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[Bowdon]

I've noticed when reading tech forums these days that the once outliers now seem to hold the majority.

When TV/Monitors started to become bigger and better, there was always one or two people who always wanted to buy the most cutting edge visual technology, even if they couldn't fully utilise it on there own setup. Most people back in the day would call it a waste of money because there wasn't the high quality films to use the visuals, or the games made to use all of the monitors features.

I think its a generational mind set as we used to use technology that was never fully fit for purpose. But we put up with it and squeezed the best performance out of it. The modem instruction forums testify to that! 

We of that camp seem to be outnumbered these days by the ones who want the latest cutting edge technology immediately, even though there isn't the applications to deal with it.

I don't think many appreciate what they have got these days as much as us who went through the early days of technology and have seen it develope and advance.

Someone who as never exprienced even a 56K modem can't fully appreciate a FTTP connection, in my opinion.

/rant

[g3uiss]

How about 2800kbs modem 

[burakkucat]

Someone who as never exprienced even a 56K modem . . .

How about 2800kbs modem 

The first modem I ever used was 300 bps (V21 specification). 

[g3uiss]

I remember those also

[gt94sss2]

I don't think many appreciate what they have got these days as much as us who went through the early days of technology and have seen it develope and advance.

I don't think much has changed. In the past, the hardware wasn't great and each new generation resulted in big improvements.

Now the hardware can cope easily and other things like software limit the experience.

I think modem communication has just made it easier to find people with the same views as you.

[Bowdon]

The first modem I had was a second hand one from the Woolworths factory offices. My Dad used to work there as a sub contractor and was friendly with all the staff.

The IT guy came around and set it up. I think that was 300 bps. A big black wide modem.. with all the lights flickering on and off. 

I think the appreciation factor as changed. Things that we were amazed by and now taken for granted.

It's an interesting technology world we live in at the moment. The only technology I haven't tried yet is VR.

One of the old retro guys (Steve Benway) I watch on Youtube uses VR Chat to go in a virtual world and imitate a cat. Hmm, that might interest some on here 

[XGS_Is_On]

We of that camp seem to be outnumbered these days by the ones who want the latest cutting edge technology immediately, even though there isn't the applications to deal with it.

You aren't: the majority aren't enthusiasts, they use more mainstream tech and don't feel the need to talk about it online.

I suggest a look at the Steam hardware and software survey. The most commonly used 2 graphics cards are 3 generations old.

[licquorice]

The first modem I ever used was 300 bps (V21 specification). 

As was mine.

[Alex Atkin UK]

I feel the opposite is true to some extent, they might have the most cutting-edge phone, but they will be watching TV shows and movies on it that were mastered in 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos surround sound, so are getting a vastly inferior experience to what the content is made more.

They also might have a 4K TV, but it will be bottom of the barrel which again can't properly display the content at its best.

Plus people would rather use bitrate starved streaming services for convenience and lose access to content, than the slight inconvenience of having to deal with physical media.  It will simply be impossible to view older content at some point as its not popular enough to warrant the streaming service to pay for a license, even the studios who own it will drop it from their service to save storage space and it wont be available on physical media.

On the other hand it might not be an issue if Putin starts World War 3.

[burakkucat]

As was mine.

In a light-straw, 62-type, equipment practice casing?

[licquorice]

Indeed so 

[g3uiss]

People that worked for. “Mars” had an acoustic coupler for a POTS handset. I think they were 300 asymmetrical.   

[Weaver]

I used to work for a company that manufactured modems, Psion Dacom. I didn’t work in the modem bit though, but I once helped someone who did, a little bit. The first modem I ever saw was probably 9600 bps, at the end of the 1980s.

[tubaman]

GPO Modem 2B was my first modem experience as a BT Apprentice. Separate cards for PSU, modulate, demodulate, and control. And yes, 300 baud with settings such as attenuation adjusted with soldered wire straps on the cards. All discrete components with not a chip in sight. About the size of a largish tower PC laid on its side. 

[licquorice]

Seen at Bletchley computer museum. https://ibb.co/1JvqLKW