Web chat - Revision history

Agb001: /* Web Chat Today */ reformatting and rewording

2025-08-23T10:58:34Z

Web Chat Today: reformatting and rewording

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:58, 23 August 2025
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	== Web Chat Today ==		== Web Chat Today ==
	Today, ancient HTML style web chatting has fallen out of the mainstream and forgotten, in favour of the progression of other, modern chatting software such as Discord, Skype (dead in May 2025), Slack, etc.		Today, ancient HTML style web chatting has fallen out of the mainstream and forgotten, in favour of the progression of other, modern chatting software such as Discord, Skype (dead in May 2025), Slack, etc.
	Primarily thanks to security concerns, alongside outdated interfaces, people progressively migrated to these solutions, and with more people came their friends, ~~becoming~~ a slow domino ~~effect~~. Most of these applications actually use web browsers as their interface, even when installed as applications, but what they succeed old HTTP style webchatting is in their featureset.		Primarily thanks to security concerns, alongside outdated and 'hard to use' interfaces, people progressively migrated to these solutions, and with more people came their friends, leading to a slow domino of depopulation in these classic web chats.
			Most of these modern applications actually use web browsers as their interface, even when installed as applications (electron), but what they succeed old HTTP style webchatting is in their featureset.

	Webchat still finds a use today, primarily being used as simple and fast texting for customer support (when its uh.. not [[ChatGPT]]-san.. and actually works...), and there are still many small to medium sized communities that still utilize old style webchatting even today, despite other, more innovative options around the internet.		Webchat still finds a use today, primarily being used as simple and fast texting for customer support (when its uh.. not [[ChatGPT]]-san.. and actually works...), and there are still many small to medium sized communities that still utilize old style webchatting even today, despite other, more innovative options around the internet.
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	Some of these sites will allow you to simply chat without either a voice or camera feed, and simply match you with another person to chat with. (namely, omegle itself.)		Some of these sites will allow you to simply chat without either a voice or camera feed, and simply match you with another person to chat with. (namely, omegle itself.)

	This format of 1 to 1 chatting became very popular, possibly due to it's younger audience performing... [[CP\|acts when requested]] and various other horny scenarios. Many people also took up 'omegle trolling' (look it up on youtube), and still continue on the alternative sites.		This format of 1 to 1 chatting became very popular, possibly due to it's younger audience performing... [[CP\|acts when requested]] and various other horny scenarios.
			Many people also took up 'omegle trolling' (look it up on youtube), and still continue on the alternative sites.

	~~However,~~ resident users of these more ancient than old sites end up spinning off their own revival servers. Notably, WBS has had a ~~myriad of various~~ revival projects, such as classic-wbs.net (dead since summer 2023) and [https://wbs.chat/ wbs-retro] (still going), each of which less successful than the last. Fans of these sites typically forgot about it, and moved on to wherever else.		Even resident users of these more ancient than old sites end up spinning off their own revival servers. Notably, WBS has had quite a few revival projects, such as classic-wbs.net (dead since summer 2023) and [https://wbs.chat/ wbs-retro] (still going), each of which less successful than the last. Fans of these sites typically forgot about it, and moved on to wherever else. (or maybe died from being too old!)

	== Heyuri's Web Chat(s) ==		== Heyuri's Web Chat(s) ==

Agb001: rewording and rewriting some parts for readability

2025-06-22T22:34:38Z

rewording and rewriting some parts for readability

Agb001: /* Heyuri's Web Chat(s) */ make Chat@Heyuri a link

2025-06-08T00:13:45Z

Heyuri's Web Chat(s): make Chat@Heyuri a link

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:13, 8 June 2025
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	== Heyuri's Web Chat(s) ==		== Heyuri's Web Chat(s) ==
	Heyuri as of writing has two live web chats; being the Chat@Heyuri channel ~~accessible at https://cgi.heyuri.net/chat/~~, and DevChat@Heyuri. Both chatrooms are based on COMCHAT, a [[Perl\|CGI/Perl]] based web chat developed by KentWeb.		Heyuri as of writing has two live web chats; being the [[Chat@Heyuri]] channel, and DevChat@Heyuri. Both chatrooms are based on COMCHAT, a [[Perl\|CGI/Perl]] based web chat developed by KentWeb.

