~ Early Web Links ~

The Joy of Cryptography is a free online undergraduate textbook by Mike Rosulek, published by MIT Press, covering provable security from one-time pads and pseudorandomness through RSA, zero-knowledge proofs, and post-quantum cryptography. The first three chapters are available under a Creative Commons license, with the remaining chapters releasing in July 2026, making it an invaluable open resource for students and educators alike.

The Navas 28800-56K Modem FAQ, compiled by John Navas, is a comprehensive reference guide covering dial-up modem troubleshooting, selection, configuration, and brand-specific tips for modems from the mid-1990s through the broadband transition era. Organized into detailed sections on connection problems, drivers, PCMCIA cards, and modem companies, it remains a thorough technical resource for anyone dealing with legacy dial-up hardware.

Videodante's link roundup series collects interesting corners of the internet spanning games, tech, history, chess, and more into curated posts with personal commentary. This particular entry covers everything from Transformers toys and Linux mini PCs to search engine indexes and medieval history, making it a lively digest of nerd culture.

Created by ODP editor geniac, this page tracks and compares the growth of the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) and Yahoo Directory through detailed size charts and milestone tables spanning 1998 to 2004. It's a fascinating historical snapshot of the early web directory wars, complete with projected vs. actual crossover dates and a Q&A section explaining the methodology behind the size calculations.

Information Aesthetics is a long-running blog curating and showcasing the best in data visualization, infographics, and information design from around the web. Posts cover everything from cancer incidence charts to city dashboards and cultural history timelines, making it a rich resource for anyone fascinated by how data can be transformed into compelling visuals.

Afterschool.dk is a personal technical reference site packed with how-to guides covering FreeBSD, Unix/Linux, networking equipment, and Windows administration tasks. The FortiGate password reset guide walks through console cable access and CLI commands to regain admin access to a Fortinet firewall, part of a broader collection of sysadmin notes and tutorials.

Published by the Software Freedom Law Center, this comprehensive legal primer covers copyright, licensing, trademarks, and organizational issues specifically for free and open source software projects. Written by prominent FOSS legal experts including Eben Moglen and Bradley Kuhn, it walks developers through choosing licenses like the GPL, handling copyright enforcement, and structuring their organizations.

Consumer Rights Wiki is a community-built encyclopedia dedicated to documenting anti-consumer practices, corporate misconduct, and right-to-repair issues across industries. With over 1,150 articles covering everything from Samsung pushing ads to refrigerators to John Deere's aggressive repair restrictions, it serves as a vital reference for consumers navigating corporate overreach.

People and Blogs is a weekly newsletter series created by Manu that spotlights interesting individuals and their personal blogs through interview-style profiles. The archive features hundreds of bloggers and their sites, making it a rich discovery resource for anyone looking to explore the indie web beyond social media.

Ron Hale-Evans's personal bookmarks hotlist from May 2003, preserved as a sprawling snapshot of early-web browsing habits covering science fiction indexes, Linux resources, book finders, and general web utilities. With nearly 4,000 links organized into categories like Comp, Booksearch, and Misc, it offers a fascinating time-capsule view of what a well-read, technically-minded internet user kept bookmarked at the dawn of the modern web.