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Tech HistoryFix July 31, 2026 2 min read

No, Napster Wasn't the First File-Sharing Service

Napster gets credited as the technology that started internet file sharing. BBSes, Usenet, FTP, and IRC were all moving files between strangers years — in some cases over a decade — before Napster's 1999 launch.

#fix#myth#napster

Tech HistoryDeep Dive July 24, 2026 2 min read

Napster and the Reordering of the Entire Music Industry

A college student's file-sharing tool lasted barely two years before a court order killed it — but it permanently broke the assumption that music had to be sold as a physical or per-track purchase.

#deep-dive#napster#music

Tech HistoryNews July 24, 2026 1 min read

Napster Launches, Built by a College Student in a Massachusetts Office

Shawn Fanning's peer-to-peer file-sharing tool went live in June 1999, launched out of a small Hull, Massachusetts office. Within two years it would be shut down by court order — but not before changing the music industry permanently.

#news#napster#music