this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2024
242 points (95.8% liked)

Asklemmy

43958 readers
1849 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy πŸ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

What should I add to my '90s website?

So I'm currently toying around with NeoCities, and decided to trial it by building your classic mid '90s Geocities/Tripod/Angelfire pastiche website.

Some of the most important elements are already in place.

Tile background? Large font? Heading in bright pink with a shadow? Unusual colour choices? Random cat gifs? Under construction gif? Check! Check! Check!

In the true spirit of the '90s DIY web, some more pages (including the links page) are coming soon.

(I'm thinking of adding a page dedicated to either Britney or a nu-metal band.)

You can see the page so far here: https://that90ssite.neocities.org/

There are a few things that I want to add to make it complete, and I'm looking for suggestions.

The first, is to embed a midi file that plays automatically. Any suggestions on the best way of doing this?

Second, it's just not going to be complete without a guestbook.

Third, any webring suggestions?

Fourth, what's the best way of adding a java chat room in 2024?

Finally, anything else that really needs to be a part of a great '90s website?

UPDATE: Thanks for all the feedback! I've added more annoying GIFs, a guestbook, a links page, and a cyber cat hangout.

UPDATE 2: And added even more gifs, an amazing Amiga demo, and a ton of links.

@asklemmy #tech #webdev #neocities #technology

(page 3) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] tokenwizard@social.tandj-homelab.dev 2 points 8 months ago (6 children)

@ajsadauskas@aus.social @asklemmy@lemmy.ml I think I actually have a few of my 90s-era sites archived. One of them should have an auto play midi for the background music. I'll see if I can dig it up!

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 months ago

One of those Java applets at the bottom that looks like water reflecting the site background perhaps?

[–] Quexotic@infosec.pub 2 points 8 months ago

The problem is the MIDI file doesn't automatically play.

[–] Hackerman_uwu@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

You need to offer something banal for download with a spinning stiffy disk gif.

[–] Kelly@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] AlphaOmega@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Under construction!

[–] Pulptastic@midwest.social 2 points 8 months ago

I miss midis.

[–] luca@sironi.tk 2 points 8 months ago

@ajsadauskas@aus.social @asklemmy@lemmy.ml uh, nice vibes!

[–] nutsack@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

It has a cat gif I don't think it needs anything else I'm sorry

[–] wlsnt@reddthat.com 2 points 8 months ago
[–] HurlingDurling@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Add a visitor counter like this one - https://retrowptheme.com/retro-visitor-counter/

for more vintage gif's check this website - https://gifcities.org

[–] scrummy@jawns.club 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

@ajsadauskas @asklemmy (Trying to remember my own GeoCities site from back then), Many had a β€œbest viewed on Netscape” icon

I think mine had mostly my own song lyrics, with a different background for each page, with a menu page and forward/back links on each lyrics page.

Were frames 90s? Friend of mine used frames to make his site look like a console from Star Trek TNG

[–] yeah@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Yep frames were html 4.0 :o)

[–] geoma@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 months ago

The cat art style doesnt look 90ish to me

[–] Klepsis@mastodonbooks.net 1 points 8 months ago

@ajsadauskas @asklemmy
The Netscape logo at the bottom killed me

[–] statsguy@mas.to 1 points 8 months ago

@ajsadauskas @asklemmy

That's brilliant! Those were simpler times, that's for sure :)

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

You need to add some text with the RuneScape glow1:wave: text effect

[–] retrohondajunki@mstdn.social 1 points 8 months ago

@ajsadauskas @asklemmy
A little music player with a playlist that plays that eras music. Links to retro sites that no longer exist that actually work, that way we can bring the internet of the past back.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 1 points 8 months ago

Add a guest book a page vist counter and a web ring

[–] lemmyreader@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 months ago

Nice project. I like the nostalgia. πŸ‘

After some searching I learned that Tripod and Angelfire still exist today as web hosting providers. Your page could have a few more Under construction signs here and there.

[–] _thegeoff@mastodon.social 1 points 8 months ago

@ajsadauskas @asklemmy Width doesn't fit properly on mobile, well done πŸ€£πŸ‘

@ajsadauskas @asklemmy neko cat website pet thing

[–] ramsey@phpc.social 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

@ajsadauskas @neil @asklemmy Looks amazing!

My only question is about whether drop shadows on text was prominent. I’m having trouble remembering how that effect would have been accomplished in the 90s, since I don’t think CSS got it until later. Would it have been something on the <font> tag only supported in Internet Explorer?

[–] ramsey@phpc.social 1 points 8 months ago

@ajsadauskas @neil @asklemmy As for chat, probably the best way to do that today is to use Web Sockets but style it to look like frames or a Java applet on the page.

[–] rusl@mstdn.social 1 points 8 months ago
load more comments
view more: β€Ή prev next β€Ί