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Software & Apps
47 posts filed under Software & Apps.
- Is Homestar Runner Still Updating? The Site in 2026Homestar Runner is still updating in 2026, just not weekly. The site launched January 1, 2000 and now runs on Ruffle instead of Flash.
- Does Yahoo Messenger Still Exist? Why It Shut DownYahoo Messenger does not exist: Oath shut it down on July 17, 2018 after 20 years. Its replacement, Yahoo Together, lasted until April 4, 2019.
- How to Run 90s PC Games on Windows 11 in 2026Windows 11 is 64-bit only, so 90s PC games need help: DOSBox Staging, ScummVM or a GOG re-release. Two of the three cost nothing in 2026.
- Why Did Skype Shut Down? What Replaced It in 2025Skype shut down on May 5, 2025 and Microsoft Teams Free replaced it. Skype Credit still works in Teams, but the old chats were deleted in 2026.
- Windows 95 Startup Sound: Brian Eno's 3.25 SecondsBrian Eno wrote the Windows 95 startup sound to a 3.25-second brief, made 84 versions, and did it on a Mac. The Library of Congress took it in 2025.
- Is Netscape Still Around? What Happened After AOLIs Netscape still around? The browser died in 2008, netscape.com redirects to AOL, and the trademark is still live under a new owner as of 2026.
- Is HyperCard Still Around? Apple Killed It in 2004Apple pulled HyperCard from sale in March 2004, but its stacks still boot in a browser at the Internet Archive. Here is where it went and why.
- What Happened to Excite, the Search Engine That Turned Down Google for $750,000In 1999, Excite was worth $35 billion and had the chance to buy Google for $750,000. CEO George Bell said no. The full story is more complicated, and a lot more interesting, than the punchline suggests.
- What Happened to PointCast and the 1990s Push Technology BoomIn 1997, News Corporation offered $450 million for a company that delivered headlines through a screensaver. Two years later it sold for $7 million. The full story of push technology's rise and collapse.
- What Happened to NCSA Mosaic, the Browser That Built the World Wide WebBefore Netscape, before Internet Explorer, there was Mosaic. The browser two students built at a public university in 1993 became the front door to the early web, then quietly disappeared while reshaping the next thirty years of the internet.
- What Happened to Microsoft Bob, the Friendly Interface That FailedIn 1995, Microsoft tried to replace the desktop with a cartoon house full of talking pets. It sold around 58,000 copies and got pulled from shelves within a year. Here is what really happened.
- What Happened to Xanga, the Blog Platform Before Blogging Was CoolXanga had 27 million users before most people knew what a blog was. Then it vanished. The real story involves a $1 million FTC fine, a failed crowdfunding campaign, and the rise of Facebook.
- What Happened to Counter-Strike, the Mod That Became Bigger Than the GameTwo modders, an ICQ chat, and a Half-Life SDK turned into over 50 million copies sold and the birth of competitive PC gaming as we know it.
- What Happened to LiveJournal, the Platform That Invented Modern BloggingLiveJournal had 18 million users and invented friends lists, access controls, and communities years before Facebook existed. Then its servers moved to Russia overnight.
- Is Quake Still Playable in 2026? Who Owns It TodayQuake is still sold and still played in 2026. Microsoft owns it through ZeniMax, and id Software shipped a free 19-map episode in August 2026.
- What Happened to IRC, the Chat Protocol That Built the InternetCreated in 1988 by a Finnish computer science student, IRC kept the internet connected during the Gulf War and became home to millions of users. But Discord and Slack made it obsolete.
- What Happened to Eudora, the Email Client That Taught the Internet to WriteEudora dominated email in the 1990s with 18 million users and dominated revenue. Gmail and webmail killed desktop email clients. Here's how the world's most popular email software disappeared.
- What Happened to RollerCoaster Tycoon, Built by One Man in AssemblyChris Sawyer wrote 99% of RollerCoaster Tycoon in assembly language, alone, and earned $30 million. Then the franchise left his hands.
- What Happened to BonziBuddy, the Internet's Friendliest SpywareThe purple gorilla that harvested your data. How BonziBuddy went from desktop companion to FTC settlement, and what it reveals about early internet trust.
- The Original Sims: How a Virtual Dollhouse Became the Best-Selling PC Game EverWill Wright pitched it as an architecture sim. EA almost killed it. Then it outsold every PC game in history and changed who we think of as a gamer.
- What Happened to Kazaa and the P2P Wars After NapsterKazaa became the most downloaded software on Earth, survived where Napster couldn't, and still lost everything. The full story of the P2P wars.
- What Happened to Screensavers: Flying Toasters, 3D Pipes, and Doing NothingFrom a $30 million software company selling animated toasters to a forgotten Windows setting nobody touches, screensavers had one of the strangest rises and falls in tech history.
- What Happened to Clippy, the Paperclip Everyone Loved to HateMicrosoft spent millions on user research, hired Stanford psychologists, tested 250 character designs, and somehow still created the most universally despised software feature of the 1990s.
