The New York Times Introduces a Web Site (1996)

nytimes.com

23 points·atularora··10 comments

>Subscribers will have limited access to archives of Times articles and features dating to 1980, and will be able to copy articles to their own computers for $1.95 each, Mr. Nisenholtz said.

Any idea on how this download-fee was implemented?

Yes, if an article was older than 7 days you only got a summary with the option to get the full article (maybe a PDF too?) for $1.95. Not unlike buying an archive article now (I think its greater than 90 days now).

It looked like this then:

http://web.archive.org/web/19961112181513/http://www.nytimes...

Love the image at the bottom that gave instructions on how to size your browser window.

All the news that's fit to width!

I like the http:/ typo. It really shows how unfamiliar the general public was with the internet just fifteen years ago.

And while they clearly anticipated Twitter, they put in the wrong Twitter handle @times versus @nytimes

Would not have imagined that one day the website will become mainstream. Congrats!

Ummm, this is NYTimes we are talking about. Probably in the top newspapers of the world by popularity. Not becoming mainstream would have been a greater feat of imagination. :)

I think he meant the website as in any website. Like "website" as an item, not this specific one. eg: "Would not have imagined the mp3 player..." not iPod etc.

Wow. 15 years. Congrats!

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