	As for Chat@Heyuri, It's generally quite active, and finds many frequent users of the site chatting the day away over general topics.		As for Chat@Heyuri, It's generally quite active, and finds many frequent users of the site chatting the day away over general topics.

Agb001: /* Go.com, and a new millenium */

2025-03-08T13:54:11Z

Go.com, and a new millenium

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:54, 8 March 2025
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	Go.com lacked much of the webchatting functionality, and more or less just became a second name for Disney's previous venture into the online space, Disney Online. Go.com did have a form of webchat,<ref name="go.com webchat">[https://web.archive.org/web/20000619181732/http://www.go.com/Chat?svx=CTOC_Chat archive.org of Go.com webchat]</ref>		Go.com lacked much of the webchatting functionality, and more or less just became a second name for Disney's previous venture into the online space, Disney Online. Go.com did have a form of webchat,<ref name="go.com webchat">[https://web.archive.org/web/20000619181732/http://www.go.com/Chat?svx=CTOC_Chat archive.org of Go.com webchat]</ref>
	however much of community fell away to other sites, where their friends followed. Despite this, Go.com did have some notable activity in their chatrooms, with some of their most active chatrooms (the flirting one, of course...) reaching in the triple digits for members.		however much of community fell away to other sites, where their friends followed. Despite this, Go.com did have some notable activity in their chatrooms, with some of their most active chatrooms (the flirting one, of course...) reaching in the triple digits for actively chatting members in archives, actually being to a similar quantity as WBS was in during 1998<ref name="wbsActiveArchive" />.

	However, this would not last, as Go.com soon faced financial issues due to the platform itself not being the most profitable. As a result, in January 2001, Go.com was to be announced to be shut down<ref name="go.com shutdown">[https://www.computerworld.com/article/1367443/disney-to-stop-go-com.html Computerworld article on the shutdown of Go.com]</ref>, the chatrooms were to be closed and soon after that anything community wise fell away to other sites, including their user-contributed site directory and search engine. Soon after, Go.com had become a site simply being a shell for GoTo.com, then another search engine, and soon after just becoming a homepage for Disney content. Today the site ~~stands~~ as a ~~ghost of the long forgotten failures of~~ Disney ~~and their internet venutres~~.		However, this would not last, as Go.com soon faced financial issues due to the platform itself not being the most profitable. As a result, in January 2001, Go.com was to be announced to be shut down<ref name="go.com shutdown">[https://www.computerworld.com/article/1367443/disney-to-stop-go-com.html Computerworld article on the shutdown of Go.com]</ref>, the chatrooms were to be closed and soon after that anything community wise fell away to other sites, including their user-contributed site directory and search engine. Soon after, Go.com had become a site simply being a shell for GoTo.com, then another search engine, and soon after just becoming a homepage for Disney content. Today the site remains as a [https://www.go.com/ Disney directory].

	=== Chatting throughout The Mid-Late 2000s ===		=== Chatting throughout The Mid-Late 2000s ===

Agb001: /* The Evolution of Web Chats in the West */ rewording to be able to use a reference

2025-03-08T13:53:43Z

The Evolution of Web Chats in the West: rewording to be able to use a reference

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:53, 8 March 2025
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	== The Evolution of Web Chats in the West ==		== The Evolution of Web Chats in the West ==
	What was one of the most popular, and first site that came to provide chat services would be Web Chat Broadcasting System (formerly Internet Roundtable Society), first founded in 1990, and subsequentially becoming generally mainstream in 1993. <ref name="WBS press">[https://web.archive.org/web/19971210161302/http://wbs.net/wbs/press/press.html archive.org of wbs.net's press page]</ref>		What was one of the most popular, and first site that came to provide chat services would be Web Chat Broadcasting System (formerly Internet Roundtable Society), first founded in 1990, and subsequentially becoming generally mainstream in 1993.<ref name="WBS press">[https://web.archive.org/web/19971210161302/http://wbs.net/wbs/press/press.html archive.org of wbs.net's press page]</ref>

	They were first known well for their ability to provide real-time chat on an internet browser, allowing posting of images, video, audio clips, and etc, and found alot of success thanks to being one of the first to ever do it.		They were first known well for their ability to provide real-time chat on an internet browser, allowing posting of images, video, audio clips, and etc, and found alot of success thanks to being one of the first to ever do it.
	~~It was most beloved by... Horny~~ people~~; atleast if the archives of the~~ [https://web.archive.org/web/19981201091418/http://wbs.net:80/wbs/active_rooms.html active rooms ~~directory~~] ~~is to believed.~~		Many people from different communities came together on WBS to just chat about stupid stuff, ranging from roleplayers to teens to "African_American_Gay (44)"<ref name="wbsActiveArchive">[https://web.archive.org/web/19981201091418/http://wbs.net:80/wbs/active_rooms.html December 1998 archive of WBS's active rooms]</ref>, and thanks to that, WBS quickly gained rapid popularity throughout the 90s.
	~~Many people from different communities came together on WBS to just chat about stupid stuff, ranging from roleplayers to teens to "African_American_Gay (44)"~~, and thanks to that, WBS quickly gained rapid popularity throughout the 90s.

	Whereas during this time, IRC and other real-time chat solutions had existed by this time, it was still very difficult for general everyday users to understand in comparison to how easy Web Chat such as WBS and other independent sites had made the process much more streamlined.		Whereas during this time, IRC and other real-time chat solutions had existed by this time, it was still very difficult for general everyday users to understand in comparison to how easy Web Chat such as WBS and other independent sites had made the process much more streamlined.

Agb001: /* The Evolution of Web Chats in the West */ adding more to the western side and cutting some of the stuff i was unsure abt

2025-03-08T01:20:42Z

The Evolution of Web Chats in the West: adding more to the western side and cutting some of the stuff i was unsure abt

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:20, 8 March 2025
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	== The Evolution of Web Chats in the West ==		== The Evolution of Web Chats in the West ==
	What was one of the most popular, and first site that came to provide chat services would be Web Chat Broadcasting System (formerly Internet Roundtable Society), first founded in 1990, and subsequentially becoming generally mainstream in 1993. <ref name="WBS press">[https://web.archive.org/web/19971210161302/http://wbs.net/wbs/press/press.html archive.org of wbs.net's press page]</ref>		What was one of the most popular, and first site that came to provide chat services would be Web Chat Broadcasting System (formerly Internet Roundtable Society), first founded in 1990, and subsequentially becoming generally mainstream in 1993. <ref name="WBS press">[https://web.archive.org/web/19971210161302/http://wbs.net/wbs/press/press.html archive.org of wbs.net's press page]</ref>
	~~(note to self, irsociety.com migrated to wbs.com. they seem to be the earliest webchat site?)~~

	~~<strike>In 1994~~, ~~w3 had released the first open source~~		They were first known well for their ability to provide real-time chat on an internet browser, allowing posting of images, video, audio clips, and etc, and found alot of success thanks to being one of the first to ever do it.
	~~<small>(not 100% sure~~, ~~will do more research. also need~~ to ~~see if~~ the ~~japs got~~ to ~~them before the west.~~ it~~'s definitely not but still~~. ~~wbs is closed source right~~..~~?)</small>~~		It was most beloved by... Horny people; atleast if the archives of the [https://web.archive.org/web/19981201091418/http://wbs.net:80/wbs/active_rooms.html active rooms directory] is to believed.
	~~web chat system, known as WWW Interactive Talk~~.~~<ref>~~[https://~~www~~.w3.org/~~WIT~~/ ~~WWW Interactive Talk on w3. links to any actual code is dead..]<~~/~~ref>~~		Many people from different communities came together on WBS to just chat about stupid stuff, ranging from roleplayers to teens to "African_American_Gay (44)", and thanks to that, WBS quickly gained rapid popularity throughout the 90s.
	It was developed by Ari Luotonen in 3 days, and subsequently released as a Bourne shell script for the public to use. The source code seems to be lost, as the original source code had disappeared in 1997.<ref>[https://~~www~~.~~forum-software.org~~/~~news~~/~~24122010-wit-the-first-wwwboard-ever forum-software~~.~~org article on WWW Interactive Talk~~]~~</ref></strike> (im actually not even sure if WWW interactive talk~~ is ~~really like a web chat~~. ~~seemed more like a really old BBS if anything but theres like the one screenshot~~ on the ~~news page waha sent.~~..)

