#internethistory — Public Fediverse posts

@kelson
I don't remember a specific naming scheme, but I was young and it was a long time ago.

As for clients. I did use minuet for a little bit. But by the time I was using it, the web was already more interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Internet_Users_Essential_Tool

#Gopher #InternetHistory #questions #AskingFedi #GopherProtocol

Questions for other old-timers who might remember the heyday of #Gopher better than I do.

1. Were there any common/popular naming conventions? Like, were they 90% gopher.example.com, like every website was (and so many still are) www.example.com?

2. What dedicated gopher clients were around at the time? I know I used something that wasn't also a web browser, but I can't remember what.

#InternetHistory #questions #AskingFedi #GopherProtocol

Ars Technica: A Google insider spills the tea on how the company forsook its founding ideals. “The story of how [Claire Stapleton] went from enthusiastic cheerleader to proactive dissident, and the many lessons she learned along the way, are featured in her new book, Don’t Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape from Big Tech—A Biting Memoir of Twelve Years Inside Google.”

New York Times: After 31 Years, a Quirky Gay Gossip Website Shuts Down. This link goes to a gift article. “At around 5 p.m. on July 30, one day ahead of schedule, the DataLounge, a long-running online forum that became a gathering spot for (mostly) gay men, went dark. Just like that, tens of millions of posts spanning more than three decades simply disappeared.”

Where did the old web go? We followed 657,607 links to find out

https://0.mk/blog/link-rot

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49289532

#HackerNews #oldweb #linkrot #internethistory #webpreservation #digitalarchaeology

Remember dial-up internet? It's time for an upgrade with SkyPilot. Connect to your high-speed growth in social media!

Soar with us! 👉 https://skypilot.social

#Meme #UpgradeYourSocialMedia #TechThrowback #InternetHistory

Cool URIs Don't Change (1998)

https://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/URI

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49231809

#HackerNews #CoolURIs #URIs #WebDevelopment #InternetHistory #TimBernersLee

Ars Technica: Remembering the pre-Google web, when search was an experiment. “In the mid-’90s, the web was exploding, but finding anything of actual value on it felt like an elaborate negotiation with whatever proto-search engine happened to be standing closest to the door. Unlike now, when Google is widely seen as both portal and gatekeeper, sites like AltaVista, Lycos, Excite, HotBot, and […]

You’ll learn about transistors, microchips, programming languages, and how the internet grew from ARPANET to what we know today.
#books #bookreview #HistoryOfComputing #InternetHistory #TechBooks
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/digital-revolution-pioneers-book-review/

You’ll learn about transistors, microchips, programming languages, and how the internet grew from ARPANET to what we know today.
#books #bookreview #HistoryOfComputing #InternetHistory #TechBooks
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/digital-revolution-pioneers-book-review/

In 1986, the internet was young. No one worried about security. Except Stoll. He saw what others missed. Now we all need passwords.
#books #bookreviews #InternetHistory #DigitalSecurity #BookLovers
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cuckoos-egg-book-review/

New York Times: Larry Ellison Bet It All on the A.I. Boom. Will He Be the Face of the A.I. Bubble?. This link goes to a gift article. “Ellison, who was 80 and worth in the neighborhood of $200 billion, had an appointment at the White House. He didn’t bother to take a driver’s license — he needed to call someone on the president’s staff to vouch for him at the gate — but there he was, […]

Spotted in my RSS feeds: GE-97 Terminal. “A browser-based Windows 98 that boots, dials up, and browses what remains of the 1990s web with everything switched back on — built so a modern audience can feel what that screen felt like, not just look at a screenshot of it.” If you spent any time on GeoCities this web design will evoke nostalgia.

Mashable: Is Myspace coming back? Owners confirm relaunch plans. “Chris and Tim Vanderhook, whose company acquired Myspace in 2011, say they plan to relaunch the once-dominant social media platform. The brothers confirmed their intentions in Tommy Avallone’s recent documentary Myspace, although they have not announced when the relaunch will happen or what it will look like.”

Gizmodo: Can Winamp Ride the Retro Tech Wave All the Way Onto Spotify’s Private Beach?. “This week brought the news that Winamp—remember Winamp?—is planning to relaunch next year as a sort of one-player-for-everything app, with an integrated streaming service provided by French company Deezer along with the capability to play music from ‘users’ local music libraries, internet radio […]

In 1986, the internet was young. No one worried about security. Except Stoll. He saw what others missed. Now we all need passwords.
#books #bookreviews #InternetHistory #DigitalSecurity #BookLovers
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cuckoos-egg-book-review/

World Wide Web Day

La Giornata Mondiale del Web (World Wide Web Day) cade ogni anno il 1º agosto e celebra la nascita e l’impatto planetario del World Wide Web, il sistema di navigazione inventato da Tim Berners‑Lee tra il 1989 e il 1991 al CERN. È un’osservanza non ufficiale, senza un fondatore riconosciuto né un organismo che l’abbia istituita formalmente: esiste perché la comunità del web ha iniziato spontaneamente a celebrarla.

