Ask HN: What website, from your early days on the net, do you miss?

sunsite.unc.edu

I used to check it almost daily for new Linux software, because maybe that next editor, scripting language or window manager would be just what I want -- or at least an interesting experience.

HotGames. I started on computers playing games, and I remember spending a lot of time on game review websites downloading demo's, trying out cheat-codes, and utilizing the walkthroughs to get through tough spots. It was HotGames that got me into web design by inspiring me to make a website for my own game reviews. After that it was Joe Cartoon and all the similar Flash animators that got me interested in Flash.

Back in the day, there was something called a personal home page. These were simple html pages, sometimes with tags, where a person would present themselves to the internet. Often there would be a list of bands, or hobbies, a picture, or whatever.

There was a company that maintained an index of home pages made by women. Clearly adolescent in intent, it was otherwise completely benign. There was no leering in the text on the index page, nothing slightly pornographic, nor any apparent selection criteria except that the person represented was female.

Back then, the internet was dialup and very slow. A page took long enough to load that one could perceive the elements as they arrived. It was great. There were hundreds of them. Each page was a little drama of revelation.

The page color would show first (what made her choose vivid purple?). Then headline (Roxie's Place on the Web - who is she?). Then the first text (back then, people admitted to some pretty mundane stuff). A picture probably started loading (duck lips wasn't yet a thing, nor digital cameras). Each detail revealing a portrait painted by some person who wanted to be seen. There was an innocence to the stories told in those early days, before porn, before fake news, even, to some extent, before cynicism.

I think the page might have been maintained by Tucows, now a successful internet company. I have always felt the need to defend the idea that someone could be interested in women on the web without any pornographic intention but, that's what this was. I look back on it fondly and, thanks to whoever did it.

A very large portion of the WCD community, especially the more active members of the forums, have largely moved to [Redacted] or [God of Music]. In case you never found out and would like to possibly re-unite with some old friends from WCD.

There was also a site called "A FISH, A BARREL, AND A SMOKING GUN". (I just googled it.) It was iconoclastic back when that was unusual. I liked reading it.