🌙 Midnight Connections
In the 1990s, when dial‑up internet first arrived in Sri Lanka, the world felt both mysterious and magical. I had a modem hooked to our SLT landline, and a friend at an ISP who sometimes slipped me customer credentials. Late at night, past midnight, I’d dial in secretly, assuming the original user wasn’t online. Parents never knew — we’d unplug the telephone cable, sneak it into the PC modem, and listen to the unforgettable modem handshake tones. Those nights were pure adventure.
🖥️ From Childhood Fun to ISP Reality
By 1999, my journey took me to EWIS, where I worked with their ISP, Wishya Online. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a curious kid — I was in the server room, surrounded by racks of modem pools, blinking lights, and the hum of technology. It was a dream realized: from secret midnight dial‑ups to hands‑on ISP operations.
⚡ The Evolution of Connections
As the 90s ended, dial‑up began to fade. Leased lines at 128–512 kbps became the new standard, and soon ADSL arrived. I was part of that transition, setting up dial‑up internet for major education institutes like EWIS Career, Informatics Colombo, and even the Department of Education. Using Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0, we built systems that auto‑dialed when a browser requested internet, and auto‑disconnected when idle. It was clever, efficient, and fun to implement.
📧 Dial‑up Email Adventures
One of my most memorable projects was for JP Morgan Sri Lanka. I implemented a dial‑up email solution where a Lotus Domino server in Colombo would dial into Hong Kong, download emails, and disconnect. Except once, it didn’t disconnect — for days. The result? A massive telephone bill that became part of the lore of dial‑up’s quirks.
🌟 Legacy of Dial‑up
Looking back, dial‑up wasn’t just about slow speeds and noisy modems. It was about discovery, secrecy, and the thrill of connection. From sneaking cables past parents to standing in ISP server rooms, dial‑up shaped my journey. It gave me hands‑on experience, professional opportunities, and stories that still echo today.
Dial‑up was more than technology. It was a gateway to dreams — the sound of progress, the thrill of first emails, and the foundation of a career built on curiosity and comfort.