We had about 10-15 years or so where the web wasn’t so complex and fast moving that a browser needed constant updates for things to work. Now browsers are more complex that entire operating systems and anything older than a few years just won’t work and publishers think that’s ok. I remember as late as 2008 verifying websites in Lynx (or elinks or links2) to ensure screen readers and low end devices would have a reasonable experience.

Now anything older than a few years is garbage that can be abandoned and websites have no problem using GBs of RAM. What a wasteful, fickle industry software is.

If it wasn't for webshitters and big tech pumping out JS and using framework on top of framework we could easily be browsing on ancient devices today.

• robin_reala

  today at 6:24 PM

  Partially, but the biggest problem for old devices is encryption technologies.

  • AIcanbiteme

    today at 6:26 PM

    It's hardly a problem because most web traffic doesn't need to be encrypted. Just banking, shopping, a few other things like healthcare and health care.

I remember using Dillo on a Compaq iPaq with Linux installed. No Dillo screen shots, but plenty of information about apps for Linux on the iPaq 3765 here:

https://www.frequal.com/ipaq/index.html

Arguably not really a web browser, but possibly the first (and pre-RSS!) "read it later" app: Plucker for Palm OS was amazing.

You could enqueue websites to download and compress from a PC during each HotSync operation and then read them offline on the PDA.

OT, but man, this is a beautifully designed website. The progress indicator on the left is particularly clever.

Dig the site layout. Left nav is interesting, glow around screenshots is a nice touch.

I thought everyone in my generation knows of PalmOS but TIL its later known as GarnetOS..