La Giornata Mondiale del Web, nasce… senza che nessuno abbia mai ammesso di averla inventata. Una festa spontanea, anarchica, globalissima, che ogni 1º agosto ci ricorda quanto il Web abbia rivoluzionato le nostre vite — dal primo “Ciao mondo” su un forum al meme che ci ha fatto ridere alle 3 di notte.

La data è curiosa: non coincide con nessuno dei momenti storici documentati del Web, che invece sono tutti registrati con precisione svizzera. Il primo sito è del 6 agosto 1991, la proposta originale del Web è del 12 marzo 1989, la liberazione del software in pubblico dominio è del 30 aprile 1993. Ma il 1º agosto? Un mistero. Nessun documento, nessun annuncio, nessun atto ufficiale. Eppure, eccola lì: celebrata ogni anno.

Chi ha deciso questa giornata?

La risposta più chic è: nessuno, e quindi tutti. Non esiste un fondatore registrato, né un’organizzazione che l’abbia proclamata. È una festa nata dal basso, come una pagina web che diventa virale senza SEO, senza sponsor, senza pianificazione. Una celebrazione collettiva, democratica, perfettamente in linea con lo spirito del Web stesso.

Quando si è festeggiata la prima volta?

Qui la storia diventa ancora più intrigante: non esistono tracce della ricorrenza prima del 2008. Il Web, che documenta tutto, non documenta la nascita della sua festa. Una vera ironia cosmica.

💡 Perché proprio il 1º agosto?

Le teorie più divertenti che circolano tra gli internauti:

• La teoria del “post estivo”: agosto è il mese in cui il mondo rallenta, e forse qualcuno ha pensato: “Festeggiamo il Web quando tutti hanno tempo per navigare senza sensi di colpa”.
• La teoria del bug: qualcuno avrebbe confuso la data del primo annuncio pubblico del Web (6 agosto 1991) con il 1 agosto. Una svista? Un refuso? Un errore di copia-incolla? Possibile.
• La teoria del romanticismo digitale: il Web è stato reso pubblico gratuitamente nel 1993. Forse il 1 agosto è stato scelto per ricordare la generosità di CERN, che ha regalato al mondo la tecnologia più rivoluzionaria del secolo.

Nessuna teoria è confermata. E questo, ammettiamolo, rende la festa ancora più affascinante.

🧬 Un Web nato “vague but exciting”

Il Web nasce ufficialmente nel 1989, quando Tim Berners‑Lee consegna al suo manager un memo intitolato “Information Management: A Proposal”. Il manager annota: “Vague but exciting”. E aveva ragione: da quella vaghezza è nato il sistema che oggi muove miliardi di persone, idee, aziende, sogni e gattini.

Tra il 1990 e il 1991 Berners‑Lee e Robert Cailliau sviluppano:

• HTML
• HTTP
• URL
• il primo browser/editor
• il primo server
• il primo sito: info.cern.ch (6 agosto 1991)

Il resto è storia — e una storia che continua a scriversi ogni giorno.

🌍 Curiosità dal mondo

• In Giappone, alcuni programmatori celebrano il 1º agosto creando mini‑siti effimeri che durano solo 24 ore: “come il Web, ma in versione origami”.
• In Brasile, gruppi di sviluppatori organizzano maratone di coding in spiaggia. Tastiere, sabbia e caipirinhas: la triade perfetta.
• In Germania, c’è chi festeggia visitando il primo sito della storia, restaurato da CERN, come fosse un museo digitale.
• In Italia, molti web designer celebrano la giornata aggiornando il proprio portfolio — perché il Web è eterno, ma il design no.
• Negli Stati Uniti, alcuni nostalgici passano la giornata navigando solo siti anni ’90: GIF sgranate, sfondi stellati e font improbabili. Una vera esperienza vintage.

🎉 Come festeggiare oggi (alla maniera Perfettamente Chic)

• Crea una pagina web minimalista e poetica, dedicata a un ricordo digitale.
• Pubblica il tuo primo meme autoprodotto.
• Naviga un sito che non hai mai visitato.
• Ringrazia mentalmente Tim Berners‑Lee per aver reso possibile tutto questo.
• E soprattutto: concediti un momento di meraviglia davanti al fatto che il Web, nato da un memo “vague but exciting”, oggi è il luogo dove viviamo metà delle nostre vite.

✨ In Conclusione?

La Giornata Mondiale del Web è una festa senza fondatore, senza regole, senza protocollo. È la celebrazione di un’idea che ha cambiato il mondo e che continua a farlo ogni giorno. È una ricorrenza spontanea, libera, aperta — proprio come il Web.

