Sun Offers a Java Version of Itself

Sun Microsystems in December 1996 offers both a Java version and a text-only version of its homepage. The page says the Java version provides easier navigation, while the text-only option remains available.

That split says a great deal about the web at the time. A corporate homepage could be an experiment in interactive navigation, but it also had to respect compatibility, speed, and accessibility.

Historically, Sun's page is important because Java was both a product and a worldview for the company. By offering a Java version of its own front door, Sun turned the homepage into a demonstration.

The page captures a company trying to make the network computer future feel real. It is practical and promotional at once: enter through Java if you can, text if you must. The future is being offered, but the present still needs a fallback.