But the site itself? The files? The links?
Consider the – to a modern reader, highly boring. Yet they contain the first public discussions of the internet, of Linux, of open source. Consider FTP log files from university servers – tedious, but critical for understanding early file-sharing behavior. Consider AJB’s Nippyfile links – for all we know, they might have included documentation for obscure CNC machines, rare synthesizer patches, or local history PDFs no longer available elsewhere. ajb nippyfile am shutting this site down boring link
Boring is in the eye of the beholder. Future historians will curse the “boring” dismissal. This keyword, despite its oddity, serves as a warning label for the entire small-web ecosystem. But the site itself