Internet Artifacts

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall Reaction & Nostalgia

  • Many commenters describe the site as a “pure nostalgia hit,” likening it to flipping through an old photo album.
  • Several recall specific formative memories: early blogging, first MP3s, Netscape vs IE wars, dial‑up, early flash games, and the “helicopter game” as a proto–Flappy Bird.
  • A few mention feeling old when they suddenly understand their parents’ nostalgia for the 50s/60s aesthetic.

Specific Artifacts & Notable Omissions

  • Strong reactions to seeing Netscape Navigator’s “meteors,” Homestar Runner, Line Rider, Million Dollar Homepage, Heaven’s Gate, etc.
  • People list many “missing” artifacts: Newgrounds, AltaVista, Yahoo Answers, LiveJournal, Something Awful, xkcd, Slashdot, digg/fark ecosystems, RuneScape/Ultima Online, toolbars, Clippy, WinRAR, early IM (ICQ), goatse and other shock sites, etc.
  • Debate over whether things like Bad Apple!! or scaruffi.com are important enough historically.
  • Some praise and some dislike the modern version of Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music, calling it overengineered compared to the original.

Space Jam Website & Redirect Rabbit Hole

  • Appreciation that the original 1996 Space Jam site is still accessible, and that the 2021 site kept a retro style.
  • Others note the main domain is now partially broken, with conflicting reports about redirect loops and certificate problems.
  • The thread dives into detailed HTTP/HTTPS, 301/302, and Upgrade: h2,h2c behavior, with people trading full curl -vvv traces and debating whether there is truly a loop.

Old vs Modern Internet

  • Strong sentiment that pre‑social, pre‑smartphone web felt more sincere, experimental, and less commercial.
  • Several blame the iPhone/app era and today’s “hypercommercial, grifty” environment for killing that spirit, though some note pockets of genuine self‑expression still exist.
  • Alternatives like the Gemini protocol are suggested as a way to recapture a simpler, text‑centric net.

Geography & Cultural Scope

  • Multiple commenters criticize the site as very US/Western‑centric and wish for parallel “artifact timelines” for German, Russian, Chinese, and other language communities.
  • Examples from Runet (bash.org.ru, Masyanya, “padonki” slang) and early German sites are cited as parallel but largely unknown histories.

Design & Interaction

  • Widespread praise for the polish and interactivity (scrollable “live” artifacts, playful details like Zombo.com audio persisting).
  • Minor UX complaints: some swipes jump multiple items; simulated slow image loading gets annoying over time.