The Internet Before the Web

Here is a series of screen shots that show the Internet before the Web circa 1992:

Mostly researchers, educators and technologists were using the Internet using terminals or basic PCs to connect to mainframe computers. The mainframes were the actual computers that were attached to the Internet. Initially you used a terminal to access the mainframe, but when PCs came along, you could emulate a terminal with your PC and connect to the mainframe via a phone line modem.

The above screen is the mainframe connection screen. The "hosts" were the various internet nodes and Telnet was the way to get there! Eventually, the Web browser replaced both the mainframe connection and telnet (although you can still telnet to hosts today!

Above are the groups of possible Telnet sites.

We selected "1. Library Systems".

Most hosts were universities in the beginning.

Above shows Cornell University. It is in a different color because you are now at a different host.

Here are different applications at Cornell.

We selected "Dear Uncle Ezra". It is still around today on the Web.

This is Uncle Ezra's answer to the plight of the student in the previous screen

Here are the Databases that were available at that time.

We chose NASA SpaceLink which eventually became www.nasa.gov.

These were some selections within NASA SpaceLink.

We selected "Classroom Materials"

Here are lesson plans...

We selected "Down on the Moon" activity.

This is part of the "Down on the Moon Activity."

More of the "Down on the Moon Activity."

All of these resource sites had mainframe computers to attach to.

Other sites that were available via Telnet