When did you start using the Internet and how has it changed your life for better or worse?

Answer 1

First set foot on the 'net back in the early 90's when Demon Internet were little more than a startup and broadband was a wet dream. These days I spend 5% of my time getting people on the internet, compared to 50% of my time 10 years ago - thanks to more functional Operating Systems like Windows. So at least that aspect of my life has changed dramatically for the better.

Ultimately, for me, the net is an enabling medium - it lets me do things I couldn't have hoped to achieve before (video conferencing with distant friends or colleagues, for example), or perform dreary tasks that much quicker. (Who needs to thumb through a copy of the Oxford English when there're dictionary websites aplenty?)

Taking a side-long view, I'd say the net has largely changed my life for the better - and will continue to do so - but there have been times when I wish I'd never discovered the bloody thing.

Answer 2

We started about 5 years ago, using a pay as you go service, (but found that you were clock watching). After assertaining which service was best we went straight onto broadband. It has definitely been a positive addition to the family due to resources available, and as we live in rip-off Britain have found that somethings can be gotten for a lot less, than on the high street.

Answer 3

when i got a freee sample in the mail .........it hasnt changed my life in the sence that in todays times it is normal to have a computer in 30 years "a computer" will have the capacityto have 3 trillion times the intelligence of the human brain ....now when the military eventually uses A.I ( artificial intelligence i.e computers) to control submarines and airplanes equipped with nuclear bombs how will man remain dominant as the internet advances it will tie in to that apllication people today can input a microchip into their brain and acess the internet thru thought these people are part of the internet ..anyways i hope ur not bitter about how husbands are addicted to porn or how monsters lure children on chat rooms my above rant seems irrealivant ....then computers will have the ability to change our lives ......god bless

Answer 4

For the better

- Easier to keep in touch with my friends (especally those overseas).
- Shopping, now there is a MASSIVE range of items available, new & old, that is cheaper than the high street shops.
- News / reasearch, a massive array of available knowledge.
- Entertainment, not only itunes, but games, vid clips etc

Answer 5

Prior to my first actual log in to the internet, I started on BBSs. This was in 1984. I did a lot of dialing around the country. My first month's phone bill was $130 bucks. After that I did most of my calling in local areas. I ran my own BBS for two years. I had access to lots of software and games, lots of utilities. Through Fidonet, I had access to some discussion groups that were retreived from the internet. I would also retrieve drivers from company BBSs to build my utility floppy disks for diagnosing and troubleshooting PCs.

I actually got on the 'net in 1990. It was very beneficial because I had access to various companys ftp servers for current drivers, something I had to access via modems and company BBS' which were long distance calls in most cases.

I had written a DOS based newsreader and installed it so that the customers had access to the 'net well before NCSA Mosaic was available.

But I also had better access to the Microsoft, 3Com, and Borland ftp servers since I was supporting Microsoft workstations, 3Com servers and as a programmer, used Borland Turbo C. Having immediate access to patches and examples were invaluable in providing good support to my customers.

Because of my access to Usenet, my computer knowledge was greatly broadened because I could ask and read answers from more experienced programmers.

From a personal standpoint, I had access to free games. Nethack. Duke Nukem and Commander Keen for example. Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny. Doom. Duke Nukem 3D. Lots of great utilities from uunet.

I also was able to fine tune my own programming and networking abilities by providing answers and utilities that I had worked on.

Because of my involvement in usenet, I was offered a job, my first conversion from a Microsoft network administrator to a Solaris Unix system administrator, as the system admin of the usenet server. From there I became the team lead of the unix group.

Now I'm working from home administering servers in 5 countries for a large corporation.

Unfortunately, because of my interest in computers, I gradually became disconnected from my family which ultimately resulted in divorce. Now I try to keep my priorities balanced.

Answer 6

i started using the internet 7 years ago idont like crouds so i dont go shopeing the internet opend a new world to me i just wish i could of had it when my family was young as this would of saved a lot of distress food shoping xmas shoping and ebay are the best now

Answer 7

I started shortly after the internet was established for the public. It has saved me from lots of legwork when it comes to finding technical info! I hated the library!

Answer 8

Well 7 years ago i met this bird in a chatroom - im married to her now, so yeah you could say it changed for the better!

Answer 9

The better

Answer 10

ooh a few years back now. it changed my life for the better coz i met my hubby!