# What technologies that were available in 1999 are obsolete (see my criteria) in 2009? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912 "2009-12-03T23:17:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Livardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/43a26b/32.png) [@Livardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Livardo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/1 "2009-12-03T23:17:39Z")
Seeing how we’re nearing the end of the decade I got to thinking about technologies which have become (mostly) obsolete since 1999. I’m interested mainly in “current” consumer, non-niche technologies available at brick and mortar stores. For example, I’m aware you could still buy a brand new record player but they are really in niche use now. Or are they? Please correct me if I’m wrong. Here’s my list: -Portable cassette players. (portable CD players are not far behind, are they?) -ISA/EISA interface. I remember having old hard drives that I could still hook up to a new motherboard in the early 2000s but at one point they stopped providing support. -Floppy drives (yes, you can order them online, but again, it’s a niche). -IOMega Zip drives. -VCRs (too soon?). That’s all I can think of for now, what else? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/2 "2009-12-03T23:23:23Z")
CRT monitors Analog TV ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/3 "2009-12-03T23:28:41Z")
Analog cell phones? ---
**Author:** ![Livardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/43a26b/32.png) [@Livardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Livardo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/4 "2009-12-03T23:31:10Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > CRT monitors > Analog TV Analog TV we can definitely say it’s a goner! CRTs? I think it’s getting close. I was at Best Buy the other day and I was surprised to still see some CRT TVs sitting in a corner. It was only about 4 or 5 but they were there. Not the case with computer monitors though. Those seem to be pretty much goners as well! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/5 "2009-12-03T23:36:44Z")
**Dan Blather** : Analog cell phones certainly qualify. So do pagers for most uses/people. [ul] [li]Consumer-grade removable storage media based on magnetic film. (This encompasses floppies, zip disks, and tapes. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know if tapes are being used by serious data warehousers now that removable hard drives are so cheap.)[/li][li]PS/2 mice and keyboards. In fact, just about every consumer-grade connector other than USB, FireWire, and whatever monitors are using these days.[/li][li]Pay phones.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/6 "2009-12-03T23:39:40Z")
MiniDiscs probably belong on the list too. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/7 "2009-12-03T23:45:45Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > So do pagers for most uses/people. Pagers are still pretty hot in hospitals and secure sites. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/8 "2009-12-03T23:47:16Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Pagers are still pretty hot in hospitals and secure sites. Sounds like a niche market, they fit the definition as well as anything else that’s been listed. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/9 "2009-12-03T23:51:10Z")
Analog TV isn’t gone. Millions of cable subscribers have it. I have a digital TV, but only watch it in analogue (actually, I only watch the recorded analog signals recorded via MythTV and streamed to it via ethernet). Certainly I’m not the only one that’s too cheap to pay for digital television? I’m not talking movies and real entertainment, but television? The day they take away my analogue option is the day I become a full-time pirate. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/10 "2009-12-04T00:04:45Z")
Going, or gone is hydraulic power steering. My new Hyundai has electric power steering (no pump) and therefore better mileage. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/11 "2009-12-04T00:10:51Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > [ul] > [li]Pay phones.[/li][/ul] I’m really not thinking that ever qualified for the OP’s “non-niche technologies available at brick and mortar stores” criteria. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/12 "2009-12-04T00:17:38Z")
Fax machines except for old people. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/13 "2009-12-04T00:25:29Z")
Film cameras (niche market?) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/14 "2009-12-04T00:37:48Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Analog TV isn’t gone. Millions of cable subscribers have it. I have a digital TV, but only watch it in analogue (actually, I only watch the recorded analog signals recorded via MythTV and streamed to it via ethernet). > > Certainly I’m not the only one that’s too cheap to pay for digital television? I’m not talking movies and real entertainment, but television? > > The day they take away my analogue option is the day I become a full-time pirate. Correct me if I’m wrong, but your location may play a role in your choice. It’s my understanding the analog tv has been discontinued in the US (didn’t the entire US switch to digital earlier this year? Or am I thinking of some other widescale platform change?) ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/15 "2009-12-04T00:48:06Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > **Dan Blather** : Analog cell phones certainly qualify. So do pagers for most uses/people. > > [li]Consumer-grade removable storage media based on magnetic film. (This encompasses floppies, zip disks, and tapes. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know if tapes are being used by serious data warehousers now that removable hard drives are so cheap.)[/li] As someone who has worked at 4-5 different data centers since 1999, including one 3rd party DR location, I can assure you that tape is alive and well in the Computer Operations world, and won’t be going away anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/16 "2009-12-04T00:49:15Z")
VHS p;layers aren’t gone, and aren’t particularly “niche” – I just bought a VCR/DVD player last month off-the-shelf at Best Buy. That’s as Mainstream as you can get ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/17 "2009-12-04T00:56:17Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > As someone who has worked at 4-5 different data centers since 1999, including one 3rd party DR location, I can assure you that tape is alive and well in the Computer Operations world, and won’t be going away anytime soon. OK, then just consumer-grade tape drives. **CalMeacham** : Can you find standalone VHS players? What is the selection of new VHS tapes (new means movies from the past year) compared to DVDs at Wal-Mart? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/18 "2009-12-04T00:56:46Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Fax machines except for old people. I regularly get faxes in my store from my suppliers and when I ask them to email me the stuff they’re often reluctant. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/19 "2009-12-04T00:58:44Z")
I mistakenly bought a keyboard with a PS/2 plug the other week. I wanted a basic keyboard, I was at Target, and the only choices were a couple of over-featured keyboards and one simple style with a PS/2 plug. My current computer doesn’t even have a PS/2 port. Arrgh. Annoying. The keyboard my computer came with is a USB and has sticky keys so I wanted a new one, didn’t even occur to me that there wouldn’t be a port in the back of the computer. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912/20 "2009-12-04T01:24:50Z")
It’s probably been obsolete for longer than I’ve been alive, but the Polaroid camera is no longer being made, if that qualifies. > [@Derleth](#): > > What is the selection of new VHS tapes (new means movies from the past year) compared to DVDs at Wal-Mart? David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence (2005) was the last movie from a major Hollywood studio to be released on VHS. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-technologies-that-were-available-in-1999-are-obsolete-see-my-criteria-in-2009/519912.md?page=2)