DISQUS

It's certainly a smart comparison (I'd expect no less from Kottke!) and it's an attention grabbing one, too. I think the big difference between now and then, though is the sheer volume of stuff on the web, and the sheer volume of spam. Back in the 90s, people opted for the open web over Compuserve/AOL because the one-dimensional provision of content from the walled garden providers didn't satisfy their demands.

Now though, I think there's just so much info out there, and so much spam/crap, that the appeal of a walled garden - especially the Facebook version, where you're most likely connecting with people you know - is very appealing, because in some respects, it's more efficient and certainly offers higher quality content than just Googling...