c/90s-web-design

My buddy's 1998 personal site just got wiped because he used a free host with a 30-day login rule

He hadn't logged into his Tripod account since maybe 2005, and last month they deleted everything after sending a single email to an old address. The site had his high school band's MP3s and a bunch of animated gifs he made himself. Has anyone managed to recover files from a dead free host like that?

2 comments

the_jake•2d ago

Finally picked a background for my Geocities fan site revival

I was stuck between a starry night .gif and a solid teal marble tile, and went with the stars (it just felt more '97). Has anyone else spent way too long on a single background choice?

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rileybarnes•2d ago

I just blew $150 on a 'vintage' web hosting service that was a total scam

I got an email a few weeks ago from a service called 'GeoCities Forever Hosting' promising to keep my old Angelfire fan site up and running with 'true 90s server tech'. They said it would keep the classic look and feel, which I thought was cool. I paid the $150 for a year, thinking it was a niche service run by fans. The site went down after three days. Their support email bounced, and the whole company page vanished. Turns out it was just a guy running a scam from a basic template, and he pocketed the cash from a bunch of us. I should have checked forums first, but the pitch sounded so specific. Has anyone else run into these fake 'retro hosting' traps lately? I'm out the money and my old site files are gone too.

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thomasw48•3d ago

Heard a guy at a flea market say he lost his whole Geocities site because he didn't back it up

Honestly, it was last weekend in Columbus, and this older guy was selling old computer parts. He mentioned his 'Space Jam' fan page from 1998 just vanished one day when the service shut down. He had all these MIDI files and visitor counters he made himself. It made me think, how many of those old Angelfire or Tripod sites are just gone forever now? Has anyone here actually managed to save a full copy of their own 90s site?

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eric_price•9d ago

My take on guestbooks shifted recently

Thought they seemed spammy, now I see the appeal. Any active guestbook sites?

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the_adam•9d ago

Gave up on CSS for a week, built a blink tag monstrosity

I made a habit of avoiding any modern code and stuck to basic HTML from the 90s. The site looked awful but had a charm I miss. What are some other outdated tags or tricks that were popular back then?

2 comments

anna_hall•10d ago

PSA: I cracked how to view old sites with broken Java applets...

Tried to load a music forum from 1998 and the applets kept failing. Found a guide on using an older browser version to get them working... it was a game changer.

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ericking•11d ago

Unpopular opinion: I still run a site with frames from 1998

Most folks say frames make sites hard to use today. I never took mine down, and it actually lets people find things easier. Has anyone else found frames useful?

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joelblack•13d ago

A 90s anime site with a pixel art header caught my eye last night. Looking for more hidden gems.

I was cleaning out my old computer files and stumbled upon a bookmark for an anime fan site from 1998. The site has a pixel art header that looks like it was made in MS Paint. There's a midi soundtrack that autoplays, and it's surprisingly catchy. I love how the layout uses tables for everything, even the navigation. It feels like a time capsule from when the web was more personal. I'm worried these sites won't last much longer. Can you suggest other 90s fan sites that are still online?

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the_blake•13d ago

Never got the appeal of guestbooks until I read the messages on my old GeoCities page.

Those scribbled notes felt like real talk, not just clicks and likes.

3 comments

jake_wright94•15d ago

Turns out this ancient web ring for DIY electronics is still online

I was digging for old circuit diagrams and stumbled onto a site from 1996 linked in a web ring. It has this wild tiled background with pixel art borders and comic sans font everywhere. The whole thing is built with basic tables and has a bunch of broken image icons. In my experience, the project pages are messy but full of useful schematics. Your mileage may vary, but I followed a guide to build a simple audio mixer last week. The guestbook is still active with comments from decades ago. Hanging out there feels like uncovering a time capsule of the early internet. Now I use it as a cool reference for my hobby builds.

3 comments