this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
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Wanted to ask you about this article, how do you remember the early days of the internet (I was sadly too young at that time). Do you wish it back? And do you think it can ever be like that again? I would be very interested

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[โ€“] Frances_Larina@sfba.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

@Provider

USENET

Specifically, alt.hacks, which concerned ways to simplify computing (as it was called) tasks - or everyday life tasks, too.

Especially the ob-hack.

There was a rule that to stay on topic, every post had to have a hack of some sort. An obligatory hack, or "ob-hack". So a fun sort of footnote to postings quickly evolved, as follows:

"...and that's how a bill becomes a law, and why so much of the Internet has already been privatized.

ob-hack: connect the turbo case button to the enable/disable pins on an option card to reclaim the IRQ or interrupt."