Date Created: 2025-04-18
By: 16BitMiker
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I came across a fascinating thread on the MacRumors forums titled “Web 1.1 - Building The Renegade Net.” It’s not a movement in the traditional sense—there are no manifestos or mailing lists—but it is a vibe. A shared curiosity. A digital backroad that values simplicity and personal expression over corporate polish. And honestly? It’s kind of cool.
Let’s talk about what Web 1.1 means, why the idea resonates, and how we can quietly build on it—no fanfare required.
Web 1.1 is a term coined to describe a middle ground between the raw HTML of Web 1.0 and the hyperdynamic, JavaScript-heavy world of Web 2.0+. Think of it as a digital slow lane: hand-coded sites, minimal styling, no trackers, and compatibility with machines from the previous century.
According to the MacRumors thread, Web 1.1 aims to:
Use HTML 4.01 or earlier
Stick to CSS2 or below
Avoid or minimize JavaScript
Forgo HTTPS if desired
Optimize images for low bandwidth
Work on vintage browsers and hardware
The goal isn’t nostalgia for its own sake—it’s about control, permanence, and accessibility. A Web 1.1 site should load quickly on a 56k modem, display cleanly in Lynx or Netscape 4, and function without JavaScript or layout-breaking CSS.
For many developers and digital tinkerers, the modern web feels... heavy. Even a simple blog post can require megabytes of JavaScript, third-party fonts, tracking scripts, and asynchronous rendering layers.
By contrast, Web 1.1 is refreshingly:
✅ Fast
✅ Understandable
✅ Low-power friendly
✅ Private
✅ Resilient
It’s not about shunning progress—it’s about choosing technologies that serve the content, not the other way around.
We’re not trying to start a revolution. There’s no need for a manifesto or a standardized badge. But we can choose to build differently. Web 1.1 gives us permission to slow down, simplify, and make things that last.
Imagine a corner of the internet where:
Pages load instantly
Nothing breaks if JavaScript is off
Your site still works in 2035
You can host your blog on a Pentium I
It’s not hypothetical—it’s achievable.
We’ve adapted a loose set of principles for building in the Web 1.1 spirit:
✅ Page loads in under 1 second on a 56k modem
✅ Works in browsers like Netscape 4, IE5, or Lynx
✅ Valid, semantic HTML
✅ No JS preferred; minimal JS must degrade gracefully
✅ CSS is optional; layout should work without it
✅ No third-party trackers or analytics
✅ HTTP is fine; HTTPS optional
✅ Images under 100KB, ideally GIF or JPEG
These aren’t hard requirements—they’re design hints that encourage mindful development. You don’t need to be dogmatic. Just deliberate.
Here are a few tools and resources to help you begin your Web 1.1 journey:
🧠 Khan Academy HTML/CSS Course – Great intro for building static pages from scratch
🔍 W3C HTML & CSS Validators – Ensure your markup is clean and standards-compliant
💾 Neocities – Free static site hosting with a 90s vibe
📦 FrogFind – A search engine for vintage browsers
🧭 Wiby – A curated directory of simple, human-made websites
These tools aren’t mandatory, but they align well with the Web 1.1 ethos.
Let’s keep building—not to start a movement, but to make the web a little more fun, a little more personal, and a lot more ours. 🌐🦕