Digital Time Capsule
Unearthing web files from 1997 on forgotten floppy disks
I finally decided to throw out all my old floppy disks after cleaning out a closet last weekend. Before I threw them out, I had to go through them all to see if there were still any files left on the disks. To my surprise, there were still a few files I found which was like going back in time.
When I lived in Maryland, I had Erol’s for a while instead of AOL like everyone else. One of the files was a page I saved because I was researching web hosts back in 1997 for hosting my own website. I was going to start my own online grocery delivery business.
1997: A Digital Retrospective
Storage
3.5″ floppy disks typically held 1.44MB of data — less than a single modern smartphone photo.
Internet
Dial-up modems typically connected at 28.8 or 33.6 kbps, with 56k becoming available.
Browsers
Netscape Navigator dominated with over 70% market share, while Internet Explorer was gaining ground.
Ahead of the Curve
Looking at my plans for an online grocery delivery business in 1997 reminds me how some ideas are simply ahead of their time. Services like Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and Walmart Grocery wouldn’t become mainstream for nearly two decades.
Sometimes the right idea just needs the right technology and market conditions to succeed.
What’s in Your Digital Time Capsule?
Do you have any old digital files or websites that bring back memories? Have you discovered anything interesting while cleaning out old technology? Share your digital archaeology finds in the comments!
JJ says:
Holy moly look how expensive that is!