🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/abandoned-web-finds

17

brian303•2d ago

Found an old FAA site that still updates crash data by hand

There's a guy at the FAA who manually enters general aviation accident reports into a site that looks like it was built in 1998. I was looking up a crash near Boise last week and found it's been running the same way since 2003 with no plans to change.

23

foster.ruby•2d ago

Stumbled on a dead website that still counts car crashes by the minute

I was hunting for old trucking forums the other night and landed on this site that looks like it was built in 1998. It still updates a live counter of car crashes in the US, one every 14 seconds or something like that. The design is all gray tables and blinking text, like someone's high school project that never ended. I sat there watching the number tick over for maybe 10 minutes, and it honestly creeped me out how fast it climbs. The site hasn't been touched in years but that counter keeps running off some old server somewhere. Anyone else find a site that feels like a ghost but still tracks something real?

24

the_wendy•3d ago

Found a dead GeoCities page that still had a working MIDI jukebox from 1998

I was hunting for old fan sites about a forgotten cartoon and stumbled on one that still plays an actual MIDI file through some ancient plugin. Has anyone else found a site that somehow kept its original media alive after all these years?

20

graytorres•4d ago

That 2004 flash game site that still has the same high scores

Was digging through old bookmarks last night and stumbled on this flash game site I used in middle school. It's still up, still works in some janky browser emulator, and the leaderboards haven't changed since 2007. I spent 20 minutes trying to beat some kid named 'xX_DarkBlade_Xx' on a balloon popping game and my score is still 300 points behind. Anyone else got a dead site they keep checking to see if it finally died?

17

avery_walker30•5d ago

That abandoned web radio station from 2001 still plays on my work PC

I found a site called 'The Attic Stream' that's been running a loop of indie tracks since 2004, and I was sure the links would be dead but the player actually loaded. What's the oldest still-working site you've stumbled across that hasn't been touched in years?

9

webb.christopher•6d ago

The 2004 fan forum for my old digital camera is still alive with 0 new posts since 2012

I was digging through my closet last night in Seattle and found my old Canon PowerShot SD300. Looked up a fan forum I used to post on in high school. The site still loads fine but the newest post is from February 2012 about a firmware update that never came. I spent an hour reading old threads, kinda wild to see everyone just stopped caring one day. Anyone else got an old forum they still check even though it's dead?

7

faith_perez•8d ago

That old web ring site from 1999 I found still ticking at 543 members

I stumbled on a web ring for indie music bloggers that last added a new site in 2006... it says 543 total members on the homepage but that number hasn't budged in over a decade. I clicked through a few of the dead links and one actually still had a forum post from October 2004 where someone argued about mp3 bitrates. It kinda freaked me out that the counter is frozen but the page keeps running. Has anyone else found a milestone counter on an old site that just... stopped?

15

richardharris•9d ago

Just realized that old homebrew forum is still running from 2004

I needed a yeast starter recipe and stumbled on a forum that hasn't had a new post since 2010. I had to choose between trusting their outdated advice or risking a $40 batch of ingredients, and I went with the forum. Ended up with a stuck fermentation and 5 gallons of watery swill, so save yourself the trouble and skip the ancient tips.

14

richardharris•12d ago

My 1997 hit counter just rolled past 50,000 on a site I haven't touched since 2004

I checked my old fan page for a band that broke up in 2003 and there's still like 12 strangers a day clicking through, which blew my mind since the guestbook has been broken for years, anyone else got a relic like that still ticking?

14

susan_nguyen•12d ago

Should abandoned sites be preserved or just left to die? Found a local history page stuck in 2001

I stumbled on this old community site for my town that hasn't been touched since May 2001. It's got scanned newsletters and event photos from the 90s that are nowhere else online, but the code is ancient and a lot of links are broken. Do you think we should try to save these relics or just let them fade away naturally?

14

kevin_roberts41•13d ago

Everyone praises that old Space Jam website but I think it's overrated

I saw someone in the comments call it a perfect time capsule from 1996 and I had to disagree. That site has broken links everywhere, the navigation barely works in Chrome, and half the images are just pixelated blobs. The whole thing feels like someone threw it together in a weekend and never looked back. Am I the only one who thinks nostalgia goggles are making people ignore how poorly it actually functions?

21

max808•13d ago

Pro tip: Don't toss that old Web 1.0 astronomy site just yet

Last Tuesday I was cleaning out my bookmarks and almost deleted this 2005 site called "Mars Watch Daily" that hasn't been updated since 2008. But I clicked on their archived Mars rover tracking tool and it actually still shows the exact path of Spirit and Opportunity in a way modern NASA pages don't. Has anyone else found an old space or science site that's still useful for reference work years later?

20

seanperry•14d ago

Just stumbled on a WebRing directory from 2001 that's still ticking

Last Tuesday I was looking for old fan sites about the TV show Lost and found this WebRing page that hasn't been updated since 2008. It still has working links to like 15 personal sites run by people who probably forgot their passwords a decade ago. Has anyone else found a WebRing page that's just frozen in time like that?

