The Strange Persistence of IRC
IRC keeps surviving because it does one old Internet job plainly, without pretending to be a platform.
Latest
Dispatches
Technology, the independent web, and assorted dead protocols.
Can You Still Use an Old OS on the Modern Web?
Old operating systems can still be useful, but the modern web is often the hardest and least forgiving job we ask them to do.
What We Lost When Websites Became Platforms
Platforms made publishing and communication much easier, but we gave up ownership, interoperability and some control over how we find and share information online.
Why RSS Never Really Died
RSS never died; it quietly kept working while the rest of the web became more centralized, algorithmic, and controlled.
Why I Left Cloudflare
Cloudflare makes running a website easier, but that convenience comes with a level of centralization and dependency I no longer want.
Why Dead Parrot BBS Exists
Dead Parrot BBS is about computers, networks, old and new technologies, and keeping the Internet a little more personal and independent.