This topic is: Pretentious Front Page
The above site is: the original front page for Web Pages That Suck.
Note: These pages are from the original Web Pages That Suck site circa 1996-1998 and are here for historical purposes. Unfortunately, most of the topics are still valid (cookies, monitor sizes, and domain names are a bit out of date). Don't complain to me that the format sucks, that using frames suck, or these pages don't look like the rest of the site. They don't. They won't. Please drive through.
For current real, live sucky Web sites, visit the Daily Sucker. (opens new window)
Earlier versions of Netscape allowed you to make the colors fade in and out by using multiple <BODY> tags; however, Netscape fixed this bug around release 2.0. Now, some clever guy figured out a way to make a JavaScript recreate this very pretentious technique. Like so many Web techniques, it wasn't originally pretentious back in the Summer of '96 — it was pretty cool but it became overused and as soon as something becomes overused on the Web it either becomes a cliché or pretentious. Take your pick.
What's really pretentious is the Web design technique that comes in two variations — and I used Variation #1: "The Animated GIF on a Black Background." When the animation stops, you can either click on the image (mine's a textual image — it can be a graphical image) to go to the "real" home page or if you don't click, the <META> "refresh" command automatically takes the viewer to the next page. Variation #2 is the same, but it's just a regular image or imagemap, not an animated GIF. I've removed all the links and the "refresh" command so the page doesn't lead anywhere.
A lot of Web sites are using this animated GIF technique on their front page, including some people who are really good designers. I'm not sure who originally created this technique, (probably Wired Magazine — they've introduced a lot of great graphic techniques) but Wired is in a league of its own and has a dispensation to use any technique no matter how sucky. You and I don't have this luxury. Try to create a more interesting and informational front page.