18 laughably bad websites from Vancouver Internet history
The Internet has been around for a while now, but we still haven’t gotten used to how bad it used to look.
In one corner of the world wide web is the Internet Archive project, home to the Wayback Machine. This database uses technology we don’t understand to find copies of websites from the past. We voyaged as far back as 1996 and found some pretty disastrous examples of early web design.
Though you can search literally any website, we could hardly venture out of Vancouver before time escaped us. Check out some of these vintage websites of note.
UBC – circa 1996
Got to love the pixelly clip-art in the lower left-hand corner.
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
UBC – circa 2000
That use of “default blue” is on fleek. And if you have any questions, you can check out the “email post office”!
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
UBC – circa 2004
Whatever happened to the “Campus Cam”?
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
B.C. Government – circa 1997
A highway from Victoria to Vancouver? This website had ambitious clip-art!
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
B.C. Government – circa 2000
Sorry, Mr. Dosanjh, the internet people hadn’t figured out how to maintain aspect ratio yet.
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Government of Canada – circa 1997
Wait… our country used to be named “Contents”?
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Vancouver International Airport – circa 1996
So what time does my flight get in?
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
City of Vancouver – circa 2003
“We wanted the site to illustrate the vast blue oceans that surround our city” – anonymous webmaster
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Vancouver Canucks – circa 1996
We’ve seen enough. We don’t need your “text version”, thank you very much.
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
White Spot – circa 1997
Click on any of these Word Art objects to be taken to a legendary place.
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
BC Ferries – circa 1999
Let’s hope the section on “Y2K Readiness” isn’t what we think it was for…
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
TransLink – circa 2000
Hey look! Lions Gate Bridge construction was still going on 15 years ago (the bridge deck was completely rebuilt around that time).
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
TransLink – circa 2004
Had developers still not figured out by 2004 how to make a link a colour other than blue?
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Vancouver Aquarium – circa 1997
Who didn’t claim to be this little poster child for the Aquarium while growing up?
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
BC Tel (now TELUS) – circa 1996
Are those lines the beginnings of TELUS’ fibre optic cables?
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Vancouver Sun – circa 1998
Black and beige – that’s a colour-scheme that sells.
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Vancouver Sun – circa 2005
We know you’re a newspaper but… that’s a lot of text.
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Vancity Buzz – circa 2008
We apologize for whoever had to win that Blackberry Playbook.
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
And just because…
Twitter – circa 2006
We’ve only heard good things about the Oxy-Clean ball. Thanks Twitter!
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Facebook – circa 2005
Was Thomas Middleditch the Facebook guy?!
Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine