going to the wall

Technology The History of the Internet in a Nutshell is very, very useful. Turns out I was using UNIX at university to access the internet. I did not know this. Also:

"1995 is often considered the first year the web became commercialized. While there were commercial enterprises online prior to ‘95, there were a few key developments that happened that year. First, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption was developed by Netscape, making it safer to conduct financial transactions (like credit card payments) online.

In addition, two major online businesses got their start the same year. The first sale on "Echo Bay" was made that year. Echo Bay later became eBay. Amazon.com also started in 1995, though it didn’t turn a profit for six years, until 2001.

I remember watching the business and online sections of the paper, hoping that Amazon would head into profit so that it could open up in the UK with a secure future. Little did I realise that it would lead to high street retailers going to the wall. Borders UK closing down sale apparently begins tomorrow.