4 ms·

There is something delicious about such a comment on Hacker News. There is a direct link between The Well and Hacker News, and you would probably feel quite at

by tacon 8y ago

There is something delicious about such a comment on Hacker News. There is a direct link between The Well and Hacker News, and you would probably feel quite at home back on The Well in its heyday. What is the old saw, that fish can't grok the concept of water? Someone had to invent these online forums that attract smart people and intelligent discussions from around the world. For a wild ride with Stewart Brand polymath of polymaths, I'd recommend the Tim Ferriss podcast episode[0]. [0] https://tim.blog/2017/11/21/stewart-brand/ https://tim.blog/2017/11/21/stewart-brand/

dredmorbius 8y ago
What's the Well-HN link?
- jtmcmc 8y ago
  The Well was a bbs for tech nerdery, futurism, science fiction, etc... in the 80's. It was massively influential in creating the cyberpunk literary genre and many tech people from the time were on it and influenced by it. There is a direct line of ancestry IMO between the well and places like HN.
  - dredmorbius 8y ago
    I'm aware of whatvthe Well is. And that it pressages much present online discussion (though Usenet predates it). But I'd suspected some specific individuals or group.
- rmason 8y ago
  Surprised myself but looks like it's still going strong. Never made the transition from the BBS, the web provided new hangouts for me like HN. https://www.well.com/ https://www.well.com/
  - dqpb 8y ago
    It's $15 dollars a month to join. Anyone here members? Is it worth it?
    - dxw92297 8y ago
      I’ve been a member since 1986. I keep my membership mainly to read a few of the regional Well conferences. And for nostalgia. These days there are only a few conferences with regular discussions. It’s a treasure trove of historical cultural conversations on hundreds of topics. Think of it as a moderated usenet with an emphasis on tech & social communication. Many very interesting dialogs in the late 80s to mid-90s but the web and social networks superseded it by the turn of the century. It still has a feel of home. <g> To the question, it’s probably not worth joining anew unless you have a deep interest in the history of social computing and online communities.

by tacon 8y ago

dredmorbius 8y ago

What's the Well-HN link?

jtmcmc 8y ago
The Well was a bbs for tech nerdery, futurism, science fiction, etc... in the 80's. It was massively influential in creating the cyberpunk literary genre and many tech people from the time were on it and influenced by it. There is a direct line of ancestry IMO between the well and places like HN.
- dredmorbius 8y ago
  I'm aware of whatvthe Well is. And that it pressages much present online discussion (though Usenet predates it). But I'd suspected some specific individuals or group.
rmason 8y ago
Surprised myself but looks like it's still going strong. Never made the transition from the BBS, the web provided new hangouts for me like HN. https://www.well.com/ https://www.well.com/
- dqpb 8y ago
  It's $15 dollars a month to join. Anyone here members? Is it worth it?
  - dxw92297 8y ago
    I’ve been a member since 1986. I keep my membership mainly to read a few of the regional Well conferences. And for nostalgia. These days there are only a few conferences with regular discussions. It’s a treasure trove of historical cultural conversations on hundreds of topics. Think of it as a moderated usenet with an emphasis on tech & social communication. Many very interesting dialogs in the late 80s to mid-90s but the web and social networks superseded it by the turn of the century. It still has a feel of home. <g> To the question, it’s probably not worth joining anew unless you have a deep interest in the history of social computing and online communities.