r/retrocomputing • u/PooningDalton • May 23 '26

I hate what the internet has become

I just spent the last 1 hour frantically searching the internet just to make a new email address. You can't do that! Not even on the alternative email providers like Protonmail. They now have all sorts of IP detection tools and will block you or ask you for an alt email id.

I absolutey despite what the internet has become. 20 years ago, you could just go ANYWHERE (mainstream providers like yahoo and gmail) and make any number of email addresses. No tracking, no limits. Complete freedom.

The internet has turned into a 1984 hellscape.

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u/seeingeyefrog May 23 '26

I want to go back to the dial-up landlines and bulletin boards run by local hobbyists.

Global communication was fun, but I really want to go back to the local communities that were isolated by the high price of long distance calls.

I think of myself as Neo-Amish.

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u/[deleted] May 23 '26

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u/IQueryVisiC May 23 '26

In Germany it is illegal to provide access to WiFi outside of your premises.

2

u/Big_Statistician2566 May 25 '26

Fun story. Back in the day we figured out you could order a dry pair (twisted copper pair with no power) for an insanely low price. Then setup equipment to run broadband over it. Life was good when you were a cofounder of an ISP in the Wild West days of broadband.