	Whereas during this time, IRC and other real-time chat solutions had existed by this time, it was still very difficult for general everyday users to understand in comparison to how easy Web Chat such as WBS and other independent sites had made the process much more streamlined. As a result, WBS had quickly amassed 2.2 million registered users by 1997,<ref name="WBS press" /> drawing lots of attention and leading the company into fame.		Whereas during this time, IRC and other real-time chat solutions had existed by this time, it was still very difficult for general everyday users to understand in comparison to how easy Web Chat such as WBS and other independent sites had made the process much more streamlined.
			As a result, WBS had quickly amassed 2.2 million registered users by 1997,<ref name="WBS press" /> drawing lots of attention and leading the company into fame.

			WBS was not the only website providing these services however, with competitors such as Tripod, and Geocities also providing users (with the knowhow) to make their own small webchat sites for small communities to foster in. This came alongside the other independent chat sites, such as Omnichat, a webchat that found small success in the same real-time chatting features. To this day, [http://4-lane.com/ it's still up,] and every now and again people still chat there. Mostly spam though.

	~~WBS was not the only website providing these services however, with competitors such as Tripod, and Geocities~~
	(i feel like mentioning tripod is important since it seemed to have CGI support, letting people make their own webchat. only that i cant find any tripod websites with any of those... that arent japanese... and even then i cant find any)		(i feel like mentioning tripod is important since it seemed to have CGI support, letting people make their own webchat. only that i cant find any tripod websites with any of those... that arent japanese... and even then i cant find any)

	=== Mid-Late 90s, and WBS ===		=== Mid-Late 90s, The Dotcom Bubble, and WBS ===

	Later, in 1998, WBS would be sold to Infoseek, a web search engine popular at the time. At the same time, many other companies had bought up other sites, namely Lycos (who now also owns Angelfire) purchasing Tripod for $58M USD. This, alongside other competitors such as Yahoo, and their respective chat led to a tense battle between companies to try rake in the highest user base.<ref name="WBS buyout">[https://www.wired.com/1998/04/web-portals-play-leapfrog/ April 1998 WIRED article on the recent purchase of WBS]</ref>		Later, in 1998, WBS would be sold to Infoseek, a web search engine popular at the time. At the same time, many other companies had bought up other sites, namely Lycos (who now also owns Angelfire) purchasing Tripod for $58M USD. This, alongside other competitors such as Yahoo, and their respective chat led to a tense battle between companies to try rake in the highest user base.<ref name="WBS buyout">[https://www.wired.com/1998/04/web-portals-play-leapfrog/ April 1998 WIRED article on the recent purchase of WBS]</ref>
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	Soon after, Disney purchased a major stake into Infoseek<ref name="Infoseek-Disney buyout">[https://www.wired.com/1998/06/disney-buys-into-infoseek/ June 1998 WIRED article on Disney acquiring a major stake]</ref>, and only about a year later did Disney subsequntially buy the remainder of the company in July 1999. The same month, WBS went down permanently, and was absorbed into a subsidiary of Disney, Go.com.		Soon after, Disney purchased a major stake into Infoseek<ref name="Infoseek-Disney buyout">[https://www.wired.com/1998/06/disney-buys-into-infoseek/ June 1998 WIRED article on Disney acquiring a major stake]</ref>, and only about a year later did Disney subsequntially buy the remainder of the company in July 1999. The same month, WBS went down permanently, and was absorbed into a subsidiary of Disney, Go.com.

