A mental vacation to the days of algorithm-less Internet and computer user groups

[View this email in your browser]( [Open Ars Technica in your browser]( [Image] [Catalina, an island off the coast of California and the new MacOS release name.]( As [HBO's Watchmen]( so aptly put it, nostalgia is one helluva drug—and not always the fun kind. We often look back on things as far rosier than they were. Now that we're all working from home day in and out, is anyone clamoring for [Lotus Notes](? But as the difficulties and tragedies of 2020 march on, we can all use moments of comfort, even if they come from visiting memory lane more than normal. Maybe even the most diehard Apple fan wouldn't call [the G4 Cube]( a landmark, but there's something admirable about how ambitious the machine was (and how it kinda, sorta marks an early point in Apple's minimalist design path). Or perhaps days spent working at Babbage's felt like death at the time, but in retrospect even a dead end retail job can [build lifelong relationships and reach you about the (tech) world](. So for this week's Orbital Transmission, we're taking a sort of mental vacation and revisiting a few things from tech past that have crossed our mind this summer. We certainly appreciate all the modern hardware and software allowing many facets of life to function in the middle of viral pandemic, but we wouldn't hate it if the future had room for a few computer organizations or tinkering-friendly local businesses. For now, stay safe, all, but pull out your old photo albums or storage boxes sometime —[@NathanMattise]( Orbital Transmission 08.20.2020 [(image) ]( [The old, algorithm-less Internet is still there for those looking]( "We like the Internet for what it can be... and hate it for what it is," Clayton Collins and Toby Alden told Ars recently. The two Portland pals and Internet creators aren't explicitly referring to the algorithm-content feeding troughs of Facebook or YouTube (though one of their projects does feature a loading screen that says "THIS ISN'T FACEBOOK"), but they're clearly sick of feedback loops and misinformation seeping everywhere. So they've been creating old-school Web experiences—forums that focus on random topics, uncurated video performance spaces—and each is worthy of some quarantine free time. [(image) ]( [Adobe Flash wasn't always bad, we swear]( If we say "Adobe Flash" in 2020, it's perfectly acceptable for the response to be 🤦‍♀️. But as the program turns 25 and prepares for its final sunset this December, we're here to remind you—Flash once genuinely made the Internet a better, more creative place. The platform democratized video/content/creative making on the Internet in the early days when software was hard to acquire and skills were quite program specific, and that launched an infinite number of careers. The world got Strongbad and Frog Fractions because of Flash at the very least, so it can't be all bad. [(image) ]( [When computer user groups ruled the world]( In 2020, this may be hard to believe. But once upon a time, in order to find other tech-minded folks and learn about the latest and greatest hardware or software, computer enthusiasts 1) gathered (again, pre-pandemic) 2) in-person (pre-Internet!) to enjoy user groups. These organizations ran the gamut, spanning all sorts of tech niches and springing up in cities both large and small. A long time veteran of the scene, writer Esther Schindler recently took Ars down memory lane to a time where troubleshooting in Linux couldn't happen in forums or on YouTube. We'd gladly subscribe to several of these newsletters yesterday. [(image) ]( [A classic ode to a classic computer (and the local tinkering shop)]( Five years ago this month, Ars Editor Emeritus Sean Gallagher did a silly thing—he dusted off a 1983 vintage Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 10 computer and decided he wanted to tweet from it. This thing barely had a display, let alone enough storage or RAM to run anything resembling software. But with unbreakable dedication and a substantial amount of help—a Raspberry Pi, a little bit of BASIC code, and a hidden file from the website of a certain Eric S. Raymond—somehow this TRS-80 sent tweets and even chatted in the Ars Technica IRC for the afternoon. Oh, and it probably wouldn't have been possible without the local electronics store: Baynesville Electronics. A relic of another age (est. 1955, RIP 2016), you could get any transistor or connector or screw you couldn't imagine and also a little guidance on how to go about ripping up and re-soldering old tech. If any of those kinds of places still exist in 2020 after the rise of Best Buy or Amazon, do whatever you can to ensure it can outlast the pandemic, too. [(image) Condé Nast Spotlight | The breaking news and top stories everyone is talking about. All in one place. The most popular stories from Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, Architectural Digest and more. STAY INFORMED]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2020 Condé Nast, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Condé Nast One World Trade Center New York, NY 10007 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences](newsletter=ars) or [unsubscribe from this list](newsletter=ars).