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Comment by netfl0 | Hacker News Reader

There are many compelling technology projects in this space. However, there are many different use cases on the web and when it sounds like you solve all of them, the value proposition gets obfuscated.

One of my favorite web sites is https://www.sheldonbrown.com/

It captures the promise of the web and accessible boutique information. I hope there is a rebirth of that early web movement for high quality highly curated content and knowledge. It starts with people though. The tech is just a tool.

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Sheldon Brown has probably had a bigger influence on me than any other public figure. When I get old, I want to be like him, and I’ve been using his “Product W” doping protocol with great results already. I don’t want to die like him, but if humans still drive cars, I probably will. Pretty amazing how much impact you could have just by sharing a passion for something that benefits everybody. (way off-topic, sorry)

I do not get it. Are you saying it looks 90s? Are you saying the content is great? "it captures the promise of the web and accessible..." Do you mean to say he is using alt tabs and accessibility options all over (I did not see that yet). He has a lot of js scripts... but it sure looks 90s.

The content is great.

The styling is, let’s say utilitarian. :)

Accessible in the dictionary sense of the word. Everyone can access the content. I am not sure about the handicap accessibility, however it would not surprise me if it was “accessible“ in that way given Sheldon’s attention to detail.

Though, the website seems to have been updated by other people since Sheldon died so I am not sure about its current “state”/quality.

Hopefully this clarifies my post.

The content is flawless. One old dude put a site together that is now The Bible for anyone who does their own bicycle maintenance. It’s a cult classic, if you will. People that want information on that specific topic use it, and the rest of the world just glosses over it or doesnt understand it’s significance. It’s not about technology, or who’s using js scripts, or a monetization scheme. It’s just pure information put together in a way that it’s target community can readily ingest.

I think the problem is that this kind of web relies on altruism to work. People have to donate their time, effort, knowledge, and sometimes even personal money (hosting isn't free) to create and maintain these kinds of sites. Meanwhile, there are far more people who would rather attempt to make money doing the same thing, so non-altruistic content ends up outweighing the old-web kind. This has become especially true on YouTube where good content is much harder to make, so the vast majority of creators are pursing some kind of monetary compensation, whether from ads, sponsorship, patrons, merchandise, or something else.

I wonder if there is a way to turn the problem into an opportunity. These people do exist, and to your point, they are not motivated by purely money.

Hi, just adding my 2 cents onto your sentiment. The photographer and equipment reviewer Ken Rockwell has a similar aesthetic on his homepage: https://www.kenrockwell.com

While supported by pay product links, this site contains no ads other than all the copy. His content has no dumb pop ups or any janky junk, however it will still satisfy a startup chief-of-design's checkbox by loading extremely slowly (due to the many full size image examples on every page, in this case)

I love it when Noscript has little to do.

Ken Rockwell is nothing like Sheldon brown. Rockwell gets paid by manufactures to review their gear, and it’s ALWAYS a favorable review for the $$$$$ items. There’s no ads cuz he’s paid to put that info there.(product placement at its finest, if you will) Sheldon brown was an old guy that loved bikes and was full of knowledge, and his site was full of more information than just gear reviews, and some people loved and relied on it so much they decided to keep the site up after his death.

That site still has lots of javascript.

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