What if we had forums in the 1990s? (CD, games, Microsoft)
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Okay, now just imagine if they had modern 21st century forums in the 1990s, like IPB, phpBB, vBulletin, myBB, and others. I do realize that they had message boards back in the 1990s, and that they are the successors to bulletin boards, but in the 1990s they primarily consisted of one long list of topics with replies shown below those topics, and no accounts, just unregistered nicknames.
Now then, this is where it gets interesting, imagine if they had gaming forums back then that are like gaming forums now. Most gaming forums now have forums for all five major gaming companies/platforms: computer gaming, Nintendo/GameCube/Wii/DS, Sony/PlayStation, the late Sega/Dreamcast, and Microsoft/Xbox. However, back in the 5th generation, there were several mainstream consoles, and companies that made them.
So just picture forums that are technologically advanced like the ones we use now, back then, with forums for each. That would be awesome. Sure, we would obviously still have forums for computer gaming, Sega/Saturn, Nintendo/N64, and Sony/PlayStation. But most, if not all, gaming message board would also have forums for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Atari Jaguar, Amiga CD32, and Neo Geo. Who knows, we may have even seen forums on message boards for the failed consoles: Apple Bandai Pippin, Casio Loopy, PC-FX, and Bandai Playdia.
That would just be awesome. Instead of having the four console companies and PC to discuss, we would have all kinds of consoles to discuss. Oh the nostalgia, what do you girls/guys think?
Last edited by 2goldens; 05-16-2010 at 06:36 AM..
Reason: Moved from Other Topics
It's amazing how helpful the internet and internet forums like City-Data are for relocating. So much research can be performed prior to meeting with a realtor. Before the internet you were at the realtor's mercy: you had to take their word and they could "work it" to their benefit with other realtors. Now a buyer has school data, traffic data, crystal clear aerial photos from four angles (Bing), street views, crime data, comparables, demographic data, tax information and planning data at his fingertips. How in the heck did people make smart buying decisions 20 years ago? And, to fill in the cracks of online data there are CD forums to ask subjective questions.
Okay, now just imagine if they had modern 21st century forums in the 1990s, like IPB, phpBB, vBulletin, myBB, and others. I do realize that they had message boards back in the 1990s, and that they are the successors to bulletin boards, but in the 1990s they primarily consisted of one long list of topics with replies shown below those topics, and no accounts, just unregistered nicknames.
Now then, this is where it gets interesting, imagine if they had gaming forums back then that are like gaming forums now. Most gaming forums now have forums for all five major gaming companies/platforms: computer gaming, Nintendo/GameCube/Wii/DS, Sony/PlayStation, the late Sega/Dreamcast, and Microsoft/Xbox. However, back in the 5th generation, there were several mainstream consoles, and companies that made them.
So just picture forums that are technologically advanced like the ones we use now, back then, with forums for each. That would be awesome. Sure, we would obviously still have forums for computer gaming, Sega/Saturn, Nintendo/N64, and Sony/PlayStation. But most, if not all, gaming message board would also have forums for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Atari Jaguar, Amiga CD32, and Neo Geo. Who knows, we may have even seen forums on message boards for the failed consoles: Apple Bandai Pippin, Casio Loopy, PC-FX, and Bandai Playdia.
That would just be awesome. Instead of having the four console companies and PC to discuss, we would have all kinds of consoles to discuss. Oh the nostalgia, what do you girls/guys think?
I'm sure it would all be the same thing. Same formula. I'm always surprised when I do my research how much things back then were exactly the same now. The few technological differences we have today make the difference. So I don't think things would change much. As least forum-wise.
Uhhh, there were forums, like those on Compuserve and other pay services. While they didn't have a global reach, some of them were very very good. Usenet was (and to some extent still is) helpful, especailly if you know how to use advanced filtering techniques.
Before that, there were such things as scheduled "ham" roundtables over shortwave radio, and funny things called magazines and fanzines.
Uhhh, there were forums, like those on Compuserve and other pay services. While they didn't have a global reach, some of them were very very good. Usenet was (and to some extent still is) helpful, especailly if you know how to use advanced filtering techniques.
Before that, there were such things as scheduled "ham" roundtables over shortwave radio, and funny things called magazines and fanzines.
Exactly, and in addition to the big ones like compuserve, delphi, and others there were 10's of thousands of BBS's (bulletin board systems) run by individuals as a hobby. Some had very specific themes, i.e. veterans, some were just for fun. I was a co-sysop on one for years, meet some kool people.
This goes back to the 80's when 300 baud was good, and 1200 baud was just smoking fast. But since it was text based and 300 baud was still faster than anyone can type, it worked well. The Atari 800 and Commodore 64 were the top of the heap in home computers.
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Originally Posted by ILoveSky
Okay, now just imagine if they had modern 21st century forums in the 1990s, like IPB, phpBB, vBulletin, myBB, and others. I do realize that they had message boards back in the 1990s, and that they are the successors to bulletin boards, but in the 1990s they primarily consisted of one long list of topics with replies shown below those topics, and no accounts, just unregistered nicknames.
There were all sorts of forums in the 1990's. BBS networks like RIME, Fido, I'Link, Intellec, etc. (some of them requiring real names, some not), online services (CompuServe, GENie RoundTables, Delphi Forums, AOL Forums, etc.), USENET with its many hundreds of newsgroups, and many many others.
Some of us oldtimers might argue that those older forums, with their relatively sophisticated reading software (QWK readers, newsreaders, etc.) were in many ways superior to the web forums of today, and I also suspect there were at least as many places around where what you are talking about was actually happening back then.
Heck, I suspect groups I used to frequent like rec.games.vectrex are still active today.
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Exactly, and in addition to the big ones like compuserve, delphi, and others there were 10's of thousands of BBS's (bulletin board systems) run by individuals as a hobby. Some had very specific themes, i.e. veterans, some were just for fun. I was a co-sysop on one for years, meet some kool people.
