张小云的个人主页

About BearBlog

Sometimes I always think, what is the difference between the Internet in 1990s and now? That's a great problem. I listed some main changes below.

  1. Internet Access Speed:

    • 1990s: Internet access was very slow, typically through dial-up modems with speeds around 14.4 or 28.8 Kbps. Downloading large files could take hours or even days.
    • Now: Internet speeds have reached over 1 Gbps, with the ability to download the same files almost instantly. The development of 5G technology has brought minimum mobile platform speeds to at least 100 Mbps, approaching or exceeding 1 Gbps in many places, with near-zero latency.

  2. Technology and Capacity:

    • 1990s: The infrastructure of the internet was not designed for speed, with relatively small data transfers taking a long time.
    • Now: The internet can handle and transfer enormous amounts of data. Global data storage was estimated at 0.1 ZettaBytes in 2006, growing to 5.3 ZettaBytes by 2011, with projections to reach 22 ZettaBytes by 2016.

  3. Accessibility:

    • 1990s: The internet was initially a collection of relatively small networks, primarily in the United States, including government agencies, universities, and large corporations. Ordinary home users were unlikely to afford internet connections and lacked the technical expertise to manage them.
    • Now: By June 2012, nearly 35% of the global population used the internet, representing over 2.4 billion people. Despite technological and economic barriers, pricing, availability, and penetration of the internet have significantly improved over the past two decades.

  4. Social Networking:

    • 1990s: Social networking as we know it did not exist. Early forms of social networking included user networks, bulletin board systems, and chat rooms, which began in the 1970s.
    • Now: Social networking has become an integral part of our lives, including blogs, microblogs, wikis, social networks, podcasts, and photo and video-sharing platforms. By 2012, there were about 1.5 billion social network users globally.

  5. Commercialization and Privatization of the Internet:

    • 1990s: With the increase in internet speed, commercialization and privatization drove mass adoption. Companies like AOL attracted millions of ordinary home users to the internet.
    • Now: The internet has become a core platform for global business, communication, and entertainment, with e-commerce, cloud computing, and mobile applications radically transforming the way we live and work.

  6. The Mobile Internet Era:

    • 1990s: Mobile internet did not exist, and internet access was mainly limited to fixed locations.
    • Now: The ubiquity of smartphones has made the internet accessible anytime, anywhere, creating a new era of convenience and connectivity with mobile apps, social media, and instant messaging services.

That's a great change, and it is continuing to change now.

But when we discuss changes between these timepieces, many waste be thrown into this infomations' ocean.

So keep this little space clean is one of the most important things.

Maybe we can: