kiwi1960 Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) I hate the fact that its mostly kids in these forums... but its worse in IRC! I get accused of lying when I say I'm 55 ... to youngsters wondering how an old geezer knew anything about IRC? Really,? Quite apart form the fact that these young people lack manners.... is this really good answer from me... "Sonny... who do you think invented IRC way back when, yes, we pioneers of the internet! And guess what, before there was even an internet, we had BBS's and we ran them and used them and it was good... a BBS used a phone line, one phone call and one caller at a time!!! Unless you had more than one phone line that is. Further.... we old geezers helped the computer industry evolve and grow to the point where your parents are able to buy you the most modern of computers with the best graphics cards... sadly, the first IBM computer I ever used only had a cassette interface on it, ran at 4.7Mhz ... and had Mono Graphics... and the computers and video cards had to be configured by hand with jumper settings... Then of course, we got CGA (4 colours) EGA (16 colours) etc etc etc... The Hard Drives were touchy... if you sneezed, you lost your data... they were MFM ... Media Frequency Modulation... FM in other words... and 10 Megabyte HDD's cost $10,000!!!! Yes..... truly, I and others my age are old... but without us, you wouldn't have your fast computers or fast internet now... nor your IRC.... If you don't believe me that I am 55 years old, born in 1960... then that is fine... but keep your mouth shut! Us old people also invented hacking.... remember that! Do not treat us with white satin gloves... and we are the first to admit respect is earned, it cannot be demanded... (it was old people that invented that saying....) It was old people who, when younger, demonstrated about the pointless wars the young were told to go and fight.... so you wouldn't have to go.... We may be old, but we have lived, I have fought for all that I hold dear, and by that, I mean my beliefs and principles... and the price has been very high.... ... At least give us the benefit of the doubt, don't call us liars to our faces in IRC .... we are people too and we do have feelings. I hold no grudges... life is too short to do that. Live long and prosper, and may you boldly go where Jeb, Bill and Bob have not been before. BTW.... they also think its strange that we can "play" KSP???? Seriously? Edited December 5, 2015 by Red Iron Crown Clearer title Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jros83 Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Apparently some kids in IRC are too young and naive to know that IRC is possibly older than some of them are... lol. I'm 32, and since I was 25 the internet has become progressively more obnoxious each year to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi1960 Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 I agree with you. I blame the parents... who... heh heh heh.. are nearly the same age as us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jros83 Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 13 minutes ago, kiwi1960 said: I agree with you. I blame the parents... who... heh heh heh.. are nearly the same age as us. Well... Closer to you than me But not by much lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_v Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) Heh, I'm not quite old enough to have used an MFM drive, But I sure do remember when IRC was the thing, and getting uninterrupted use of the phone line meant waiting 'till 2AM to go on line... Sometimes I even miss my old 16MHz box, though the HGA display and 40MB HDD were a bit limiting. And yeah, I swear the internet used to be a thing that didn't actively try to make me angry... even when you had to wait tens of minutes for images to come down the wire. Hell, the "internet" as it is now doesn't even work on a DOS machine. My gold standard for websites is still: Does it work correctly in a text only, no frames, no JS browser? Edited December 3, 2015 by steve_v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corw Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) 1 hour ago, kiwi1960 said: It was old people who, when younger, demonstrated about the pointless wars the young were told to go and fight.... so you wouldn't have to go.... Well, this part didn't work out now, did it? 35 year old representing. Edited December 3, 2015 by Corw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Zoom Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) 45 here. Grew up in the post-Apollo years, saw the start and end of the Shuttle, and every few years one of the Voyagers would send us a nice set of picture postcards from one of the gas giants. The Web was "invented" when I was in college, back at the turn of the 90s (when I spent most of my non-class time reading USEnet); I've watched it go from plain black text and images floating in a sea of flat grey, to URLs (and now hashtags) being plastered all over everything. I'm on IRC most nights, still, keeping in touch with friends. I remember the beginning of Eternal September. The first spam. geocities. The horror. Edited December 3, 2015 by Commander Zoom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagame Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) Oh god. Geocities. That brings back way more than I thought I would... i can vouch for text interfaces all day long, though- MUDs > MMORPGs. So sorry about that. The channel was full of young kids that knew nothing of proper Internet culture, due to the forums being Kraken'ed. If you come back on now, you'll find that we're actually quite well mannered. Sure, a