This reads to me like an argument against the internet because everything can still be done on intranets or other permissioned networks. After all, the internet can be used by criminals so we should absolutely stay away from it!
The author fails to see that people want to build products and companies on open networks, and so the closed ones will struggle to compete.
> After all, the internet can be used by criminals so we should absolutely stay away from it!
The dotcom tech bros must have been trying to persuade typewriters, post offices, etc in 1990s at the time at the near height of the dotcom speculative mania. The skeptics at the time called it a fad at the time and would be no better than using fax machines.
So again the internet is being used by money launderers, scammers, criminals, etc. Does that mean we need to go back to using fax machines?
I think everyone knows the obvious answer to that question.
The historical strawman you're presenting is a wildly inaccurate portrayal of the period you're describing.
If you're actually interested in what Internet skeptics were actually focused on in the early days, read Cliff Stoll's books[0]. His second book is where he established himself as the leading thinker on Internet skepticism in the early days, and his first book is where he established himself as one of the most important protectors of the Internet, with his first book work leading directly to many of the digital security and privacy laws and principles we take for granted today. Early Internet skepticism wasn't driven by clueless Luddite thinking, nor was it focused on nonsensical issues. Most of the problems he pointed out in 1995 have only become more serious and more apparent in the intervening years.
The author fails to see that people want to build products and companies on open networks, and so the closed ones will struggle to compete.