives careful listeners the impression of a slight anachronism since most people stopped hearing those tones before V.92 came out. :) It definitely causes double takes on the rare occasions my phone isn't on silent and I receive and actual phone call.
- whoopdedo 11y ago
  Did you know each manufacturer had a unique sound for their v90 handshake? This one sounds like a Lucent WinModem. (Based on listening to the sounds here[1]. Yay for RealAudio!) The USR/3Com modems were two "bongs" (four if the higher speed failed). But I was always fond of the Rockwell sweep[2]. Of course, required reading is HN favorite Oona Räisänen's excellent analysis of a modem handshake. [1] http://modemsite.com/56k/trouble3.asp http://modemsite.com/56k/trouble3.asp [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvr9AMWEU-c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvr9AMWEU-c [3] http://www.windytan.com/2012/11/the-sound-of-dialup-pictured.html http://www.windytan.com/2012/11/the-sound-of-dialup-pictured...
  - linker3000 11y ago
    The 'bongs' were known in the trade as the depth charges.
  - jwr 11y ago
    Yeah, I listened to the file and immediately thought: that's not how my US Robotics sounded! It's amazing how one remembers it after all these years. In my case, it's probably because of the poor line quality, one always connected with the sound on, and one prayed quite a bit to get a good connection.
jlgaddis 11y ago
And let's not forget the great times that could be had by joining any large channel on IRC and sending a single command: /CTCP #channel PING +++ATH0 Interestingly enough, I tried it again a few months ago and was shocked to discover that it apparently still works.
- djcapelis 11y ago
  Careful, it's a great way to still get k-line'd on many networks. The DCC SEND bug is still pretty common too.
- Arnt 11y ago
  Old cruft doesn't die. Old cruft even gets ported to new platforms. I installed https://github.com/SecUpwN/Android-IMSI-Catcher-Detector https://github.com/SecUpwN/Android-IMSI-Catcher-Detector the other day and found a menu entry called "AT command interface", which I shall carefully leave alone.
  - TorKlingberg 11y ago
    Yes, the chip (or sub-chip) in your phone that talks to the mobile network is still called a modem, and is still controlled with the AT command set. When you answer a call it sends "ata" (AT Answer) to the modem. It does not pick up AT commands from the data passing through, unlike the old modems.
- xrstf 11y ago
  For those like me who didn't know what the above IRC line meant, http://everything2.com/user/xmatt/writeups/%252B%252B%252BATH0 http://everything2.com/user/xmatt/writeups/%252B%252B%252BAT... is a nice writeup.
- MatthewWilkes 11y ago
  The modem I had fixed this by requiring a 1 second gap after +++ where no bytes were sent before dropping into command mode.
  - 11y ago
jlgaddis 11y ago
Ahhh, memories... Ewan (telnet), Eudora (SMTP/POP3), FreeAgent (NNTP), WS_FTP (FTP), and, of course, writing the pre-requisite .cmd login scripts. At first, though, dial-up Internet access was a long-distance phone call so mostly I'd use a free Juno account (e-mail only with free dial-up numbers) and do as much as I could via e-mail (including abusing the FTP-by-email gateways). Before Juno, I paid a local BBS for e-mail access (they would dial up their gateway once a day, between 0400-0500 and do a UUCP transfer -- FidoNet transfers happened during the same "maintenance period"). I would dial in, upload the e-mail I had composed offline, download my new mail, and disconnect before reading it. Blue Wave 2.12 QWK offline mail reader. I'll never forget it.
ignoramous 11y ago
Wow. Reminiscent of my experiences with the Internet back in the day. I wonder, how many of us might have had the exact same beginings?
wycx 11y ago
Memories of internet in Australia in the mid-90s. We had a Maestro 33.6k modem, made just down the road in Bungendore. I remember my brother driving out there in the late 90s to upgrade the chipset to 56k. Later he set up IP masquerading on a linux box or maybe a monochrome SPARCstation and we shared the connection over our 10base2 ethernet. Dynamite internet and their controversially cancelled unlimited dial up plans...we needed to get a second phone line.

by peckrob 11y ago

gww 11y ago

Wow, MUDs I have not thought about the one I spent my teenage years playing until you mentioned them. I just checked and to my surprise it is still online. Too bad it looks like no one plays anymore.