lot of us are pretty young, but within the KSP community, that means we're in college, not retired. =P (Seriously. Like half the staff is in college. The rest is employed. By Squad. Or raptors.). Rule is, if we're not talking about KSP, then the usual group of people is on, continue sh*tposting as usual. If we're talking about KSP, then some other part of the community is down and we're buffering all the noobs. And if it's Rokker you're thinking about.... he only trolls you till he actually gets to know you, then he's a pretty cool guy. Edited December 3, 2015 by Kagame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinkAllKerb'' Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) A few videos xDr Spoiler this one also xDr ,'') oh and better to save some of our kiding kids part's as long as possible somehow also ,'') Edited December 3, 2015 by WinkAllKerb'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMS Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 PS: get off my lawn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dafni Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 I'm almost 40 now and I don't even know what IRC is I bought my first un-used computer/laptop this year, just to play KSP. Before that it was hand-me-down crap all along, no smartphone either. But what I saw from KSP was too nice not to come out of my cave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowWhalley Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 I am 15, and I show my dearest respect to all ages, though I do easily get sick of the kids 13 and under who think they are top stuff and priority. I am quite surprised that some kids haven't realised that its people like you who got us where we are today in computer technology. Heck... 20 yrs ago, the people working on this stuff now were only teenagers or younger. People should give benefit of the doubt when it comes to age, but when it comes down to it, age isn't even that important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LayZboy Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 I'm only 24 so i'm a whipper snapper compared to some here, but I've never considered age to be a thing that stops you doing things. For example one of the people I play planetside 2 with claims to be an old man, but I don't let that get in way of his abilities to play the game. I still don't believe his is that old though mostly because he is a bit of a liar & I've never met him before IRL. That said if I showed my nan Kerbal space program she probably couldn't even get into the Hangar, so it's all about the person really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandock Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 I'm currently 27 myself, but I've been using computers since I was about 3 or 4 years old. I actually remember our Amigas (he actually owned both an Amiga 500 and 2000), which had great graphics and audio for their time. During the 80s (my father is now currently 50 since a few months ago), he also owned a Commodore 64 (this was before I was even born). Of course, the Amiga (which might've been the Amiga 2000) was the first system I have ever used. We didn't have an IBM PC Compatible of our own till 1995. I do remember him having a laptop, however. This was back when they were incredibly bulky (not referring to the very first laptops, but the ones in the early to mid 90s). This was also my first time seeing him playing Doom 2 (possibly Doom). That dates back to either early 1995 or late 1994. I remember the days when early internet usage of the World Wide Web where many who used it at the time had dial-up (including us). Back then, it was acceptable and websites could even be visited on dial-up. Netscape Navigator was once the dominating internet browser (as I seem to recall the first versions of Internet Explorer having a relatively ugly interface and not necessarily user friendly). Of course, I didn't use that browser, but I do remember my father using it for a bit. Wasn't till 3.0 when Internet Explorer was catching up and 4.0 changing just about everything. Of course, it stagnated once 6.0 came about. We're basically in a second or even third era of internet browsers right now. As for IRC, I actually remember my father using it back in the late 90s. His favorite client for the time was mIRC (which is still around). Thinking about IRC, who remembers ICQ? I never used it, but my father certainly did when it first came out. Apparently, it was one of the very first instant messengers in existence. As for computers I have used myself in the past, I have used various models of Apples and Macs due to schools using them. Of course, some schools used IBM-Compatible PCs (which ran under Windows 3.1 or Windows 3.1.1 for Workgroups). Heck, I have a way of enjoying nostalgia even from the 80s (considering my father happened to be one of the computer users of that era). And by the way, I introduced my father into Kerbal Space Program a few years ago. I could keep going, but it would make for a tediously long post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KerBlammo Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Back in my day we had to walk 8 miles to get to the internet, barefoot through the snow aaaand it was uphill both ways! