Life before the internet???

[richard5933]

One of the things I miss most from the pre-internet days is the cigar-smoking crotchety old man that sat behind nearly every parts counter in every decent parts store. You could walk in and give him the barest information about what you needed, and he'd walk to the back and pull the part from the shelf.



Nowadays you walk into a parts store and the kid behind the counter can't find a simple universal widget without make/model and then looking it up on the screen. That's if you can find a bricks and mortar parts store anymore to walk into in the first place.

[rgvtexan]

Originally Posted by richard5933

One of the things I miss most from the pre-internet days is the cigar-smoking crotchety old man that sat behind nearly every parts counter in every decent parts store. You could walk in and give him the barest information about what you needed, and he'd walk to the back and pull the part from the shelf.



Nowadays you walk into a parts store and the kid behind the counter can't find a simple universal widget without make/model and then looking it up on the screen. That's if you can find a bricks and mortar parts store anymore to walk into in the first place.

We still have one of those. But he no longer works everyday, but if he is there he can find most anything in his Trustworthy, Ranch and Farm store. His daughter is learning fast.

You should try and get parts from the "Kid" for an MG.
You sure you don't mean GM? How do you spell that? We don't have parts for Chinese cars. etc,

[EdInArk]

Originally Posted by rgvtexan

We still have one of those. But he no longer works everyday, but if he is there he can find most anything in his Trustworthy, Ranch and Farm store. His daughter is learning fast.

You should try and get parts from the "Kid" for an MG.
You sure you don't mean GM? How do you spell that? We don't have parts for Chinese cars. etc,

I've got a 21-year-old Kawasaki, and I'd go to the Kawasaki shop and Dave was great. But if he wasn't there I'd ask for something like an oil filter for a ZRX1100, and they'd just look confused and say "Is that a Kawasaki?"

[IC2]

I have to agree 100% about old timeauto parts store counter people. Our local NAPA still has a couple guys that are pretty good but the rest of the counter folk aren't from the old days. I try to do all my research on line first, print the page and hand it to one of them. Also, on line purchasing - you can get exactly the part you want, especially if you are working on a modified engine. I did a push rod Ford 5.0 about 4-5 years ago. NAPA had zero internal parts in-store though could order them.

[TexasJeff]

Pre-internet, leafing through a magazine.. might have been MAD or some comic book.. and reading Joe Wieder's ad on learning self defense in 30 minutes.. and those wrist weights that would make you in to a Charles Atlas. They were called Hell Bent for Leather and Lead. Then waiting weeks until your package finally arrives!

[runamuck]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

The first mainframe computer I worked with filled a 30'x30' room. The "memory" was on huge disc packs about 20" in diameter and a foot tall. Input was by punch cards that were typed by hand.
Today your GPS contains far more computing power.


As to know-how, many skilled trades were learned by apprenticeship. Others, like someone wanting to be an auto mechanic began with cleaning up after working mechanics and listen and watching them(a form of apprenticeship). If they showed a genuine interest the mechanics would begin educating them, with the approval of the shop owner.
Books, many auto owners depended on Chilton manuals(look them up on the internet).
BTW, the first "internet" looked like this:

that looks like the old DARPA net..

[HDGoose]

Some boards used to post an IP address in advertisements to their boards in the early 1990s. Ham radios operators, motorcycle folks, Motorcycle owners clubs were what I used to read once a week. At 56 baud dial up!

I remember the first time I had a second phone line installed in my house just for the computer.

[EdInArk]

Originally Posted by HDGoose

Some boards used to post an IP address in advertisements to their boards in the early 1990s. Ham radios operators, motorcycle folks, Motorcycle owners clubs were what I used to read once a week. At 56 baud dial up!

I remember the first time I had a second phone line installed in my house just for the computer.

I did too. It was a fax/modem line. I think my first one at home was a 2400 baud, but my first one at work was a 1200 baud.

I used Compuserve at work. I was a Clipper programmer and used it to share code and ask / answer questions about the language. At home with with the 2400 baud pages sort of oozed onto the monitor. I'd bring a book with me and read while pages loaded. My primary use at home was programming again, but I did use it for the old Micapeak motorcycle forums.

[HDGoose]

Originally Posted by EdInArk

I did too. It was a fax/modem line. I think my first one at home was a 2400 baud, but my first one at work was a 1200 baud.

I used Compuserve at work. I was a Clipper programmer and used it to share code and ask / answer questions about the language. At home with with the 2400 baud pages sort of oozed onto the monitor. I'd bring a book with me and read while pages loaded. My primary use at home was programming again, but I did use it for the old Micapeak motorcycle forums.

It should have read 5600 baud. But I cannot correct my other post. But you knew that...

[MRUSA14]

You guys are all kidding, right? Even a teenager knows there was no life before the internet.

[EdInArk]

Originally Posted by HDGoose

It should have read 5600 baud. But I cannot correct my other post. But you knew that...

I just assumed it was an abbreviation.

[TexasJeff]

..speaking of modems. Acoustic Couplers!

this is a rotary dial for all you youngsters.. lol.

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by TexasJeff

..speaking of modems. Acoustic Couplers!

this is a rotary dial for all you youngsters.. lol.

I still have one! And a PCMCIA card adaptor for the first GSM phone that coupled to a DOS powered HP200LX to surf the web at 5600 baud on a plane! Many times did log into those phones to get email in the early 90s. My next door passengers thought I had lost it!

[FrankenRV]

I know that you replied in jest, but "life before the internet" gave people the knowledge, skills, and abilities to CREATE the internet and underlying technology. So there HAD to be some sort of life.