For some this happened a long time before they set their first steps on-line. For others it was a moment they recalled with sentiment. A fact is when the DDS (digital city) came on-line begin 1994 it was for many Amsterdam people their first step on the net. It was the first free on-line dial in provider in the Netherlands. Soon after launch, modems were sold out. The dial in lines were often occupied and for first time it was clear to see how a more mixed community would alter the until then mostly ‘net aristocrat’ atmosphere on the internet. Over years the DDS matured and changed. From a black and white textual interface into a graphic web portal with links to everything a citizen would like to see, from political information up to a red light corner. Money was always a crucial point for this social oriented provider. At the beginning of the new millennium, things changed and they changed drastic. Nowadays DDS is still on-line as a low budget commercial provider.

Even though the founders have long left the DDS and continued elsewhere their social net engagement, they gave a party on the 10 years birthday to launch the DDS archival service.

See also http://dds.waag.org/

Mathilde μP