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warzouz Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 I'm 43. When I was a kid, I had the chance to have a Apple IIe with 64kB RAM and a 170kB 5"1/4 floppy disc drive (no HD of course). My first 14400baud modem came 12 years later. I was with Compuserve. I even resigned my contract few months later, because I felt I had done everything interesting I find on internet. I don't remember any forums, even ICQ wasn't created at that time (or I didn't heard of it then). Only static Web, mail and newsgroups. I get a new provider 1 year later. Things started to grow. I don't think I'm capable to remember all the computer I got, let's have a try. Apple IIe 386 SL (Compaq Laptop) Atari Mega STE (cool computer) 486 DX2 66 (what a leap forward) Cyrix 166+ (with my first modem) Pentium II 450Mhz Duron 800MHz Thunderbird 1.4MHz (ADSL time) Athlon ? Mhz Athlon X2 Core 2 Duo Core i5 I remember a 3" 1/2 floppy disc had a 75kB/s transfer speed rate (much better than the old 5"1/4). Now my internet connexion is 3.5MB/s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bouw Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Ah, you watched Jeff Dunham's Walter as well eh? On topic: Older people went trough more than one might think. Now I'm 32 and I regret not talking much about the old days with my grandparents when I was younger and able to do so. I was interrested in different things back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jros83 Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) 7 hours ago, Corw said: Well, this part didn't work out now, did it? 35 year old representing. Because war is in human nature. It's not like people who demonstrate against war ever have a real chance of eradicating it but simply fail at it; it's that you can't eradicate it. War will stop when human nature stops. Edited December 3, 2015 by jros83 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jros83 Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) While scrolling through this thread I've seen words that bring tears to my eyes. Among them are: MUDs 5.25 and 3.5 Windows 3.1 DOS 286, 386, 486 RAM sizes between 64 and 256k I'd like to add to the bittersweet nostalgia list CGA, EGA, VGA, and "oh my gosh so beautiful!" SVGA Monochrome, 4 colors, 16 colors, 32 colors, 256 colors Center joystick, then click button. Move joystick to upper left, then click button. Move joystick to lower right, then click button. Sid Meier before Firaxis LucasFilm Entertainment Edited December 3, 2015 by jros83 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NecroBones Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Heh, @kiwi1960, I'm still a young'n comparatively, but I hear ya. I'm hitting 43 soon. My first PC was also one of the original IBM 5150 8088 computers, at 4.77MHz. But I was lucky enough to have a dad who would spring for a CGA right away, and a 1200baud modem soon after. As others have commented, I find it funny that some of the kids out there are surprised that someone older than them might know what IRC is. IRC has been around for AGES. It was invented in the '80s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jim Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) I am 53, and absolutely tickled to know there is someone here actually a couple years older than me! You're not alone, my friend! Edited December 3, 2015 by Just Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachoftree Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) As a 16 year old, I sincerely apologize for some of the more immature people of my generation, we're not all bad. (I too wonder why it's not common knowledge that the Internet was popular in the 80s and 90s) As for the idea that people of all ages can't play KSP (which is ridiculous) it probably comes from our parents, some of whom may have played video games in their youth but do not now. (mine included) this makes the idea of someone older gaming feel strange to us, hence the unwarranted negative responses on IRC Edited December 3, 2015 by peachoftree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Doktor Strangemember Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Wow...I feel such kinship, 47 here. In the way back machine, Commodore 64 w/tape drive, taking a hole punch to my 5.25" disks so I could use the other side, Amiga 500, then I went IBM around when Wing Commander came out. My IBM was a 486 SX25, with a Voodoo 16 graphics card and Sound Blaster 8. Oh and a 56k modem (dial up). I still have my Dos for Dummies books, and C programming guide buried somewhere. By the time I was done with that 486 the only original part was the beige (yes beige!) case. I remember getting my first 1Gb HD and thinking I'll never use it all, the fun of installing from 5.25, and 3.5 disks. The joys of overclocking by cracking the case and resetting the DIP switches, the horror of Plug and Play Pray. Oh and anyone remember the original Elite, back and white fake raster graphics? How about...Load Runner? Bard's Tale? More recently EverQuest, Asheron's Call, Ultima Online, back when grinding 20 levels in a MMO could be 6 month task. Hmm....all of sudden I feel old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curveball Anders Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 I'm 53 and the first computer I managed to lay my hands on was PET 2001 in the school's new computer club in 1977. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rokker Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) Are you serious? Your only experience with the KSP IRC channel is when it was infested with people from the forums while the forums were down. I have been on the forums for 2 years now and have never seen what you describe except for last week and I have only really seen you on there in the last week. Also the person that told you your age was a lie is the least respected person in the IRC channel and we all essentially dislike him. Edited December 3, 2015 by Rokker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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