	=== Go.com ===		=== Go.com, and a new millenium ===

			Go.com lacked much of the webchatting functionality, and more or less just became a second name for Disney's previous venture into the online space, Disney Online. Go.com did have a form of webchat,<ref name="go.com webchat">[https://web.archive.org/web/20000619181732/http://www.go.com/Chat?svx=CTOC_Chat archive.org of Go.com webchat]</ref>
			however much of community fell away to other sites, where their friends followed. Despite this, Go.com did have some notable activity in their chatrooms, with some of their most active chatrooms (the flirting one, of course...) reaching in the triple digits for members.

			However, this would not last, as Go.com soon faced financial issues due to the platform itself not being the most profitable. As a result, in January 2001, Go.com was to be announced to be shut down<ref name="go.com shutdown">[https://www.computerworld.com/article/1367443/disney-to-stop-go-com.html Computerworld article on the shutdown of Go.com]</ref>, the chatrooms were to be closed and soon after that anything community wise fell away to other sites, including their user-contributed site directory and search engine. Soon after, Go.com had become a site simply being a shell for GoTo.com, then another search engine, and soon after just becoming a homepage for Disney content. Today the site stands as a ghost of the long forgotten failures of Disney and their internet venutres.

			=== Chatting throughout The Mid-Late 2000s ===
			(here i. intend to find webchats like WBS in the western world but i can't really find anything right now. i'll find some if i look more probably, maybe the short lived Google LivelyChat.. perhaps Zobe and TeenChat for more 2000s? hard to find anything about them though)

			=== 2010s, and almost modern day ===
			This was the point where the majority of people using webchat had retreated to smaller communities, through more decentralized (as in community) alternatives, such as Skype and Facebook, where real time chatting had become enough of a commodity they ended up merged into parts of social media. However, many sites still floated around offering features that more traditional social media couldn't.

	(note: wbs is not the only site i want to talk about. theGlobe.com and omnichat for similar 90s webchats, Rounds, maybe the short lived Google LivelyChat.. perhaps Zobe and TeenChat for more 2000s? hard to find anything about them though)		(im expanding this later too)
	~~(go.com also doesnt seem to have any webchat stuff in it lol. i will reformat~~ this ~~better in a while~~)

	== The Evolution of Web Chats in the East ==		== The Evolution of Web Chats in the East ==

Agb001: /* Heyuri's Web Chat(s) */ make a little paragraph about Chat and DevChat. and add link to hakochat

2025-03-08T00:14:43Z

Heyuri's Web Chat(s): make a little paragraph about Chat and DevChat. and add link to hakochat

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:14, 8 March 2025
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	== Heyuri's Web Chat(s) ==		== Heyuri's Web Chat(s) ==
	Heyuri as of writing has ~~a single~~ live web ~~chat~~; being the Chat@Heyuri channel accessible at https://cgi.heyuri.net/chat/. ~~The chatroom is~~ based on COMCHAT, a [[Perl\|CGI/Perl]] based web chat developed by KentWeb.		Heyuri as of writing has two live web chats; being the Chat@Heyuri channel accessible at https://cgi.heyuri.net/chat/, and DevChat@Heyuri. Both chatrooms are based on COMCHAT, a [[Perl\|CGI/Perl]] based web chat developed by KentWeb.

	~~(i kinda wanna expand a bit~~. ~~but i dunno what~~ to ~~talk abt)~~		As for Chat@Heyuri, It's generally quite active, and finds many frequent users of the site chatting the day away over general topics.
			DevChat@Heyuri is not as active, and is only used for the sites developers to speak over how to handle the site's development. You could also just ask some stuff about the backend if you wanted to. Nerd.

	Heyuri also has used COMCHAT to manage a now defunct chat for [[Hakoniwa Islands]] during peak times in the game's playercount. It is still up, in a read only state. ~~(I'll put a link up sometime...)~~		Heyuri also has used COMCHAT to manage a now defunct chat for [[Hakoniwa Islands]] during peak times in the game's playercount. It is [https://cgi.heyuri.net/hakochat/ still up], in a read only state.