E forse è questo il suo vero significato: ricordarci che la bellezza del Web sta nella sua capacità di unire, sorprendere, divertire e, sì, anche confondere un po’.

Autore: Lynda Di Natale
Fonte: web
Immagine: AI

The MIT Press Reader: A Brief History of the Internet’s Favorite Scam. “It is easy to see 419 merely as a tired cliché — and to mistake that familiarity for understanding. But doing so often leads to facile assumptions about the risks, motives, and imagined rewards on both sides of the exchange. To see the scam clearly, we need to treat it not simply as spam, but as a cultural myth, or […]

The small, real, original web https://spacetimetech.wordpress.com/2026/07/19/the-small-real-original-web

Got my post on the small web done- it links to sites by @rootcompute and @stefan, a directory by @ttntm, and blogs by @HailsandAles, @ploum, @reedandpickup, @derthomas, @fribbledom, and @j9t

Also tagging these folks from when I mentioned it before, hope I got everyone, apologies if I didn't!

@allen @tk @wendigo @enocc @unfunnyryan @donutage @farrisswisher @chris @cb @irgndsondepp @hl @Tijn @isocat @mastosalo @unusnemo @shivering_wreck @RadicalSocialWorker @vlrny @rushey @librarymonster @shellsharks @RobinMarx @82mhz @BonfireAtNight

#SmallWeb #IndieWeb #PersonalWebsites #blogs #blogging #writing #smolweb #indie #HumanWeb #GeminiProtocol #Gopher #WebHistory #InternetHistory #future

This listing of alt.fan.* newsgroups from 199? is a provocative reflection of netizens' pop culture at the start of the dotcom boom. (Keep in mind, these were spaces for fandom AND anti-fandom!)

A representative selection from the letter "D":
alt.fan.dan-quayle
alt.fan.devo
alt.fan.dice-man
alt.fan.disney
alt.fan.don-imus
alt.fan.douglas-adams
alt.fan.dr-bronner
alt.fan.dragonlance

https://www.ibiblio.org/usenet-i/hier-s/alt.fan.html
#usenet #internet #internethistory #history

Does anyone remember how old versions of Netscape, IE and Opera used to render a <menu> list vs. <ul> in the days before CSS?

I stumbled across <menu> on mozdev, and I have vague memories of having used it on a website in the 90s, but I can't remember what (if anything) actually distinguished it from <ul> at the time.

These days it has a meaning as a menu of controls, and you can style it differently from <ul> without adding classes to the markup. Without styling, current browsers render <menu> the same as <ul>. Exactly the same on Gecko, Blink and WebKit, and with slight differences on Netsurf and Dillo, both of which render it mostly the same, but indent the items less than they do for <ul>

#WebDev #HTML #InternetHistory

Bring Back Crappy Forums

https://tedium.co/2026/07/01/online-web-forums-retrospective/

#HackerNews #BringBackCrappyForums #OnlineCommunity #InternetHistory #WebForums #RetroWeb

🔴 We're live now with internet pioneer Vint Cerf.

Join Vint Cerf, @lessig and Reed Hundt for a discussion on computing, the internet, artificial intelligence, and the future of technology.

Watch here: https://chat.broadbandbreakfast.com/c/broadbandlive-events/1977-2026-computing-the-internet-and-artificial-intelligence

#fediverse #internet #broadband #livestream #tech #techpolicy #technology #live #ai #computing #computer #wifi #history #internethistory #FCC

TechCrunch: The ‘Father of the Internet’ is finally retiring. “Vinton Cerf will step down from his role as Google’s chief internet evangelist next week, marking the conclusion of one of the most influential careers in technology history.”

Ah, Matrix URIs, the great unsung heroes of the internet that never were. 🚀 Tim Berners-Lee's brazen parade of 'axioms' and 'theorems' feels like a mathlete's fever dream, all while his "basically there" masterpiece took a permanent vacation in 1996. 😂 If only semicolons could save us from this web of could-have-beens.
https://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/MatrixURIs.html #MatrixURIs #TimBernersLee #InternetHistory #WebDevelopment #TechHumor #HackerNews #ngated

Search Engine Land: Bruce Clay, the Father of SEO, has passed away. “Bruce Clay, known as the Father of SEO, sadly passed away in late May. Bruce Clay was one of, if not the, founding father of the SEO industry, starting a real professional SEO agency back in 1996. He was the first sponsor of the first SEO conference, ever and he has given more of his time, resources and money to the creation […]

This week, #ALAAC26 marks the 150th anniversary of the American Library Association. 📚🌐

While the web isn't nearly that old, the #WaybackMachine lets you revisit conferences past through archived snapshots of the event's website. ⤵️
https://web.archive.org/web/20260000000000*/http://alaannual.org/

👋 Attending ALAAC26? Stop by the booth of our Literacy Partner Better World Books to chat with us and snag a sweet Wayback Machine sticker!

#Libraries #InternetHistory