13 Things You Were Doing on the Computer in 1997

Back in the days...

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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It's easy to complain about the state of current consumer electronics. You may, say, wish your laptop didn't get hot enough to cook a panini. Or that the Wi-Fi in your apartment didn't always have your Netflix buffering. Or maybe that your browser didn't always crash when you opened your 115th tab. As much as you may grumble about your gadgets and services, just know this: We're much better off now than we once were. To illustrate that point, we took a look back at the year 1997 to see how things used to be.

Listening to Music Via Real Player

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Using Either a Dell or a HP

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Doing School Work Using Microsoft Office

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Using AOL or AOL Instant Messenger

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Still Using Windows 95

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Suffering with a 28.8k Modem

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Searching the Web Using Either Lycos, AltaVista, or Yahoo!

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Surfing the Web Using Netscape Navigator

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Playing Solitare in Class or Study Hall

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Using a Low-Res 640x480 CRT Monitor

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Playing Quake II

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Using the Digital Version of Encyclopedia Britanica to Do School Reports

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If You Were Ballin': Burning CDs

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