Today's Deep-Dive: The early years of the Internet

Remember that sound, that like staticky, buzzy sound before a website would load, the anticipation

of waiting for an image to like slowly pixelate onto your screen?

Well, that's where we're headed today, back to the early internet in Germany.

Like we're time traveling to witness the digital revolution firsthand.

Yeah, and forget about those, you know, those dry corporate accounts of, you know, how it

all happened.

We're going way more granular, like digital archaeology.

We've got these four online resumes from the late 90s.

Each one is like a window into the lives of the actual people who were building the web.

Our digital pioneers.

Yeah.

Okay, so instead of like a history book, we're holding a time capsule, right?

So what kind of picture does it paint?

A fascinating one, full of surprises.

You know, take our first subject, Lars.

In 1986, I mean, most people were still trying to figure out how to like program their VCRs,

right?

But Lars is writing code.

And not just any code, assembler, see, these were the foundational tools, like hammering

together the internet's first frames.

Wow.

And what's even more interesting is he started as an electrician.

I mean, that's quite a jump, going from rewiring a house to, you know, wiring the digital world.

It really speaks to the allure of the early internet.

This wasn't just some like tech thing, it was a cultural movement, it was drawing in

people from all walks of life.

And each one brought their own like unique perspective.

And Lars, with his hands on experience, well, he wasn't just coding, he understood the physical

machinery behind it all.

Right.

And he wasn't content to just stop there either.

In 93, just as the internet is taking off, boom, he sets up his own company.

Talk about being in the right place at the right time, but also recognizing an opportunity

and just, you know, going for it.

His resume even mentions consulting on internet access.

Can you imagine?

Today, that's like calling the phone company.

Back then, it was like having a direct line to the digital gods.

Totally.

It was a specialized skill for sure.

A sign of the times.

Like the same goes for setting up servers and building firewalls.

I mean, think about it.

Every email sent, every web page loaded, all of it relied on this new infrastructure.

And Lars was on the front lines building it all.

It boggles the mind that this was all being figured out in real time, you know.

But Lars wasn't just about the tech either.

He also worked with Humboldt University.

So he's bringing this whole new world to academia too.

Oh yeah.

Universities were like hotbeds for early internet adoption.

Some of the first to build out those early networks to see the potential for research

and communication.

And Lars was there bridging that gap between, you know, this cutting edge tech and those

hallowed halls of academia.

A digital ambassador.

I love it.

Okay.

So we've got Lars, the electrician turned tech wizard entrepreneur.

Now let's talk about Matt.

Unlike Lars, he came from more of a design and publishing background, which makes me

think about that, you know, that clash between the old and new worlds.

Definitely.

Matt worked at Bauwelt.

It was an architecture magazine, so imagine him surrounded by layouts and fonts, the smell

of fresh ink, very analog.

Yet he jumps head first into web development in the mid-90s.

So it's not even just a career change, it's a cultural shift, a head-on collision of those

two worlds.

Yeah, he's bridging the gap, translating that visual language of print to this new digital

campus.

Exactly.

And you can see it reflected in his skill set, too.

Filemaker databases to organize all this information, online shops.

This is when e-commerce was in its infancy.

He even built a Java chat for an art house.

Okay, hold on.

A Java chat for an art house.

That's amazing.

It just seems so niche.

But also, it shows that people were already experimenting with how to use the internet

for creative expression, you know, and for building community.

It's a perfect example.

Even in these early days, the internet wasn't just about, you know, ones and zeros.

It was about connecting people with shared passions, whether they were discussing the

latest tech or, you know, debating abstract art.

And what's interesting is the range of Matt's clients.

You got Documenta X, which is like this huge art exhibition, to something called Fanwelt,

which sounds like, I don't know, maybe a precursor to all of today's social media platforms.

It just shows how rapidly the internet was, you know, infiltrating all these different

sectors.

No longer confined to just universities and tech companies.

It was becoming a tool for artists, for fans, for communities to connect and share their

work.

But it wasn't all, you know, groundbreaking tech and avant-garde art.

Yeah, it was like the internet was becoming this, like this ultimate Swiss army knife.

What?

Useful for everything.

It wasn't always a smooth ride though, was it?

Take Step, our next digital trailblazer.

His story seems to be a little less about the tech, like the technical wizardry and

more about the human side of all of this.

Absolutely.

Yeah, while Lars was out there, you know, laying cables and Matt's designing these digital

experiences, Step is thinking about the people actually using this stuff.

His resume really emphasizes this, understanding user needs.

And what's interesting, teamwork.

It's like this subtle hint that, you know, as websites got more and more complex, it

wasn't just about lone programmers in their basement anymore.

Right.

Like it was becoming much more of a collaborative effort, kind of like, well, kind of like what

Step experienced as a bandleader.

Exactly.

Coordinating all those different musicians, understanding everyone's strengths, bringing

it all together in harmony.

That requires, I mean, that's a whole other skill set.

And maybe those band practice sessions weren't that different from those early, you know,

web development meetings.

I love that.

I love that analogy.

You need someone to conduct the orchestra, make sure everyone's playing in tune in sync.

And as those early websites went from, you know, static pages to more interactive experiences,

well, that need for coordination, for someone to bring it all together, that just became

even more crucial.

Yeah.

