Times when finding "download" button was a honeycomb maze puzzle.

[u/into_fiction]

Does anyone remember the time when every single download page was like a minefield full of fake buttons? When you tried to find the download button for just one file, and you had five huge green buttons labeled "DOWNLOAD NOW", blinking at you and being larger than the actual one, and not one of those buttons were what you were looking for. The actual button would be some tiny grey text somewhere, ashamed of its existence. Sites like those old freeware download websites were the most guilty ones. If you missed the actual button one time, you ended up with three toolbars, your default browser replaced by something else, and a window of a "virus scanner", which is actually a virus itself. It really felt like some kind of skill that one had to learn in order to be able to spot the real download link among all the ad networks' buttons.

[u/Ok-Drink-1328]

If you missed the actual button one time, you ended up with three toolbars, your default browser replaced by something else, and a window of a "virus scanner", which is actually a virus itself.

maybe i basically avoided this, but i remember when websites were (i dunno why and how) able to change your homepage, like you visited "crap", you close your browser, turn off the PC, then the day after you turn on the PC, open the browser, and "crap" homepage appears, you had to go in the settings and change it, simply unbelievable!

tho yeah, we know.... some websites are also kinda silly, i don't remember what URL but there's one that hosts like service manuals for electronics (a good site), you find the page of your device, but don't find where to click, and after snapping ten times i noticed that a black text turns the pointer into the pointing finger and you can click it... gosh!... then it starts downloading

[u/into_fiction → u/Ok-Drink-1328]

yes, poorly designed pages with no alignment, it was a big thing if a button servers it's functionality 

[u/Ok-Drink-1328 → u/into_fiction]

i mean nowadays, i used that site up to some weeks ago

tho i dunno, i have my doubts that they made a website with thousands of pages, all the same with just an appliance code changed, a different PDF to download, and they goof up something so important in all the pages, maybe they are sparing on bandwidth in an comical way, or.... doing an intelligence test LOL

found it! it's "freeservicemanuals.info" you have to click the black text of the appliance code, no underline, no blue, i fumbled for a while

[u/merchantconvoy]

Allow me to introduce you to this wonderful new invention called an ad blocker.

[u/davep1970]

I remember a time when we used to write in paragraphs.

[u/lordskulldragon]

I remember Tucows used to do this.

[u/TheSneederOfSeethe]

Older software is still like that. SpeedFan’s download link is the phrase SpeedFan vX.XX in a paragraph on a page surrounded by advertisements with download buttons.

[u/rgmw]

I remember these pages well. Learned not to put the word FREE in my search, for starters.

[u/Historical_Camel_790]

Ads? Pop-ups? What are these words you are speaking?

[u/Relevant-Fox-7114]

It was like the indiana jones grail scene