Sidenotes
Shorter stories, outside timeline
How to Block IE6
If it’s the early 2000s you might make a dire decision: it’s time to block IE6. Continue reading
Wait, what’s a bookmarklet?
How this one small browser quirk turned into a tool used by countless people for decades. Continue reading
AOL Pretends to be the Internet
In 1994, Ted Leonsis was the head of the new media marketing firm he created, Redgate Communications, spun out six years earlier from a CD-ROM based computer shopping business. Redgate dealed in digital media—sometimes called new media—new territory in the marketing world. And he was pretty good at it. That year, he went out to… Continue reading
When the wizards of the web met
On July 28, 1993, a group of web pioneers met in a small room for a few days. For many, it was the first time they had ever met. Continue reading
The web’s most important decision
I got a bit caught up this month, so I had to delay a couple of things, but I’ll be sending out a new part of my latest chapter in a week or so. But I didn’t want to miss what is a pretty important anniversary for the World Wide Web. Thirty years ago, Tim… Continue reading
Reading about the dot-com era
There is a lot out there about the dot-com bubble, and its subsequent burst. I tried to limit the scope of my research to only what is truly relevant to the World Wide Web. But that didn’t stop me from tumbling through rabbit hole after rabbit hole. In the end, I think I was able… Continue reading
Mosaic in the rear view
The Mosaic browser was released thirty years ago. It’s credited with a lot of firsts. When I wrote about Mosaic several years ago, I focused on how it was the first browser to add the img tag, which gave it a burst of personality and popularity. It was also the first browser to really nail cross-platform… Continue reading
Maybe we change things up a bit?
I started this newsletter over five years ago. It started with a timeline and a single post. As I dug into research, I wanted to write something every week, and add to the timeline as I went. Over the years, I’ve experimented with longer posts and shorter posts and all kinds of schedules. But I still write about… Continue reading
This is what you’re nostalgic for
There’s a word for what you’re feeling. It’s anemoia. And it’s completely made up. Continue reading
It’s 1997 and you want to build a website
You have a few options. How much time you got? Continue reading
Web Apps, Web Sites, Are they all the Same?
Is a website the same as a web application? That question is older than you think Continue reading
