When I began in 1992 the "home page of the internet" was Usenet. The reason I installed my first web browser was to be able to follow URLs referenced by conversations on Usenet. (That first browser was obtained by "anonymous FTP", which is the main way that software and certain kinds of documents like Usenet FAQs were distributed.)
>for instance, how would you research the working internals of a car engine for a school project?
Before search engines, I would consult my personal library of books, which included a paper encyclopedia, or visit a library and look up "automobile engines" in the subject index of the card catalog. Or maybe ask a friend.
Of course, most of the things I look up in search engines nowadays I did not even try to research or ask about before search engines: I just did without the information. It wasn't so bad :)
>for instance, how would you research the working internals of a car engine for a school project?
Before search engines, I would consult my personal library of books, which included a paper encyclopedia, or visit a library and look up "automobile engines" in the subject index of the card catalog. Or maybe ask a friend.
Of course, most of the things I look up in search engines nowadays I did not even try to research or ask about before search engines: I just did without the information. It wasn't so bad :)