the old internet

Microsoft is winding down Internet Explorer mode in its Edge browser, retiring the compatibility feature that allowed businesses and users to open legacy websites built for the old Internet Explorer engine. The move pushes organisations still relying on aging internal sites to modernise their web applications or seek alternative solutions.

A Stanford professor is promoting Homa, a new transport protocol designed to replace TCP, arguing it can dramatically cut network latency and congestion compared with the decades-old standard. The proposal has drawn attention in the Linux and internet-infrastructure communities, with Homa implementations being developed for the Linux kernel as discussion grows about whether TCP can keep up with modern data centre demands.

Guidance is circulating on how to delete personal data from the internet, covering steps such as searching yourself online, requesting removal from data broker sites, deleting old accounts, and opting out of people-search databases. Privacy advocates say growing awareness of data brokers and identity theft risks is prompting more people to try to scrub their details from the web.

A common home-network problem is making the rounds: a Wi-Fi repeater properly connected via LAN to the router still delivers barely 90 Mbit/s in the room. The usual culprit is an old network cable or a port limited to 100 Mbit/s somewhere in the chain, which caps speeds regardless of how fast the internet line is. The advice: check cables and ports for gigabit support before blaming the router or provider.

A new opinion column argues that the era of dial-up internet is firmly behind us, contrasting the slow, noisy connections of the past with today's always-on, high-speed connectivity. The piece frames this shift as a generational change, suggesting younger users have no memory of the old constraints. The column has drawn limited engagement so far, with readers in the community discussing how dramatically everyday online life has evolved.

A 1907 illustration by Raffaele Mainella from the book 'Nos Invisibles' is being shared, sourced from the Bibliothèque Sainte-Genevève via the Internet Archive. The image, tied to themes of spiritualism and life after death, is also available to buy as a print from the public domain image archive.

A roundup of three unsettling posts from the early web has drawn nearly half a million likes, reviving interest in forgotten corners of the old internet. The item revisits cryptic messages and strange forum threads from years past, and viewers are trading their own memories of eerie content that once circulated online and the mysteries that were never solved.

OpenBB, an open-source project aiming to build a free alternative to the Bloomberg terminal, has shut down after years of development. Bloomberg's terminal, a long-standing network for finance professionals that predates the public internet, remains part of what one commenter describes as a duopoly in market data infrastructure. Observers are pointing to the shutdown as a sign of how hard it is to unseat entrenched financial data platforms.

Users are reminiscing about the internet of 1999, an era when people supposedly solved their own computer problems without corporate platforms. One widely shared anecdote points to a 2009 moment when the Indian Prime Minister's Office replaced Microsoft Outlook, cited as an example of how differently technology was handled in earlier decades. The comparisons fuel ongoing debate about how the web has changed, from community-run forums to today's commercialised, centralised services.

Real Rebel Radio, an independent internet station, is currently playing "Himinbjǫrg" by SKÁLD, the Franco-Nordic folk band known for reviving Old Norse musical traditions. The track, named after the mythical dwelling of the god Heimdall, is being shared with listeners via the station's pop-up player.

Russian state-owned companies have more than tripled their spending on landline telephones as internet restrictions and phone-network disruptions continue across the country. The sharp increase in outlays suggests firms are rushing to secure reliable communication channels after repeated mobile internet blackouts and outages linked to drone threats and government controls.

The Financial Times is running a piece arguing that technology is once again being framed as a force of liberation, revisiting a familiar claim about new tools freeing people from old constraints. The argument echoes earlier waves of techno-optimism, from the personal computer to the internet, and invites skepticism about whether current technologies will deliver freedom or new forms of dependence.