peckrob 11y ago
Some of my best computer memories of that era are from playing various MUDs, and even 20+ years later I still keep up with some of the friends I met playing MUDs during those years. Many of the MUDs I played on are sadly long gone, but a few are still around. I still connect every so often and chat with folks, maybe do a little light RP. Some of those same friends I've been playing with, on and off, for since the early to mid 90s. Even though we're scattered all over the world, it feels like we grew up together. I suppose, we kinda did. It always struck me odd that MUD playership kinda died off, seeing as how there are many many more people using the Internet now than there were in the 90s. Even accounting for cultural changes and technology moving on, I would have guessed that be enough new people interested in the old ways to keep the population at least level, but alas that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm glad I got to be a part of that era.
- eropple 11y ago
  World of Warcraft (and sure, Everquest before that, but less so) seems to have done a number on text-based games. Less so MUSHes and the like, but the combat loop of MUDs--even RP-heavy ones--hasn't fared well today. I'm glad I got to be a part of that culture. I learned a lot dealing with the everyday disasters of Bad Old C and ended up with responsibility and management long before I ever would have in the real world. Plus, they were a hell of a lot of fun when you found a neat spot that maybe nobody had seen since it was built.
ryan-allen 11y ago
MUDs are still a thing! There are heaps of little bespoke ones here and there, and lots of resources on Reddit [0]. I played one called Major Mud back in the day. When World of Warcraft came out, I thought, it's about time! [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/MUD/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MUD/ EDIT: Check out this MUD, which won MUD of the Month on the subreddit above: http://www.luminarimud.com/FMud/FMud.html http://www.luminarimud.com/FMud/FMud.html
- gww 11y ago
  I will certainly have to check that subreddit out. I really miss playing them they were something really special. I learned to program because I wanted to build areas and monsters on the MUD I played.
- adamkittelson 11y ago
  I've actually been working off and on on a MUD using Major Mud's dataset in Elixir for the last two years.
  - ryan-allen 11y ago
    Really??!! That would be so good. It was such a vast game and I don't know where you can really play it anymore. The only bad thing about it was how you had to let your character grind away for days and days on end. Most people would only come back to check on their grinds for an hour then let the script go back to its work.
    - adamkittelson 11y ago
      I've tweaked my implementation some to make it more conducive to non-automated play. The experience needed to level is significantly lower after level 10 or so than in the original. Also in my implementation rather than play as the original races / classes you play as Angels or Demons which can possess and play as monsters/npcs to experience different play styles without having to create new characters. The Angel class is the default for new players and has a mechanism by which experience points are redistributed periodically from players with more to players with less which helps newer / less active players catch up / stay relevant. Veteran / active players who get tired of carrying the team can go dark side and become demons.
cotillion 11y ago
Things are actually looking much better now for the MUD i help run. Websockets made it possible to bring the game to a whole new crowd without requiring them to install some odd telnet thing. We had a few years when things did not look good at all and player numbers dropped every month.

peteretep 11y ago

I've been recreating that experience recently by trying to connect to my university VPN from China. Less the noises themselves of course.

brandon272 11y ago

> So yes, thank you Trumpet Winsock. Without you my formative years would have been very different and I likely wouldn't be in the career I'm in now. Same here. I still recall the first time I ever went online. My mind was blown and it changed everything. I try to think about what a younger generation who was born into an "always connected" world will experience during their time as a truly transformative moment like that.

oinksoft 11y ago

It surprises me how clearly I remember the first time I used the internet in 1995 (I was barely 7). My father worked on a predecessor to modern email in the 80s and by then was no longer programming, working in telecom instead. He had a keen interest in the internet, but it was a long time relatively speaking before we could justify the expense of a computer, modem, and home connection (service provided by Erols). He loaded up AltaVista and explained what a search engine was, in terms that I could understand, by relating it to a library catalog. I'd only used those DOS catalogs to that point, and they were picky. I carefully typed on the Power Mac's keyboard, "Davis, Jim". As the results crawled down the screen, I knew immediately that this was a world apart from reading old Garfield books at the library, that it was something totally new (and daunting). I really didn't know what to make of it. A few days later I snuck into the office and printed out the career statistics of "Moon, Warren".

