bortsampson [he/him, any]

All of 4 gen-x usenet users pictured

also, phonics

Giving up on phonics was a horrible idea. I’m not sure whose to blame for that but it clearly was a disaster.

The tools were annoying but the process wasn’t very hard. Unprotected FTPs were pretty common early on and IRC download bots were around before torrenting. Sharing applications like Kazaa, Scour, Limewire, and Napster were super simple. There were fewer roadblocks. I wouldn’t want to explain to someone how to get a private invite, understand the trackers rules, and ensure they do not get VPN leaks.

I can’t even tell you what us Gen Xers did

They watched tv and traded tapes.