And that's where Step's focus on conception, contact, and accrues comes in.

I mean, he wasn't just like, you know, heads down building websites.

He was thinking about that bigger picture, you know, the strategy, the communication,

how to actually like talk to clients, the business side of things.

So he's really got his finger on the pulse, like he sees how this whole internet thing

is changing the market.

This isn't just some passing tech fad.

This is huge.

This is like a fundamental shift in how we communicate, do business, everything.

Totally.

He even has this little like list of buzzwords in his resume, push portals, web TV.

I mean, some of those ideas, they age like a fine wine and others, well, not so much.

Web TV.

Wow.

Talk about a blast from the past.

It's almost endearing now to look back and see how they were trying to predict where

all this technology was headed, you know?

But that's part of it, right?

That's how innovation works.

You try things.

You miss sometimes, but sometimes you hit the jackpot.

Exactly.

And you learn from both, right?

The hits and the misses.

But okay, here's where it gets really interesting.

Remember that combined resume, the one with Lars, Matt and Step all together now?

Oh yeah.

That's right.

They joined forces.

It's like they formed their own little like digital dream team, a mini digital agency.

So what can you tell us about that?

Like what prompted this strategic move?

It's brilliant.

Honestly, imagine you're a business owner in the late nineties.

You've heard of this, you know, this internet thing, you know, it's important, you know,

you need to do something about it, but it's all just a little, you know, overwhelming.

And then you see this resume.

They've got it all system administration, programming, databases, training.

They even had e-business, which remember that was still a pretty new term back then.

They looked into a crystal ball and said, yeah, we can handle it all.

Building your website, helping you make money online the whole nine yards.

Exactly.

It was like this comprehensive package, this united front of expertise, which I mean, that

must've been incredibly appealing, especially in those early days where, you know, nobody

really knew what they were doing.

But what I find the most telling is the inclusion of, get this, team building coaching.

What do you make of it?

Do you think they were already seeing those like growing pains, you know, within these

young internet companies?

Oh, it's very likely.

I mean, you're bringing together people from all these different backgrounds, electricians,

designers, you know, even musicians and band leaders, all trying to navigate this new world

together.

And with any rapidly growing field, there are going to be challenges, communication

breakdowns, misunderstandings, how to collaborate effectively, how to manage everyone's expectations.

Yeah, they were ahead of their time in a lot of ways, recognizing that building a successful

company, especially in this new digital world, it wasn't just about, you know, who had the

best coding skills.

It was about people and how they work together.

Absolutely.

And, you know, we can't forget about that, you know, that really simple, but kind of

powerful call to action at the end of that combined resume, mail me, call me.

It's so direct.

Right.

It really speaks to like the directness, the urgency of those early days of the internet.

I mean, forget about your, you know, your slick marketing campaigns and all that.

They were just like, we're here.

We're building the future.

Let's talk.

It's a breath of fresh air.

Really?

That raw entrepreneurial spirit.

Yeah.

So, okay.

As we zoom out, as we return from our deep dive into the world of, you know, 1990s German

internet pioneers, what's the, I don't know, what's the biggest takeaway for you?

What surprised you the most about all of this?

You know, it's so easy to like romanticize the early internet, look back with these rose

tinted monitors, you know, but these resumes, they paint a more, I think a more nuanced

picture.

Yeah.

There's that excitement of the new technology, that entrepreneurial energy for sure.

But there's also this really clear sense that these guys, they were grappling with the unknown,

hearing it out as they went along, adapting constantly, because that landscape was changing

so fast.

It's like they were building the plane while they were flying it.

Exactly.

And what's really remarkable, I think, is how much their backgrounds, those different

backgrounds, you've got the electrician, the designer, the musician, the bandleader,

it really shaped how they approached building this thing, building the internet.

You know, they weren't just coders, they were problem solvers, they were communicators,

they were collaborators, each one bringing their own unique skills to the table.

It makes you wonder, what skills from back then, from those early days, are still relevant

today?

I mean, is it all just about coding languages and algorithms, or are there, like, broader

lessons to be learned?

Oh, the technical landscape, I mean, obviously it's changed dramatically, but those core

skills.

Yeah.

Right, problem solving, critical thinking, being able to, you know, design with the user

in mind, teamwork, being able to adapt and learn quickly, I mean, those are timeless.

Those never go out of style.

It's not just about, like, mastering the latest app or coding language then.

It's about embracing that same spirit, that curiosity, that adaptability, that willingness

to just roll up your sleeves and collaborate that really fueled those early internet pioneers.

100%.

And you know what?

Who knows, maybe someone out there listening to this right now, they're feeling inspired

by these stories and they're ready to take that leap themselves to shape the next chapter

of the internet.

What a thought.

A digital baton being passed on to this whole new generation of innovators.

I love it.

And on that note, I think we'll wrap up our deep dive into the early days of the internet

in Germany.

From dial-up modems to like the birth of e-commerce, it's been quite a ride, wouldn't you say?

Absolutely fascinating.

A good reminder that this digital world that we take for granted, it was built by real

people with their own unique stories and challenges and triumphs.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

And a big thank you to you, dear listener, for coming along on this little adventure

with us, this trip back in time.

And until next time, keep exploring, keep questioning, and you know what?

See you in the digital ether.

See you in the digital ether.