	== Links ==		== Links ==

Agb001: /* Web Chat Today */ finishing the little post-mortem webchat paragraph

2025-03-07T22:49:32Z

Web Chat Today: finishing the little post-mortem webchat paragraph

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:49, 7 March 2025
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	These sites primarily center around the same format, with a webcam feed, and either (or both) voice chat and simple text chat with a semi-randomly selected other user.		These sites primarily center around the same format, with a webcam feed, and either (or both) voice chat and simple text chat with a semi-randomly selected other user.
	Some of these sites will allow you to simply chat without either a voice or camera feed, and simply match you with another person to chat with. (namely, omegle itself.)		Some of these sites will allow you to simply chat without either a voice or camera feed, and simply match you with another person to chat with. (namely, omegle itself.)
	This format of 1 to 1 chatting became very popular, primarily due to it's.. ~~more~~		This format of 1 to 1 chatting became very popular, primarily due to it's younger audience performing... [[CP\|acts when requested]] and various other horny scenarios. It was filled with aLOT of horny 3D lovers.

	However, resident users of these more ancient than old sites end up spinning off their own revival servers. Notably, WBS has had a myriad of various revival projects, such as classic-wbs.net (dead since summer 2023) and [https://wbs.chat/ wbs-retro] (still going), each of which less successful than the last. Fans of these sites typically forgot about it, and moved on to wherever else.		However, resident users of these more ancient than old sites end up spinning off their own revival servers. Notably, WBS has had a myriad of various revival projects, such as classic-wbs.net (dead since summer 2023) and [https://wbs.chat/ wbs-retro] (still going), each of which less successful than the last. Fans of these sites typically forgot about it, and moved on to wherever else.

Agb001: /* Web Chat Today */ minor reformatting and adding here and there

2025-03-01T23:12:29Z

Web Chat Today: minor reformatting and adding here and there

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:12, 1 March 2025
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	== Web Chat Today ==		== Web Chat Today ==
	Today, ancient HTML style web chatting has fallen out of the mainstream and forgotten, in favour of the progression of other, modern chatting software such as Discord, Skype (~~lol~~) ~~and~~ Slack. Primarily thanks to security concerns, alongside outdated interfaces, people progressively migrated to these solutions, and with more people came~~... more people~~. Most of these applications actually use web browsers as their interface, even when installed as applications, but what they succeed old HTTP style webchatting is in their featureset.		Today, ancient HTML style web chatting has fallen out of the mainstream and forgotten, in favour of the progression of other, modern chatting software such as Discord, Skype (dead in May 2025), Slack, etc.
			Primarily thanks to security concerns, alongside outdated interfaces, people progressively migrated to these solutions, and with more people came their friends, becoming a slow domino effect. Most of these applications actually use web browsers as their interface, even when installed as applications, but what they succeed old HTTP style webchatting is in their featureset.

	Webchat still finds a use today, primarily being used as simple and fast texting for customer support (when its uh.. not [[ChatGPT]]-san.. and actually works...), and there are still many small communities that still utilize old style webchatting even today, despite other options ~~such as web based IRC clients existing~~.		Webchat still finds a use today, primarily being used as simple and fast texting for customer support (when its uh.. not [[ChatGPT]]-san.. and actually works...), and there are still many small to medium sized communities that still utilize old style webchatting even today, despite other, more innovative options around the internet.

	Some of the more popular modern forms of Webchat are examples such as ~~omegle~~, and the many thousands of spawn that came after it's death. (~~kinda~~ like a wolf spider..)		Some of the more popular modern forms of Webchat are examples such as Omegle, and the many thousands of spawn that came after it's death. (like a wolf spider..)
	These sites primarily center around the same format, with a webcam feed, and either (or both) voice chat and simple text chat with a semi-randomly selected other user.		These sites primarily center around the same format, with a webcam feed, and either (or both) voice chat and simple text chat with a semi-randomly selected other user.
	Some of these sites will allow you to simply chat without either a voice or camera feed, and simply match you with another person to chat with (namely, omegle itself.)		Some of these sites will allow you to simply chat without either a voice or camera feed, and simply match you with another person to chat with. (namely, omegle itself.)
			This format of 1 to 1 chatting became very popular, primarily due to it's.. more

	However, ~~oldfags~~ of these more ancient than old sites end up spinning off their own revival servers. ~~As an example~~, WBS has had a myriad of various revival projects, such as classic-wbs.net (dead since summer 2023) and [https://wbs.chat/ wbs-retro] (still going), each of which less successful than the last. Fans of these sites typically forgot about it, and moved on to wherever else.		However, resident users of these more ancient than old sites end up spinning off their own revival servers. Notably, WBS has had a myriad of various revival projects, such as classic-wbs.net (dead since summer 2023) and [https://wbs.chat/ wbs-retro] (still going), each of which less successful than the last. Fans of these sites typically forgot about it, and moved on to wherever else.