jlgaddis 11y ago

> those tones http://evilrouters.net/56k.mp3 http://evilrouters.net/56k.mp3 (MP3) It's my ring tone. I love the weird looks on people's faces when I'm in a meeting and my phone rings -- especially the "older" crowd (some of the "youngsters" don't recognize the sound).

m_st 11y ago
Such a great idea :-)
djcapelis 11y ago
Mine too! I have the V.92 version, which gives careful listeners the impression of a slight anachronism since most people stopped hearing those tones before V.92 came out. :) It definitely causes double takes on the rare occasions my phone isn't on silent and I receive and actual phone call.
whoopdedo 11y ago
Did you know each manufacturer had a unique sound for their v90 handshake? This one sounds like a Lucent WinModem. (Based on listening to the sounds here[1]. Yay for RealAudio!) The USR/3Com modems were two "bongs" (four if the higher speed failed). But I was always fond of the Rockwell sweep[2]. Of course, required reading is HN favorite Oona Räisänen's excellent analysis of a modem handshake. [1] http://modemsite.com/56k/trouble3.asp http://modemsite.com/56k/trouble3.asp [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvr9AMWEU-c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvr9AMWEU-c [3] http://www.windytan.com/2012/11/the-sound-of-dialup-pictured.html http://www.windytan.com/2012/11/the-sound-of-dialup-pictured...
- linker3000 11y ago
  The 'bongs' were known in the trade as the depth charges.
- jwr 11y ago
  Yeah, I listened to the file and immediately thought: that's not how my US Robotics sounded! It's amazing how one remembers it after all these years. In my case, it's probably because of the poor line quality, one always connected with the sound on, and one prayed quite a bit to get a good connection.

jlgaddis 11y ago

And let's not forget the great times that could be had by joining any large channel on IRC and sending a single command: /CTCP #channel PING +++ATH0 Interestingly enough, I tried it again a few months ago and was shocked to discover that it apparently still works.

djcapelis 11y ago
Careful, it's a great way to still get k-line'd on many networks. The DCC SEND bug is still pretty common too.
Arnt 11y ago
Old cruft doesn't die. Old cruft even gets ported to new platforms. I installed https://github.com/SecUpwN/Android-IMSI-Catcher-Detector https://github.com/SecUpwN/Android-IMSI-Catcher-Detector the other day and found a menu entry called "AT command interface", which I shall carefully leave alone.
- TorKlingberg 11y ago
  Yes, the chip (or sub-chip) in your phone that talks to the mobile network is still called a modem, and is still controlled with the AT command set. When you answer a call it sends "ata" (AT Answer) to the modem. It does not pick up AT commands from the data passing through, unlike the old modems.
xrstf 11y ago
For those like me who didn't know what the above IRC line meant, http://everything2.com/user/xmatt/writeups/%252B%252B%252BATH0 http://everything2.com/user/xmatt/writeups/%252B%252B%252BAT... is a nice writeup.
MatthewWilkes 11y ago
The modem I had fixed this by requiring a 1 second gap after +++ where no bytes were sent before dropping into command mode.
- 11y ago

jlgaddis 11y ago

Ahhh, memories... Ewan (telnet), Eudora (SMTP/POP3), FreeAgent (NNTP), WS_FTP (FTP), and, of course, writing the pre-requisite .cmd login scripts. At first, though, dial-up Internet access was a long-distance phone call so mostly I'd use a free Juno account (e-mail only with free dial-up numbers) and do as much as I could via e-mail (including abusing the FTP-by-email gateways). Before Juno, I paid a local BBS for e-mail access (they would dial up their gateway once a day, between 0400-0500 and do a UUCP transfer -- FidoNet transfers happened during the same "maintenance period"). I would dial in, upload the e-mail I had composed offline, download my new mail, and disconnect before reading it. Blue Wave 2.12 QWK offline mail reader. I'll never forget it.

ignoramous 11y ago

Wow. Reminiscent of my experiences with the Internet back in the day. I wonder, how many of us might have had the exact same beginings?

wycx 11y ago

Memories of internet in Australia in the mid-90s. We had a Maestro 33.6k modem, made just down the road in Bungendore. I remember my brother driving out there in the late 90s to upgrade the chipset to 56k. Later he set up IP masquerading on a linux box or maybe a monochrome SPARCstation and we shared the connection over our 10base2 ethernet. Dynamite internet and their controversially cancelled unlimited dial up plans...we needed to get a second phone line.