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Old'aVista – The most powerful guide to the old Internet

128
points
27
comments
4
notable voices

The 5-second version

  • Old'aVista is a retro search engine and web directory focused on indexing archived old Internet content through integration with the Internet Archive.
  • The site features a categorized directory structure spanning Arts, Business, Computers, Education, Entertainment, Government, Health, News, Recreation, Reference, Regional, Science, Social Science, and Society & Culture.
  • Modern browsers automatically redirect to Internet Archive versions of indexed sites, while the platform also maintains a chat feature, guestbook, and webring integration with TheOldNet.
  • The project is actively maintained with recent fixes including cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, database updates, and a 'We're not Google' messaging clarification.
  • Old'aVista relies on community contributions and sponsorships for sustainability, offering merchandise and monthly donation options while acknowledging dependencies on the Internet Archive and TheOldNet for archival infrastructure and vintage computer accessibility.

Top voices

Verbatim comments from the thread's most notable / highest-karma participants.

rbanffynotable191k karma3 comments
Sadly, DEC Alphaservers are not easy to come by. They had to make it work on Intel ones.
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vidarhnotable45.9k karma
It is clearly a word play, but I guess their question is whether or not the old = alt connection was made or not. (Of course the alta in Altavista is from Spanish "high", but that doesn't really change anything)
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dangnotable40.1k karma
Related. Others? Old'aVista, a Guide to the Old Internet - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39069910 - Jan 2024 (12 comments)
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jstanleynotable22.7k karma
What evidence would it take to convince you that the name of the website itself is a wordplay on Altavista?
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