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Besides the fact that the internet was already around by 1985, and e-mail and Usenet groups were a known thing in nerd circles, in France a network for the mass

Besides the fact that the internet was already around by 1985, and e-mail and Usenet groups were a known thing in nerd circles, in France a network for the masses, Minitel, had already been rolled out. Jobs was not so much prescient as simply aware of what was going on around him.

rpmisms 7y ago
Which is still leaps and bounds ahead of today's C-level exec
- whatshisface 7y ago
  Every C-level tech executive schedules two hours a day of reading HackerNews, right?
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- mnky9800n 7y ago
  that depends on the exec, but on average? sigh.
  - rpmisms 7y ago
    In my experience, it's a rare and desired trait.
lisper 7y ago
> the internet was already around by 1985 Sort of. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet "In 1986, the NSF created NSFNET, a 56 kbit/s backbone to support the NSF-sponsored supercomputing centers." That was a year after the interview. I think you have to give the man some credit for forecasting that this particular technology would be the one to break out of the geek circle to really change the world for everyone.
- Isamu 7y ago
  NSFNET was just a long-haul backbone, part of the underlying physical network at the time. The Internet is really defined by the inter-networking protocols, since the very term "internet" implies it can ride on different physical networks. To be a part of the Internet you just have to speak the TCP/IP protocol stack. The same wikipedia page points out these were standardized around 1982.
- dekhn 7y ago
  yep, I remember the email that went out at the time my local university switched over to NSFNET. Before that they had a bunch of leased lines talking to various other local universities. Still Internet.
code_duck 7y ago
I recall circa 1985 I really wanted to sign up for QuantumLink, aka Q-Link, which I had seen advertised on the back of a C64 video game package (maybe M.U.L.E.?). The idea of chatting with other people through my computer was fascinating. I was six. I asked my mother about it and with splendid foresight of the modern world, she said no, that I would probably get molested or something. "Quantum Link users could send electronic mail, use on-line chat rooms, download files, read the news, send instant messages to other users, and play a number of multiplayer games, including classic board games and games inspired by contemporary TV game shows. In late 1986, Q-Link expanded, adding casino games, a database dedicated to rock music, an on-line auction service and the ability for users to have customised avatars digitised from photos they sent in to the service." https://paleotronic.com/2018/07/01/a-1980s-quantum-link-to-a-modern-day-mutiny/ https://paleotronic.com/2018/07/01/a-1980s-quantum-link-to-a...

rpmisms 7y ago

Which is still leaps and bounds ahead of today's C-level exec

whatshisface 7y ago
Every C-level tech executive schedules two hours a day of reading HackerNews, right?
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
mnky9800n 7y ago
that depends on the exec, but on average? sigh.
- rpmisms 7y ago
  In my experience, it's a rare and desired trait.

lisper 7y ago

> the internet was already around by 1985 Sort of. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet "In 1986, the NSF created NSFNET, a 56 kbit/s backbone to support the NSF-sponsored supercomputing centers." That was a year after the interview. I think you have to give the man some credit for forecasting that this particular technology would be the one to break out of the geek circle to really change the world for everyone.

Isamu 7y ago
NSFNET was just a long-haul backbone, part of the underlying physical network at the time. The Internet is really defined by the inter-networking protocols, since the very term "internet" implies it can ride on different physical networks. To be a part of the Internet you just have to speak the TCP/IP protocol stack. The same wikipedia page points out these were standardized around 1982.
dekhn 7y ago
yep, I remember the email that went out at the time my local university switched over to NSFNET. Before that they had a bunch of leased lines talking to various other local universities. Still Internet.

code_duck 7y ago

I recall circa 1985 I really wanted to sign up for QuantumLink, aka Q-Link, which I had seen advertised on the back of a C64 video game package (maybe M.U.L.E.?). The idea of chatting with other people through my computer was fascinating. I was six. I asked my mother about it and with splendid foresight of the modern world, she said no, that I would probably get molested or something. "Quantum Link users could send electronic mail, use on-line chat rooms, download files, read the news, send instant messages to other users, and play a number of multiplayer games, including classic board games and games inspired by contemporary TV game shows. In late 1986, Q-Link expanded, adding casino games, a database dedicated to rock music, an on-line auction service and the ability for users to have customised avatars digitised from photos they sent in to the service." https://paleotronic.com/2018/07/01/a-1980s-quantum-link-to-a-modern-day-mutiny/ https://paleotronic.com/2018/07/01/a-1980s-quantum-link-to-a...