Why Old Websites Look Terrible - From Blinking Text to Flash to Modern Web

Have You Ever Seen a 1990s Website?

Looking at 1990s websites on the Wayback Machine is shocking by modern standards. Neon-colored backgrounds, blinking text, spinning GIF animations, "under construction" icons, visitor counters - why were old websites so ugly?

The truth is, given the technical constraints of the time, those designs were "cutting edge."

The 1990s - The HTML-Only Era

In the early days of the web (around 1991-1996), web pages were built with HTML alone. CSS (stylesheets) didn't exist yet, and design options were extremely limited.

• Background colors were set with HTML's bgcolor attribute. Fine color adjustments were difficult
• Layouts were built using <table> tags. Complex layouts required nested tables
• Only fonts installed on the visitor's computer could be used
• Images were limited to GIF or JPEG. Transparent PNGs hadn't yet become widespread

"Blinking text" was achieved through the <blink> tag, a proprietary implementation by Netscape Navigator. At the time, "moving text" was novel, and many sites used it extensively.

The 2000s - The Flash Era

In the 2000s, Adobe Flash transformed web design. Animations, music, games, video - Flash could do it all.

• "Full Flash sites" where the entire site was built in Flash became trendy
• Flashy intro animations (complete with "Skip Intro" buttons) were standard
• Flash game sites were hugely popular (Newgrounds, Miniclip, etc.)

But Flash had problems. Search engines couldn't read Flash content (bad for SEO), security vulnerabilities were frequent, and it didn't work on mobile devices. In 2010, Apple's Steve Jobs declared "iPhone will not support Flash," beginning Flash's decline. Adobe completely ended Flash support at the end of 2020.

2010s to Present - The CSS and JavaScript Era

Modern web design is built on three technologies: HTML + CSS + JavaScript.

• CSS3: Animations, gradients, shadows, rounded corners - rich expressions became possible without Flash
• Web fonts: Services like Google Fonts made it possible to display the same fonts on any device
• Responsive design: A single site that adapts to PCs, tablets, and smartphones
• Flat design: After iOS 7 in 2013, simple flat design became mainstream, replacing skeuomorphic 3D designs

Beyond visual improvements, modern websites also benefit from HTTP security headers that protect users from cross-site scripting and clickjacking - protections that simply didn't exist in the 1990s.

"Ugly" Is a Product of Its Time

1990s web design looks "ugly" because it was the best that could be achieved within the technical constraints of the era. And today's "polished" designs may well be called "outdated" 20 years from now.

Interestingly, retro 1990s-style web design has recently been reevaluated as an "intentionally ugly" aesthetic. Pixel art, neon colors, visitor counters - designs where nostalgia and freshness coexist have become popular among some creators.

Summary

Web design has evolved from HTML table layouts → the Flash era → the CSS + JavaScript era. Old sites look ugly because of technical constraints, but they were cutting-edge at the time. While the visual side of the web has changed beyond recognition, the underlying protocols remain surprisingly similar. You can check how your own browser identifies itself to websites using IP確認さん. Browsing old sites on the Wayback Machine lets you experience the evolution of the web firsthand.