Freedom 1996
The mid-90s were a departure into a new world.
There was a notice on the bulletin board at school. A local bank branch has set up some computers in its lobby. They were connected to that new thing I already heard of: the internet. It was 1996 and I was 16. My best friend's father already had a computer that was connected to BTX, an early videotex system (read more on Wikipedia). My friend and I spent the whole day on the computer anyway, for example, “programming” in QBasic (and trying to sell these “programs” to other friends).
I went with my friend as one of only three students from my school. When we sat down at the computers, we couldn't think of anything to do on the internet at first. The first thing that came to mind was tv-spielfilm.de, the website of our TV magazine. They had probably advertised it somewhere. “Try praline.de,” someone suggested, but I don't remember who, wink wink. Praline was an adult magazine. However, the website offered even less to see than the softcore magazine from the newsstand—but we felt grown up.
When a supervisor approached, the classmate at the computer next to us shouted, “chatcity.de!” We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with him and several other people from around the world.
That day changed my life. Even though it was a boring first experience, I immediately recognized the possibilities of the World Wide Web. I had to wait almost two years before my parents allowed me to have an internet connection at home, so I spent a lot of time in my school's computer room. In 1998, my first website went online. Since then, I've never been offline again. I've constantly managed online projects, tried new things, and learned something new every day.
The last decade has changed the internet dramatically. A few large companies, run by unsympathetic billionaires, have turned the free web into walled gardens. But it doesn't have to be this way. I have seen how digital freedom works. I have experienced a connected world where information is shared for the benefit of all. The protocols of the internet can be used freely by anyone. I hope that this gift, given to us at the birth of the internet, will ensure that the internet continues to exist and survive in its original form.
Speaking of birth: This newborn newsletter has gained a lot of followers in the last weeks. Welcome! I hope you enjoy my irregularly published personal thoughts! If you have any suggestions, tips, or just want to get in contact, don't hesitate to push the reply button (or to use the comment section)! I'd love to hear from you.
See you soon!