	== Heyuri's Web Chat(s) ==		== Heyuri's Web Chat(s) ==

Agb001: /* Links */ putting the mirrors mentioned in discussion here

2025-03-01T23:06:45Z

Links: putting the mirrors mentioned in discussion here

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:06, 1 March 2025
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	* Wikipedia page on WebChat Broadcasting System [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebChat_Broadcasting_System]		* Wikipedia page on WebChat Broadcasting System [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebChat_Broadcasting_System]
	* KentWeb site archive [https://archive.ph/nJQSn] (original website [https://www.kent-web.com/ still alive actually])		* KentWeb site archive [https://archive.ph/nJQSn] (original website [https://www.kent-web.com/ still alive actually])
	* ~~Yuiscript~~ site [https://archive.ph/wip/vnHxE] (~~site~~ is seemingly [https://na006.tripod.com/yuiscript/ still up..] ~~seemingly~~ everything except the inbound & code links are dead)		* Yui Chat site [https://web.archive.org/web/20080420151910/http://www.ibport.ne.jp:80/~yui/cgiwork/index.html] & mirrors [https://archive.ph/wip/vnHxE] [https://web.archive.org/web/19971017015638/https://www.a-web.co.jp/~yui/] [https://web.archive.org/web/20000925221742/http://www.ct.sakura.ne.jp/~e_e/yuichat/yui.shtml] (one of the mirrors is seemingly [https://na006.tripod.com/yuiscript/ still up..] everything except the inbound & code links are dead)

	== References ==		== References ==
	<references />		<references />

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:34, 22 June 2025
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	{{Template:Construction}}		{{Template:Construction}}
	Web Chats are chatrooms based on the web, accessible through a web browser. They are generally accepted as some of the first forms of real-time chat, being introduced around [[TEH OLDE]] days of the [[1990s]]. This was before the dotcom bubble had helped make the internet mainstream, and as a result is also accepted as a RELIK OF THA PAST

	~~(i'll figure out~~ the ~~wording here~~ some time ~~soon~~...)		Web Chats, or Webchats are chatrooms based on the web, accessible through a web browser. They are generally accepted as some of the first forms of real-time chat, being introduced around [[TEH OLDE]] days of the [[1990s]]. This was before the dotcom bubble had helped make the internet mainstream after ~1997, and was a staple of many internet sites throughout those much earlier times. As time progressed, webchat fell out of fashion in favour of newer, feature rich alternatives, although sites such as [[Heyuri★CGI]] picked up old scripts to replicate the long forgotten convience of them.

	== The Evolution of Web Chats in the West ==		== The Evolution of Web Chats in the West ==
	What was one of the most popular, and first site that came to provide chat services would be Web Chat Broadcasting System (formerly Internet Roundtable Society), ~~first~~ founded in 1990, and subsequentially becoming generally mainstream in 1993.<ref name="WBS press">[https://web.archive.org/web/19971210161302/http://wbs.net/wbs/press/press.html archive.org of wbs.net's press page]</ref>		What was one of the most popular, and first site that came to provide chat services would be Web Chat Broadcasting System (formerly Internet Roundtable Society), founded in 1990, and subsequentially becoming generally mainstream in 1993.<ref name="WBS press">[https://web.archive.org/web/19971210161302/http://wbs.net/wbs/press/press.html archive.org of wbs.net/internet round table society's press page]</ref>

