# If there was no internet, would you own a computer?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 1, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571 "2004-09-01T13:52:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/1 "2004-09-01T13:52:39Z")
I’m not sure I would.
I did get my first PC for a small business. It was pretty useful for that but now I find that most of my PC time is when I’m connected to the net. If there were no internet I may just buy some sort of game machine and play games that way.
Maybe you use a computer to create art of some sort, but if your art is in most part, published on the internet, then maybe you wouldn’t be creating that art.
I do have a PC at work and if I needed to print some mailing lables or such I could do it there. I would really miss online banking and Quicken is really handy for balancing my bank accounts but then again, online banking makes that really easy.
So if there were no internet, would you own/use a computer?
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### Author:  [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/2 "2004-09-01T14:00:01Z")
The only non-network application I can think of that would have any value would be a spreadsheet, with maybe I use 3 times a year.
No computer for me, thanks.
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### Author:  [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/3 "2004-09-01T14:04:00Z")
I used to play games aaalllll the time, back before the internet.
Perhaps I still would, because perhaps there would be more quality adventure/story-based games instead of all the first person shooters that are designed for web play.
So, I probably would, but I’d probably be on the computer much much less often.
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### Author:  [@misstee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misstee)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/4 "2004-09-01T14:05:51Z")
> [@Eonwe](#):
>
> So, I probably would, but I’d probably be on the computer much much less often.
EXACTLY!
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### Author:  [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/5 "2004-09-01T14:06:01Z")
_:angrily pokes Zebra with a cane:_
You young whippersnappers, you can’t even imagine not having this Interweb thing, can you? Why, I owned a computer, before there even WAS an Internet! I used it for word processing; you could write papers on it for college and–get this–you could even type up a letter on Microsoft Word, and then _print it out_, put it in an envelope (with a “stamp”) and _mail_ it, not electronically, but physically have it sent across the country!
You could play blackjack on it, too. And this one game with the really primitive graphics where you shot down helicopters, and these endless numbers of ant-like paratroopers, and you had to watch out for the jet fighters cause they’d launch missiles at you.
I also had an encyclopedia on a CD-ROM, once.
Of course it was kind of a pain having to turn the big crank on the back of the computer to keep it running.
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### Author:  [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/6 "2004-09-01T14:12:08Z")
Preach it, **MEBuckner**! I remember having a COLOR monitor! It had two colors–green and black! I remember when “Jumpman” was a state-of-the-art game! I remember buying my first “computer game” ever–it was a BOOK! You had to code the games yourself!
Man, I feel old. And I’m only 31. ☹
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/7 "2004-09-01T14:15:17Z")
Yeah, I probably would.
Way back in the 80s, my friends and I all had Macs which we used in our home music studios. I also played a few games on it and used the business software for my small business needs.
With no internet, I would probably have gotten back into music as an almost fulltime hobby and would still be very much into photography too. So, my wants/needs would still be for more and faster as they came out.
As it is, in 1994 (?-exactness eludes me), I got hooked on the web and it has become my main hobby, more or less. I still do the music and photography, just not as much as I know I would. I’m easily addicted, you see, and have to have something to do.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/8 "2004-09-01T14:16:19Z")
I must have my video games.
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### Author:  [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/9 "2004-09-01T14:20:20Z")
I, too, am an ancient relic that used a computer well before this new-fangled internet came along.
I would definitely own a computer with no web, but would have a great deal more time for “real life”. I would be seriously jonesing for the SDMB, too.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/10 "2004-09-01T14:23:55Z")
Oh man, I almost forgot about Dad buying me that Apple //e and playing that infocom _Hitchhiker’s_ game for hours and hours. Plus, a friend of his programmed us a D&D type of game that took days to play. Also, I used it for some schoolwork.
Before that, we had some Radio Shack thing, TRS-80 maybe? that loaded software via a cassette deck. Endless hours of fun entering code into it just to see a dot dance across the screen…
Damn.
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### Author:  [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/11 "2004-09-01T14:26:36Z")
Yup.
Similarly, if there were no cable tv or television broadcasts, would you own a television?
For me, the answer was also yes; DVDs and the rare game console make it much worthwhile. And like **Eonwe** said, I spent far less time in front of the TV then compared to now.
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### Author:  [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/12 "2004-09-01T14:49:52Z")
> [@Zebra](#):
>
> So if there were no internet, would you own/use a computer?
Well, seeing as it’s my job I think I would be using a computer.
And like several other posters I had a computer _way_ before the net. Learned BASIC on a ZX81. Used an Atari ST for music (Cubase) and games. BTW the Atari still works which is more than I can say for my three old PCs.
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### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/13 "2004-09-01T14:52:14Z")
Absolutely. It’s indispensable for work, and for my school papers. I don’t even USE the internet at home, to tell ya the truth - too busy with homework, momwork, and wifework.
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### Author:  [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/14 "2004-09-01T14:54:42Z")
Of course I would! How else would I keep my neckties catalogued?
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### Author:  [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/15 "2004-09-01T14:56:01Z")
I’d definitely WANT a computer… the question comes up, if there were no internet, would I have a job and any money to buy a computer with? 😉
But I’d probably be doing business-logic VB programming or something like that, so yes again.
Can there be fairly modern stand-alone online services? 😉
Finding it a little hard to picture the year 2004 without something like the internet, considering all the trends that have led to increased computer networking. But it’s a fun premise.
(\<-- is mostly a web application programmer at his job.)
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### Author:  [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/16 "2004-09-01T15:03:13Z")
Sure!
I used to play games on the computers and program them (C64s and Ataris), write on them (Apples) etc. I’m still a writer, so yeah.
I hope I would have upgraded from the ][c and the huge floppies; I could only fit eight full text pages per file on the writing program I used. Not even a chapter.
Although I do connect with my friends online, I think I’d have a completely different set of friends w/o the internet.
TV … it’s useful for DVDs and games. We haven’t had cable in years, but now that Tivo is available, we’ll get it again for a while and catch up on home decor shows and the Daily Show.
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### Author:  [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/17 "2004-09-01T15:12:30Z")
Yes, but it would be to work at home. My job involves serious number crunching, the sort you wouldn’t even think of doing with a spreadsheet programme. I dunno whether I’d have got into the field had widespread networks become so common as to make computers ubiquitous.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/18 "2004-09-01T15:20:16Z")
Definitely; I use mine for software development, video and audio editing, graphics, design, as well as word processing, spreadsheets and the occasional game. A lot of those functions are greatly assisted by resources available on the internet, but I’d probably still be doing at least some of them.
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/19 "2004-09-01T15:35:42Z")
Yep. Spent hours on my Mac SE before having access to the internet or even owning a modem.
Political posters. Newspaper columns. Diagrams and illustrations in SuperPaint. Spreadsheets and charts. Creating my own fonts in FONTastic. Making and editing sound effects in SoundEdit (the old original 8-bit version, no less!).
Then there were the years when I had a 2400 baud modem and there were BBS services to dial up to! Read other folks’ messages. Answer some of them. Download freeware and shareware.
I even had a hand-held 4-bit greyscale scanner!
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-was-no-internet-would-you-own-a-computer/262571/20 "2004-09-01T15:36:15Z")
Absolutely. I’ve had PCs since 1987 and have been a game playing fool ever since. The internet is kinda fun, and even sometimes useful, but give me a dozen cold beers, a pizza and a new RPG (uh, a game, not a weapon) any day and you’ll not be hearing from me for a few days.
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