Sorry - that is completely ridiculous.
In the late 1990s, not only did we have real time option quotes, we had the ENTIRE ticker for Bid & Ask + Quantity.
I could make option trades on any stock or ETF (like QQQ and SPY) for less than $10.
Please stop making up stories about things you know nothing about!
I was talking about the time before there were NO quote machines, EFTs, or any of the info you note available to the public or on the NET because there WAS NO NET. If that is too complicated for you to follow, I might suggest you try learning about that era before you pontificate about what you are obviously oblivious about.
As far as options, there were not even listed except on the over the counter market until they were approved for trading by the CBOE I think around 73.
Sorry about that but I do know of what I am talking because I experienced those times, sometimes profitably, sometimes not so much.