the 90's companies maybe, but the companies on bitcoin are bitpay, coinbase, Mt.Gox (already doomed), etc.
however TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, etc are all still around. Those are the protocols.
Bitcoin (the protocol) will most likely survive in any scenario, while bitcoin (the currency) will gain value as Bitcoin gains more utility and becomes more easy to use for the average person.
The difference between the internet and bitcoin is that you can invest directly in the protocol, without having to invest in a company. Never in history was there a chance to directly invest into a potentially life-changing worldwide protocol.
Yes, very true. I especially like your last 2 sentences. Although anyone who bought popular IP domain names early on and sold them years later made a killing.
Nobody knows what bitcoin-based companies or exchanges will still be around 10 years from now, but the Bitcoin protocol will live on along with bitcoin the currency.
However, the short-lived tech world history has shown us that a company that makes something technology-related so brain dead simple for the masses to comprehend and easy to use, usually that company has staying power since they managed to grab onto early market share and become a market leader.
Apple made easy-to-use GUI OSes and integrated software/hardware brain dead simple.
Netscape made web browsing brain dead simple.
Google made internet searching brain dead simple.
Facebook made social networking brain dead simple.
YouTube made online video sharing brain dead simple.
LinkSys made WiFi brain dead simple.
Apple and Google made smartphone and tablet apps brain dead simple.
So who will make bitcoin e-commerce brain dead simple? Many companies like Coinbase and BitPay are trying. Perhaps we have yet to see those players that are already good at that kind of thing (Google? Apple? Facebook? Amazon?) enter the bitcoin arena. My bet is that eventually we will, and that they are already discussing it.