As far as the availability and access of Documents, things are getting much better now... seeing that:
Back in early 1990's, there were lots of Documents available:
Readily accessible,
Saved for use across multiple platforms,
Available for no cost (contributions were always encouraged).
To obtain these Documents, one needed to be "Semi-Fluent" with FTP.
To locate the Server Space holding the Documents, one needed URLs or IP addresses, or browse through BBS.
Then came the popularity of HTML, which made HTTP searching "fun"
Things were nice up to around 1998, when the "Dot Com Rage" became popular.
The concept of "Internet = $$$" spilled over to some resources, and as a result - information previously available without major headaches (huge search + no longer for free) became almost unheard of!
One example involves my Wife's Genealogical Researching.
Prior to 1998, she could easily find the data needed, at no cost.
By 1999, the "Tease" sites overwhelmed any other sources with relevant hits and redirecting, making research futile.
Around 2004, I began to notice a change for the better per my research material "Hunts".
Currently, there are more sources for data, and more documents available at Manufacturers' sites.
The "Hunt" has become more intense, but thanks to "Tabbed Searching" I get lost in cyberspace once again!
So in a way, the Internet is going Forward Two-Steps, and Backwards 1.5 Steps... if that makes any sense...
Scott
