Do you remember Freepin in 1998?

self | self

[ODDITHER]

I first found Free Republic through Drudge Report. I found Drudge by listening to the White House briefing sessions who constantly told everyone how radical he was. (I knew he was my kind of people.)

To get to my point, or to make a short story long, Does anyone else remember freepin back then?

There were days you couldn't get on. When you did get on, it took forever to load the posts. There were three options. Next 10 - 50 -100 and a simple search engine. Remember the posts that said "Please don't post graphics, I can't read the posts if you do."?

Don't get me wrong, many of the improvements that have been made, are because the technology has changed. I also got a faster modem and new computer and learned how to use them.

I Would set my alarm for 5:00 am to get on while it wasn't busy. At first, I didn't post, there were self appointed post police that would tear you a new one, if you didn't hold your mouth just right. But finally, I thought, what the heck, they can't see me, they don't know me, I can take it.

Here I am ramblin on - what I wanted to do is say a great big thanks to John for the newest improvements.

Thanks John!!!

P.S.

When is it going to make my coffee in the morning?

[1John]

How you feelin' these days?

[Jean S]

I can't even remember how I found FR but I know I found it before I found Drudge.

Me too! I remember doing a search using some combination of "conservative" and "politics" and found this site. I found Drudge through the links here.

[EdZep]

I began lurking a month before the first gathering in D.C. in Oct. 98. Took a few weeks to begin posting. I really wondered what kind of folk I was getting mixed up with.

During the D.C. march, it was a pleasure to help fight off disruptors, with one eye on the computer screen, and the other on the doings in D.C., via C-SPAN. There, I saw that I was mixed up with a bunch of decent, average Joe types who were ready change the way netizens get their news and engage in debate.

Socialists in Congress? Click on the zeppelin, Grasshopper.

[tiki]

I know I found it in December and I lurked for a few months before I HAD to post one day.

[Tony in Hawaii]

"(Had 'em saved on my hard drive!)"

Now I've got 'em on mine. Thanks.

Oh, and anybody remember Right Side of the Web? That's where I discovered Drudge, and then FR. I tried to sign on back then, but my browser crashed in the middle of doing so, and I gave up after several more tries.

[Doc On The Bay]

"...& I still haven't forgotten about MENA...."

Nor have many of the "rest of us..."

FReepers have LONG & ACCURATE Memories!

We need to continue to "Chip Away" @ the false "Quasi-Histories" created to cover events whose History we can accurately record.

Events "take on" different values in a time of National Emergency, but THE TRUTH should ALWAYS be itself!

Doc

[lonestar]

Yeah, I found FR from the Drudge link, too.

I remember lots of flame-wars between DonMorgan, Mojo, Navigator, Deb, OneWhoKnows, and others.

And, of course, Ash!

Ditto all the way. And I loved it!

I liked Michael Gallutia posts. (sp?)

[malakhi]

For old time's sake, I just tried to post a link to a "Newsweek Kills Story on White House Intern" thread, but it's vanished. In fact, I just noticed that the link to the "Old Topics List" that used to be on the main FR page is gone. I assume most of the posts that are from 1998 or earlier are gone, which is too bad.

I think this is just temporary. John wrote something recently to the effect that the new search function will be able to go back to the beginning of FR.

[Sawdring]

Jai posts in the newsgroups. He has his own website and claims he is an astrologer also. He hates Bush with a passion to boot. I think he called himself the Cosmic Freeper!

[Eva]

I found both Free Republic and Drudge through posts that the Chief Negotiator made on the CNN Allpolitics board under his real name, Herb Meadows. I didn't know that it was his real name, though. He had to keep changing because he was repeatedly being banned.

[malakhi]

Found FR via Drudge via Rush in March of 1998. Lurked for several months before signing up in November. That was at a time when lurking for several months before signing up was not atypical. Loved the intelligent debates between the conservatives and the libertarians. Remember all the Y2K threads?

[malakhi]

harrowup, good to see you! Gosh, its good to see some of the old screen names still posting.

[traveler]

yes, i do remember. mostly i lurked at that time. we have seen many changes since that time - both here at FreeRepublic and in our world. (/understatement)

thanks for the website, Jim Robinson.

[Nogbad]

I remember Drudge before he got his Web Page he used to post his Report on the USENET news groups.
(Way back in 1994 or thereabouts.)

I got the link to Free Republic from Drudge's Web page in 1998.

[malakhi]

Tomorrow it will be the hundreds of thousands and eventually millions. I look forward to seeing what the future will bring.

Uh oh. John's gonna need a few more servers!

I remember you from the Y2K threads.

[malakhi]

"Mouseover" your name at the end of your reply. Look where it shows the URL in your browser. Your # is at the end of the URL.

[malakhi]

As I recall, Jai was Hindu, not Muslim. He was also fanatically anti-Christian, and finally got himself banned.

[breakem]

Huertgen Forest was bragging to "bigsigh" about his medals and called bigsigh out to show his medals. bigsigh said he was not going to post bona fides in order to prove his point. Other posters saw the list of medals and used them to prove that forest was lying about his military experience.

[breakem]

I'll see your 139 and add 218.

[fone]

>>late 1996 I think I was Lurking near the beginning and you could post each post under whatever name you pleased<<

Yes! I remember that! You could make a short comment your screename! THAT didn't last long =)