Serious question, did anyone else's local library have those weird internet terminals in the late 90s?

I was at the main branch of the Columbus library yesterday, and they still have one of those old beige computer desks tucked in a corner. It's empty now, but it took me right back to 1998. You had to sign up for a 30 minute slot on a clipboard, and the monitor was this huge CRT that hummed. The whole thing ran on some custom software that basically just opened Netscape Navigator. I remember the sound of the dial-up modem screeching through the library speakers because the staff never turned the volume down. It felt like you were launching a spaceship just to check your Hotmail. The connection was so slow that your time would run out before a single image-heavy Geocities page fully loaded. What was the weirdest public internet setup you guys had to use back then?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_stone2mo ago

Weird? Those setups were genius. They were the only way a lot of people could even get online. That custom software kept things simple and safe for everyone. The time limits made sure no one hogged the computer all day. It was a public service, not a tech showcase.

anthony8832mo ago

Public service, not a tech showcase" really hits it. I used to just see the old slow computers and get annoyed. But you're right, that simple software and the time limits were what made it work for a whole library full of people. Changed how I see it now.

butler.shane24d ago

And I gotta be honest, I don't really see it that way. Those setups were a mess most of the time. The custom software locked down everything so hard you couldn't even check your own email without fighting the timer. It might have been a public service on paper, but in practice it just made the whole thing frustrating and slow. I remember waiting forever for a computer to free up, then getting booted off before I could finish anything. It felt more like a gatekeeping system than a helpful tool. Maybe it worked for some people, but for me it was just a reminder of how far behind public internet access really was.