15

brooke533•15d ago

Hit 50,000 hits on my Geocities page from 1998 and it still works

I was bored last night and checked my old Geocities page about 18 wheelers and truck stop coffee. The counter said 50,003 visits which absolutely floored me since I haven't touched it since 2004. Someone in South America was the last visitor and I wonder what they were looking for. Has anyone else checked their old site's stats and found something weird?

18

grayt46•15d ago

Stumbled on a pure HTML CSS playable Zelda clone from 2004

Found this site called 'Zelda Classic' that has a browser based Zelda 1 clone still running perfectly. Someone coded it in basic HTML and JavaScript back when the web was all tables and marquees. Anyone else find old game clones that somehow still load?

27

butler.shane•15d ago

Changed my mind about old recipe blogs after seeing one from 2004 still up

I used to think those old recipe blogs with the terrible fonts and too many ads were worthless. Then I stumbled on one from 2004 that hasn't been touched since 2011. The author had a whole post about converting recipes for high altitude baking in Denver, which is something modern sites barely cover. That one article saved me from ruining 3 batches of cookies this week. It made me realize abandoned sites often have niche knowledge you can't find anymore. Has anyone else found a hidden gem like that on a dusty old cooking site?

30

noahward•15d ago

I finally fell for that old "free cruise" website from 2008

Stumbled on this site called CruiseBonanza.net last month, looked like it was from the dial-up era but promised a free 3-day Bahamas trip if I just paid the port fees. Put in $85 with my credit card and got a confirmation number that led nowhere. Tried emailing the contact address three times and it bounced back every time. Has anyone else gotten burned by one of these ancient scam sites that somehow still take payments?

9

mary462•16d ago

That old Geocities guide to raising chickens still works better than most modern farming blogs

I read someone saying those old sites are useless because they look terrible, but I followed a 1997 page from a woman in Iowa about coop ventilation and my birds stopped getting sick. Has anyone else found hidden gems in those ugly old layouts?

12

butler.shane•16d ago

My grandma's old recipe site has been untouched since 2004 and it's amazing

I was looking for a specific cookie recipe last month and stumbled onto this site called "Aunt Edna's Kitchen" that hasn't been updated in 20 years. The design is all Comic Sans and glitter gifs but every single recipe I've tried turned out perfect, way better than the modern blogs with 50 paragraphs. Has anyone else found an old site that just works better than the new stuff out there?

22

christopher_singh92•17d ago

The old webcomic I kept checking for updates until 2022

I stumbled onto this webcomic called "The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal" about a decade ago and got super invested. It finished in 2012, but I never realized there was a canon ending because the site just kind of stops with a note that says "continues." So I kept checking back every few months for like 8 years waiting for the next page. Then last year I was digging through an old forum archive from 2011 and found a post where the artist explains they had to stop due to health stuff and the "continues" was just their way of not admitting it was over. I felt like such a dummy. Has anyone else been following a dead site way past its actual end date just because you missed the memo?

12

viola_cooper62•17d ago

Hit exactly 100 abandoned guestbook entries on a site from 1999

I was poking around this old fan site for a cancelled TV show the other day, and the guestbook was still open lol. Every entry was from like 1999 to 2003, and I counted 100 of them exactly. It was wild seeing people write things like 'cool site, your gifs are awesome' and 'nice layout, keep it up' all in comic sans. I left a new entry just for fun, but I doubt anyone will ever see it. Has anyone else stumbled on a guestbook that's still accepting posts after all these years?

8

parkerrodriguez•22d ago

Dug up a 2007 geocities site about 90s cartoon conspiracies that still loads in IE mode

I clicked that link expecting a laugh but 3 pages in I realized the guy had actual proof connecting Rugrats to a real CIA operation and now I'm the one looking crazy bringing it up at dinner.

25

linda_mason82•22d ago

That old hamster fan site I found still has its guestbook working

I stumbled on a Geocities-era hamster fan page that hasn't been touched since 2004, and people are still signing the guestbook last month. One guy wrote a whole paragraph about his hamster Mittens who died in 2021, and it hit me how these weird little corners of the web are like digital graveyards. Anyone else ever find a random old site with recent comments that made you feel something?

21

rosejackson•24d ago

That old weather site from 1998 still has the best storm tracking data I've ever used

I was skeptical when a guy on a fishing forum linked me to this clunky page with neon green text on a black background, but after comparing its radar loops to three modern apps during last month's tornado warning, it caught shifts 15 minutes faster than anything else I tried - has anyone else found a relic that outperforms the new stuff?

6

ellis.diana•24d ago

My old recipe site from 2002 is still chugging along

I built a small recipe collection site back in 2002 for my family's holiday dishes. It is still online but I haven't updated it since 2010. What surprises me is people still leave comments on recipes like my grandma's pecan pie. Have any of you found old personal sites that still get traction from visitors?