"The Internet was for everyone; anybody could have their own space on the web and put whatever they liked up, for free! Now, like in much of life, free spaces are pretty much all gone, and everything is just an excuse to charge more money."

"The subscription economy wasn’t really a thing back then. People would rather pay  $1 to rent a disc than $20 a month for streaming. But streaming subscriptions did eventually catch on, and the rest is history."

"It promised rich, cross-platform apps, videos, games, and 'the web as software.' Then mobile happened. Security issues, battery drain, poor performance, and zero iOS support."

"I was saying to a friend that I wish we could go back to the days of the BlackBerry Pearl. It handled calls, texts, and emails well, and it could do other things like search the web, but it wasn't an enjoyable experience. For example, you could look up directions if you needed to, but it wouldn't steal hours of your time scrolling."

"I remember buying the biggest TV I could afford — a Sony 27" CRT. We watched The Lord of the Rings and acted like we were at the movie theater."

"Single-player offline games felt like such a 'never be messed with' concept, and now everything needs a goddamn internet connection to play, even if it’s single player. Such a bad 'advancement.'"

"In high school, when USB sticks were starting to become common, I had a teacher who could get us a 'good deal' on them at $60 for 1GB sticks."

Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.