There is a growing interest in computing history, computer networking and how it all came to be. In early 2000's we began observing an increase in old web sites going extinct. We did not want an important part of our culture disappear, so around 2011 a long term project was started with the goal of preserving these web sites. At first we focused purely on archiving web sites, but later began building a comprehensive service that allowed access to this this newly found content.

We had to keep a realistic scope for the project. For this reason, we chose to preserve web sites mostly from around mid-to-late 1990's. There are several reasons this timeline was chosen:

1. Internet experienced a strong global expansion around this time, with half the population in the US accessing the Internet on a regular basis.
2. Most consumers had their first experience of surfing the Internet.
3. Many significant early web services opened around this time.
4. There are more resources available for purposes of restoration and archival.

We prioritize the accessibility of our service. The goal is to be able to browse these historic sites as easily as if they were still online. Over the years we've placed a special emphasis on emulating the look and feel of the early Internet experience as close as possible.

Our service differs from other web archival projects such as Internet Archive's Wayback Machine at archive.org by some key aspects.

1. The web sites are restored to be completely functional. Broken links and images are fixed, and manual work is put using several sources to restore full functionality. For this reason, the service can be used as reference material in studies of the history of Internet, and in interactive computing museum exhibits etc.
2. The web sites are browseable with original period correct hardware.
3. Several protocols (including HTTP and FTP) are supported, and more are added over time.
4. Dynamic website content, such as web searches are supported.
5. File downloads are restored.

The project's aim is to preserve the user experience of visiting web sites historically accurate, and provide a guide for future generations. It is a service that can be freely used by computing history organizations for purposes of demonstrating the early Internet, and by vintage computer enthusiasts. It allows users and interested parties to browse the Internet with classic web browsers, and experience the early Internet as it was in it's early iteration. That is the essence of Retroweb, and the service is developing, as more web sites are brought online thanks to the Internet history enthusiasts who are working hard to contribute content and fix broken links.

RETROWEB was never meant to be an extensive archive. It's purpose is mainly to focus on accuracy of the user experience and present the archived content as it was. Over time the the archive has grown as we've reconstructed and recovered files from a plethora of sources, and we've worked tirelessly to restore website functionality including dynamic content such as search engines, guest books and visitor counters. Emphasis has also been given to finding and restoring rare downloads, and they have been made available along with the pages that link to them. FTP sites that no longer exist are made available through the service and are free to use.

The project is no minor undertaking, however the Retroweb team remain committed to restoring old web sites back to their former glory. The project would not be possible without our contributor's help. If you have web sites to contribute, classic resources, data archives, or would like to become a contributor working on restoring websites, please contact us! We are truly thankful for your help.