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 webslinky: tiny websites
This week, small rules. What with “everyone” getting broadband so they can force media-rich content down the interpipes, and giant sans serif fonts being a distinguishing mark of the Web 2.0 bandwagon, you'd be right in thinking that BIG is in right now.But don't forget the little guy. Not so long ago, the pixel look was the in-thing - beautiful but sometimes headache-inducing designs that relished the use of sharp lines and tiny fonts, pushing against the stripped-down Jakob Nielsen school of stubbornly unattractive, though less technically demanding plain HTML websites. Po-facety aside, a lot can be done with a little on the web, as the creators of GUIMP set out to prove. At just 18x18 pixels it is nearly the world's smallest website (I say “nearly” because an imitator has smugly made a site two pixels smaller, but it's not as fun). It's true that GUIMP isn't much more than a novelty - and a novelty which will make your eyes hurt at that - but it is worth having a proper squint at. If only for the variety of familiar arcade game classics which are executed surprisingly well. Miniature Pong and Pac-man are one thing, but fairly old news - I'm sure we all knew someone who owned that Nintendo watch with Tetris on it - so what about a tiny first-person shooter that fits into less than 5k of memory? Wolfenstein 5k does just that. Sure it might feel a little clunky next to Half Life 2, but it's an impressive achievement. Wolf5k was one of the sites created for the 5k Contest, which challenges anyone to… oh, you worked it out. As you've also probably guessed, there's not a lot of Flash video or podcasting in a 5k Contest line-up. There have been some endearing entries, however, like this Japanese Green Tea tribute and this animated explanation of polyrhythm from 2000. It's nice to be reminded just how diverse web content can be with even the most limited of resources. Check out the full list for more inspiration. Recently, I considered entering my own head into the contest, as I have reason to suspect it operates on less than 5k of memory.
David Thair
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related info
 useful linkswww.k10k.net www.useit.com www.guimp.com www.wolf5k.com www.the5k.org 5K: green tea tribute 5k: polyrhythm 5k: full list
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see also
 webslinky #097alternate worlds  webslinky #096pokey the penguin  webslinky #095snakes on a plane  webslinky #094blogspots  webslinky #093stickers  webslinkyarchive books  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. art  art archive Watch artist interviews and see images from British exhibitions. |
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