In the 90s, broadband was a distant dream for most of us, and we lived under the tyranny of flat-rate plans, hunting for any bit of connectivity. Some downloads simply couldn't be done, and the best strategy was to get offline copies. That gave rise to all kinds of CDs filled with file compilations, from photos and MIDI files to shareware games and animated GIFs. Recently, two online backups appeared: Tumblr user Gearsphere shared a disk with 22,000 animated GIFs, while Speedi on Twitter uploaded another pack with 150,000 assorted files.
The availability of "CD packs" with games and files was almost as wide as that of America Online discs. Print publications were our primary resource for the latest demos, but we could also find CDs and DVDs in supermarkets, bookstores, gas stations, discount stores, and more.
Many of those CDs ended up in landfills or were turned into "works of art," but some users are taking the precaution of backing up online every copy that comes into their hands. Internet Archive is the starting point par excellence, and now users Gearsphere and Speedi join in, having decided to share backups of their animated GIF collections.
Thousands of Animated GIFs from the 90s
Over on Gearsphere's side, they found their CD with 22,000 animated GIFs at a pawn shop. The CD has a link, Masterasap.com, formerly a store dedicated to selling software and hardware for networks. Instead of sharing the disk as an ISO image, Gearsphere uploaded the files maintaining the structure and categories, including home.htm, and even the autorun.inf that came on the CD.
In Speedi's case, after seeing Gearsphere's post, they simply replied "AMATEURS" and proceeded to back up their pack of 150,000 files. Web Clip Empire was a creation of the old domain Xoom.com, which went on to become one of the most popular websites on the Web in the late 90s. The best part is that Web Clip Empire is not limited to animated GIFs: There is also music, MIDI files, WAV effects, videos, and all the Web objects you can imagine.
Both packs were shared on Google Drive. I just hope Mountain View doesn't have a nervous breakdown and decides to remove them. Links below!
22,000 Animated GIFs: Click here
Web Clip Empire: Click here
