alt Hacker NewsYou know how I read new papers back in 1994? By going to the library, finding one in bi-annual publication list and requesting it through the University system. And it better be necessary because the uni had to pay both the catalogue and each reprint of an article. The access is most certainly easier today.
This was a lot because of the technological restrictions of that time.
Also be aware that the world wide web was actually conceived by Tim Berners-Lee for the exchange of information between scientists.