] Today the Internet was pronounced dead. The immediate
] cause of death was universal disinterest.
]
] For decades, the Net had been a free and open network
] that allowed anyone to send e-mail, publish information,
] provide services or sell products. Internet fever fueled
] a stock market boom in the 1990s that made startup
] companies into household names. Then huge losses resulted
] when business dried up from declining Net use. The
] Internet auction business finally disintegrated because
] of persistent fraud.