The Internet has lost its original purpose

[Beebo]

Everything has gone mad!
Mobile phones have lost their original purpose, and now include the internet!

 

[.stu]

It's funny how

1990s search "portals" lost to Google Search, and Google Search also was possible because HTML and HTTP are open.

It's ironic that Google "won" because of it's simplicity and lack of adverts - just the Google logo and the search bar, compared to the others where sometimes you needed a search engine to find the damned search bar in the place. Now Google is one of the biggest advert pushers there is, if not THE biggest.

I suppose they just played the long game and won - just like China is doing by devaluing its currency so we move all our manufacturing there... enjoy the era of cheap electronics, because it won't last and we'll soon see how much a smart phone or tv costs when the workers are paid realistic wages.

 

[Wafer]

Advertising was as big a deal for Google as their search results. None of the older 'search portals' had really built up a great business model. Google getting Adwords going funded the rest of the company.

 

[Dan B]

It's ironic that Google "won" because of it's simplicity and lack of adverts

My personal opinion only, but: although Google's interface simplicity is what drew me to use them in the first place, its higher quality of results (PageRank and what followed it) is what kept me coming back. I don't disagree though, it's stil ironic

 

[Dan B]

Advertising was as big a deal for Google as their search results. None of the older 'search portals' had really built up a great business model. Google getting Adwords going funded the rest of the company.

Yahoo had a superb business model, if Ponzi schemes count as business models.

10 Rising YHOO stock price drove prices up across the sector
20 startups got founded with VC money to get a piece of that action
30 startups spent their VC money advertising on Yahoo, driving up Yahoo stock price
40 GOTO 10

 

[CopperBrompton]

It's ironic that Google "won" because of it's simplicity and lack of adverts

No, Google won because it knew how to do search better than anyone else. Ads are what make possible search and all the other free services Google offers. If you want to pay per search, and can find a few million other like-minded souls, I'm sure Google will be happy to create an ad-free experience for you all.

 

[Wafer]

Yahoo! was doing so well that within 2 years of Google launching they were using Google search...

 

[Vapin' Joe]

The internet was created so Guardian readers could read the Daily Mail and The Sun without having to sneak out of the newsagents with their collars turned up.

 

[subaqua]

The internet originally had a purpose?

yes, to look at ladies boobies without having to buy a topshelf publication

 

[Davidc]

It may not have had a purpose when it started but it certainly has one now - it exists so I can listen to WBGO from Newark (New Jersey not Nottinghamshire), which is the world's best Jazz music station, and proud of it!

All we need now is a real time speech output program that adds 5 hours to all references to time, and converts foreignheight temperatures to celcius.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

The internet was created so Guardian readers could read the Daily Mail and The Sun without having to sneak out of the newsagents with their collars turned up.

In the newsagents I always tuck my copy of The Daily Mail inside Bestiality Monthly.

 

[Davidc]

In the newsagents I always tuck my copy of The Daily Mail inside Bestiality Monthly.

First post here for a long time that's made laugh out loud!

 

[JoeyB]

I still find the internet pretty useful. I haven't had to buy a Haynes manual for years, for example.

 

[stephec]

Cheeky beggar! All it shows is XFunKey and the contact number 02035405930. I'm sure the internet has billions of perfectly acceptable free videos like that

I've never paid for a mucky video yet, erm ah what I mean is........

 

[SpokeyDokey]

The Internet - a wonderful thing.

Greater access to knowledge = greater power to the masses.