StupidScript - 9:49 pm on Apr 12, 2006 (gmt 0)

I think the web was better before it got all commercial-y.

Now, many if not most webmasters are in it to make a buck any way they can (please chime in if you disagree.) It's a giant exercise in selfishness.

Then, many if not most webmasters were in it to either see what was possible in the new medium or to learn about what might be possible in the future. It used to be a giant exercise in global community engagement.

I really miss the 'hippie' days when we shared our insights in order to build a stronger community. These days it seems like everything is a desperately held secret until the patent can be established or until the IPO is launched. We are seeing commercialization take some significant turns (pay to send email, pay for more broadband than the other guy, pay for site visitors, etc.etc.) that will result in a more closed system if these trends continue.

The 'Net used to be all about sharing knowledge. (In anticipation: And, no, it wasn't started by the U.S. Defense Department ... they just took it over from the Universities.)

Now it's all about separating the stooges from their hard-earned money.

It might have been the Frontier, but it was definitely a much more friendly place.