The History of the Web

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Sidenotes

The Internet Book Baron

Published: April 6, 2021

This week I have something a bit different, written by longtime newsletter author Ernie Smith, best known for his history […]

Site Spotlight

Trying (and Failing) to be Cool

Published: April 20, 2021

The web’s turn into commercial may have happened quickly—it was largely complete by the end of the 1990’s—but that doesn’t mean it didn’t take a turn into the weird here and there. Case and point: Zima.

Weblogs

April 2021 Weblog: Holding on to our History

Published: April 27, 2021

When websites disappear, how do we make sure that our history is preserved?

Weblogs

May 2021 Weblog: Communities Long Gone

Published: June 1, 2021

A look at how we can save our websites from ourselves, and the stories that keep us going.

Sidenotes

An Hour About… Psuedo.com

Published: July 6, 2021

Pseudo.com is a forgotten relic of the dot-com era. Was it ahead of its time? A moonshot that went too far? Or simply a piece of elaborate performance art?

Weblogs

The Great Reckoning Comes Around: August 2021

Published: August 31, 2021

My ongoing research has me taking another look at the Browser Wars and thinking about how they’re retelling themselves in real-time today.

Sidenotes

The Perilous Price of Blogging

Published: September 24, 2021

A single website changed his life, and set him on a path to activism, and ultimately, exile.

Features

The Intranet saved the Internet

Published: November 2, 2021

In 1998, Netscape announced a bold new plan to the world. One announcement was expected. The other took the tech world by surprise.

Sidenotes

The Most Influential Website of All Time

Published: March 8, 2022

There’s one site that is connected to Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo!, Twitter, and many others. And you probably never think about it.

Weblogs

Want to Get in Touch? and a November 2020 Weblog

Published: November 29, 2021

Recently, I’ve been told that my email has been bouncing some messages back, so if you tried to email me […]

Sidenotes

Was Queen Elizabeth II a keen surfer of the early web?

Published: April 19, 2022

I recently went on a bit of a journey to figure out: did Queen Elizabeth surf the early web?

Sidenotes

Web Apps, Web Sites, Are they all the Same?

Published: May 17, 2022

Is a website the same as a web application? That question is older than you think

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The History of the Web is a project by Jay Hoffmann. Get in touch.