Google, Working as a BBS Terminal

If you’re jonesing for some retro in your newfangled “Internet,” on your “portable computers,” Masswerk is here with a heartwarming retro version of Google. Hearkening back to the days of bulletin boards, Masswerk’s GoogleBBS is just that — a functioning Google search, complete with “I’m feeling lucky” mode, that allows you to search Google through an old ASCII, BBS-style interface. Get ready for some “PRESS A KEY TO VIEW THE NEXT PAGE,” especially considering Google generally returns millions of search results.

The GoogleBBS also features a few Google News stories, rather than a menu into the BBS chat or bevy of Door games. The whole thing, though actually functioning, is nigh unusable, as you might expect. It lists only a handful of search results per page, and if you’ve ever searched Google and paid attention to that giant number at the top of your search results, you’ll soon learn the limits of your patience.

However, it warms this old curmudgeon’s heart to see BBSes represented in any possible way, especially when it is a usable version of something so prevalent in our modern day lives. Seriously, go check it out.

(Google BBS Terminal via Boing Boing)

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