When Yahoo shut down AltaVista on Monday, it reminded us of the golden days of 1996 websites with their 8-bit graphics and primary color schemes.
When the Internet was still a novelty, 1996 was a big year for new developments. Hotmail was released commercially, Netscape 2.0 (remember that?) was released as the first browser to support JavaScript and Yahoo had only been incorporated for a year.
In memory of the Web 1.0 sites of the '90s, we rounded up ten 1996 websites to take you back to your nostalgic dial-up days, when you had to wait more than 30 seconds for your AOL homepage to load. Which sites of the past do you nostalgically miss? Tell us in the comments below.
1. AltaVista
Captured on Oct. 23, 1996.
Started in December, 1995, AltaVista was shut down on Monday. One of the many search engines before the advent of Google, AltaVista let you search the web and Usenet. You could also enter contests, with prizes such as a Howdy! on CD-ROM, an "EZ Multimedia ME-Mail maker." You could also enlist the help of Creative Web for making websites, even if its own webpage is adorned with a wallpaper of repeating text.
Later in AltaVista's history, the homepage included categories of subjects and hot searches as the site became a web portal. AltaVista added additional features, such as price comparisons for online shopping and a breaking news section.
2. Suck.com
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on Dec. 20, 1996.
Founded in 1995, Suck.com appealed to the twenty-somethings of the '90s with its snarky social commentary. The site was active until 2001, when it declared it was going on vacation and hasn't yet returned. Nevertheless, Suck.com still exists and hasn't changed much since its glory days, still adorned with its signature cartoons and cheeky essays.
3. Mr. Showbiz
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on July 3, 1998.
Mr. Showbiz, launched in 1995, was a source for entertainment news in the era when Doctor Dolittle and Armageddon were summer hits. A subsidiary of ABC and then Disney, Mr. Showbiz also featured TV news, including listings from when Sabrina, the Teenage Witch was on air.
Shut down in 2001, the site now redirects to Movies.com. We miss Mr. Showbiz's cheeky polls and Jetsons-style graphics.
4. GeoCities
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on Oct. 22, 1998.
Once one of the most-visited sites on the Internet, GeoCities was originally launched in 1994 and acquired by Yahoo in 1999. It finally closed its doors to the world (save Japan) in October, 2009. GeoCities helped users, or "homesteaders," create their own webpages within neighborhoods of interest. Similar to an early form of Tumblr with entire webpages as profiles, GeoCities allowedanyone to make their own websites complete with Web 1.0 GIFs, ASCII art and optimization for Netscape 4.0.
Other features included contests, like the recipe contest in the Napa Valley neighborhood. It awarded the winner with 50 GeoPoints, which could later be redeemed for goods in the GeoStore.
5. HotWired
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on Dec. 12, 1997.
One of the first web magazines, HotWired, part of Wired, focused on all things web, including news, tutorials and jobs. Its heyday was back when bright orange backgrounds were the norm and the largest portion of site traffic came from Netscape 3. Launched in October of 1994, HotWired was also the first website to measure banner ad traffic and use banners strategicallyto target audiences.
Lessons included the basics of the Internet, like a crash course about the URL, to slightly more advanced topics such as dynamic HTML. When the Internet was just kicking off, HotWired explained the web in simple vernacular so anyone could understand and setup email in no time.
6. Lycos
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on Feb. 8, 1999.
Another search engine before Google came into the picture, Lycos, founded in 1994, was a popular web portal during the '90s. Though it still exists, it has come a long way since the days when Monica Lewinsky was front-page news.
Like many other web portals at the time, Lycos also offered web-hosting services for websites and blogs via its subsidiaries, Tripod and Angelfire. Over the years, Lycos has evolved accordingly with the rest of the Internet over the years, expanding its services and acquiring various websites.
7. Angelfire
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on Oct. 28, 1996.
Who doesn't remember Angelfire? Founded in 1996, the site still exists under Lycos, though with a HTML5 facelift and only available via paid subscription. Originally created for medical transcription, the site grew to be a more general web-hosting service through which users could make their own websites, complete with textured backgrounds and a treasure trove of old-school GIFs.
8. N64
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on April 5, 1997.
Considering the fact that N64.com now redirects to Nintendo's official site, it's ironic that N64.com was originally an unofficial Nintendo 64 site. IGN launched the site in September 1996 on the same date as N64's arrival in America. Updated daily and full of Nintendo news, tips, codes and previews, N64.com lived a short stint as IGN's unofficial Nintendo site, later becoming IGN64.com in the mid-'90s.
9. GamePro
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on Nov. 5, 1996.
The red "Open 24 Hours" GIF banner you see in 1996's GamePro design mimics a flashing neon sign. The website for GamePro Magazine featured much of its print content, but also featured extras, such as message boards and an archive to back issues. When websites were best viewed with Netscape 3.0 or higher, GamePro's coverage included everything from pinball pro-tips to the then-new Sonic Adventure game.
10. Pathfinder
Screenshot courtesy of Internet Archive.
Captured on May 8, 1999.
An old portal for all of Time Warner's content, Pathfinder launched in 1994 to put publications such as TIME, People, Fortune and Entertainment Weekly under one roof. While a lot of the content was for paid subscribers only, Pathfinder also offered other services, like chat and blogs. Pathfinder.com was shut down in April 1999, and is now a landing page that directs to all the individual Time Warner sites.
source:mashable
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