- The Night Windows 95 Launched and Changed EverythingOn August 24, 1995, people lined up at midnight to buy an operating system. Microsoft spent $300 million to make sure they did.
- How Doom Changed Everything About PC Gaming and the InternetOn December 10, 1993, five people in a Texas office uploaded a file that crashed a university network and generated $100,000 a day. The full story of how Doom rewrote the rules.
- Is WordPerfect Still Around in 2026? Corel Sells ItWordPerfect is still sold in 2026 by Corel, owned by Vector Capital since May 2026, but the last new version shipped in 2021.
- Is Lotus 1-2-3 Still Around? IBM Killed It in 2013Lotus 1-2-3 is discontinued: IBM stopped selling it on June 11, 2013 and ended support in 2014. It once held 70% of the spreadsheet market.
- Who Owns CompuServe Now? Yahoo Runs the PortalCompuServe survives as a news portal owned by Yahoo. The dial-up service ended in 2009 and the forums closed on December 15, 2017.
- Why Google Reader Died and What Replaced It in 2026Google Reader shut down on July 1, 2013 so Google could push Google+. Feedly and Inoreader took over, and 100,000 petition signatures changed nothing.
- Does AltaVista Still Exist? Yahoo Closed It in 2013AltaVista no longer exists: Yahoo closed the search engine on July 8, 2013. Apollo-owned Yahoo still holds the domain that sold for $140 million in 2003.
- Who Owns LimeWire Now? BabyDoge Bought It in 2026LimeWire's file sharing died by court order in October 2010. The brand survived: BabyDoge bought it in September 2026, 8 million users and all.
- Is ICQ Still Around? VK Shut It Down in June 2024ICQ shut down on June 26, 2024 after 28 years, and VK still owns the name. Free NINA servers now run ICQ 2000 through ICQ 8 clients.
- Is Second Life Still Around in 2026? Yes, 23 Years LaterSecond Life is still running in 2026, 23 years after launch, with daily concurrency in the mid-30,000s and an economy near $650 million a year.
- Are Tamagotchis Still Made in 2026? Yes, by BandaiTamagotchi is still made by Bandai in 2026. Shipments passed 100 million in July 2025, new models cost $44.99, and 1997 originals fetch $40 to $50.
- Is Encarta Still Available? Why Microsoft Killed ItMicrosoft Encarta is gone: disc sales ended in June 2009 and MSN Encarta closed October 31, 2009. What replaced it, and how to run it now.
- Is RealPlayer Still Around? Yes, Free From Real.comRealPlayer still exists: RealNetworks shipped version 25 in 2026 and still gives it away free, with Plus at $39.99. It sells computer vision now.
- Is Adobe Flash Still Around? Flash Player in 2026Adobe Flash Player died on December 31, 2020, but Flash is not fully gone: China still ships version 34 and over 200,000 games survive.
- Is Winamp Still Around in 2026? Yes, and It WorksWinamp still exists in 2026: Winamp Group owns it, and the free 5.9.2 player runs on Windows 11. A Deezer-powered version lands in 2027.
- Why Google+ Failed and When Google Shut It DownGoogle+ shut down on April 2, 2019 and Google Currents followed in 2023. Here is why a $585 million social network sat empty.
- Who Owns MapQuest Now? System1 and the 2026 SurgeMapQuest is still around in 2026, owned by ad tech firm System1 since 2019. Google Maps only passed it in January 2009, by 700,000 users.
- Does Hotmail Still Exist? Outlook.com Runs It NowHotmail still exists. Microsoft retired the name in May 2013 and moved 300 million accounts to Outlook.com, where old addresses still work.
- Is MSN Messenger Still Around? Yes, on EscargotMSN Messenger died in 2013 and Skype, the thing that replaced it, died in 2025. A free fan server called Escargot still runs it in 2026.
- Is AIM Still Around? AOL Instant Messenger in 2026Is AIM still around? No. AOL Instant Messenger shut down on December 15, 2017, and hobby servers are now the only way to sign on.
- Why Netscape Navigator Lost to Internet ExplorerNetscape Navigator lost to Internet Explorer because Microsoft gave IE away free and wired it into Windows. Navigator led 51% to 40% in 1997, then fell.
- Windows XP Bliss Wallpaper: Where the Hill Is NowThe Windows XP Bliss wallpaper hill is real, on private land off Fremont Drive in Sonoma County, and it turned green again on 18 February 2026.
- Y2K Explained: What Really Broke on January 1, 2000The Y2K bug was real and the US spent about $100 billion killing it. Here is what still broke on January 1, 2000, from spy satellites to slot machines.
- Did Napster Kill the Music Industry? The 2026 MathNapster did not kill the music industry. US revenue fell from $14.6 billion in 1999 to $8.5 billion in 2009, then hit a record $11.5 billion in 2025.