> In the 90s, before the web really took off, stuff like this was hen's teeth. Anything you found, via BBS, Usenet, or the nascent web, you'd pore over in detail and make sure to fastidiously back up in case you never found it again.

To be honest, backing up stuff makes sense even today. Websites do disappear. You never know when your favorite blog may disappear. There is the internet archive machine that fights link rot quite well. But it wouldn't hurt to take back ups of your favorite online articles.