Only 90s Web Developers Remember This (2014) (zachholman.com)

Article summary

The article reminisces about the early days of web development in the 1990s, highlighting the use of HTML tags like <blink> and <marquee>, as well as the 1x1.gif trick for layout and spacing. It also mentions the introduction of CSS and its initial use for simple styling, such as removing underlines from links. The article pokes fun at the limitations and quirks of old web development techniques. The author expresses nostalgia for the simplicity and creativity of early web development.

Main themes

• 90s web development nostalgia
• early HTML and CSS techniques
• DHTML and dynamic content
• web design evolution
• table-based layouts vs CSS
• image maps and slicing
• retro web design quirks

What commenters say

• The use of gradients in web design was once considered cheap and unfashionable, but has since become popular again.
• DHTML was a term used to describe dynamic HTML, but its meaning and significance are now disputed.
• Some commenters feel that the article's nostalgic tone is misplaced, and that early web development was not as great as it is remembered.
• The 1x1.gif trick is still remembered fondly by some as a creative solution to layout problems, but others point out that it is no longer necessary with modern CSS techniques.
• The introduction of CSS and JavaScript led to a proliferation of complex and often poorly-designed websites.
• Some commenters argue that table-based layouts were more straightforward and easier to use than modern CSS grid and flexbox systems, but others disagree.
• The use of image maps and slicing was a common technique in early web design, but has largely been replaced by more modern methods.
• The article's humorous tone and use of irony are seen as either clever and entertaining or confusing and misleading by different readers.