	They were first known well for their ability to provide real-time chat on an internet browser, allowing posting of images, video, audio clips, and etc, and found alot of success thanks to being one of the first to ever do it.		They were first known well for their ability to provide real-time chat on an internet browser, allowing posting of images, video, audio clips, and etc, and found alot of success thanks to being one of the first to ever do it.
	Many people from different communities came together on WBS to just chat about stupid stuff, ranging from roleplayers to teens to "African_American_Gay (44)"<ref name="wbsActiveArchive">[https://web.archive.org/web/19981201091418/http://wbs.net:80/wbs/active_rooms.html December 1998 archive of WBS's active rooms]</ref>, and thanks to that, WBS quickly gained rapid popularity throughout the 90s.		Many people from different communities came together on WBS to just chat about stupid stuff, ranging from roleplayers to teens to whatever folks were on"African_American_Gay (44)"<ref name="wbsActiveArchive">[https://web.archive.org/web/19981201091418/http://wbs.net:80/wbs/active_rooms.html December 1998 archive of WBS's active rooms]</ref>, and thanks to that, WBS quickly gained rapid popularity throughout the late 90s.

	Whereas during this time, IRC and other real-time chat solutions had existed by this time, it was still very difficult for general everyday users to understand in comparison to how easy Web Chat such as WBS and other independent sites had made the process much more streamlined.		Whereas during this time, IRC and other real-time chat solutions had existed by this time, it was still very difficult for general everyday users to understand, particularly in comparison to how easy Web Chat solutions such as WBS and other independent sites had made the process much more streamlined.
	As a result, WBS had quickly amassed 2.2 million registered users by 1997,<ref name="WBS press" /> drawing lots of attention and leading the company into fame.		As a result, WBS had quickly amassed 2.2 million registered users by 1997,<ref name="WBS press" /> drawing lots of attention and leading the company into fame.

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	=== Mid-Late 90s, The Dotcom Bubble, and WBS ===		=== Mid-Late 90s, The Dotcom Bubble, and WBS ===

	Later, in 1998, WBS would be sold to Infoseek, a web search engine popular at the time. ~~At the same time~~, many other companies had bought up other sites, namely Lycos (who now also owns Angelfire) purchasing Tripod for $58M USD. This, alongside other competitors such as Yahoo, and their respective chat led to a tense battle between companies to try rake in the highest user base.<ref name="WBS buyout">[https://www.wired.com/1998/04/web-portals-play-leapfrog/ April 1998 WIRED article on the recent purchase of WBS]</ref>		Later, in 1998, WBS would be sold to Infoseek, a web search engine popular at the time. While this was happening, many other companies had bought up other sites, namely Lycos (who now also owns Angelfire) purchasing Tripod for $58M USD. This, alongside other competitors such as Yahoo, and their respective chat led to a tense battle between companies to try rake in the highest user base.<ref name="WBS buyout">[https://www.wired.com/1998/04/web-portals-play-leapfrog/ April 1998 WIRED article on the recent purchase of WBS]</ref>
	~~During all this~~, ~~The dotcom~~ bubble gradually became larger and larger as time progressed, with the previously mentioned Lycos's stock prices hitting from $6 to $78 and Infoseek going up to $10 to $44, ballooning their valuations and helping them dominate the web.		As the absorption of communities quickly progressed, the Dotcom bubble gradually became larger and larger as time progressed, with the previously mentioned Lycos's stock prices hitting from $6 to $78 and Infoseek going up to $10 to $44, ballooning their valuations and helping them dominate both the web and stock markets, further bringing attention towards their webchat communities.

	Soon after, Disney purchased a major stake into Infoseek<ref name="Infoseek-Disney buyout">[https://www.wired.com/1998/06/disney-buys-into-infoseek/ June 1998 WIRED article on Disney acquiring a major stake]</ref>, and only about a year later did Disney subsequntially buy the remainder of the company in July 1999. The same month, WBS went down permanently, and was absorbed into a subsidiary of Disney, Go.com.		Soon after, Disney purchased a major stake into Infoseek<ref name="Infoseek-Disney buyout">[https://www.wired.com/1998/06/disney-buys-into-infoseek/ June 1998 WIRED article on Disney acquiring a major stake]</ref>, and only about a year later did Disney subsequntially buy the remainder of the company in July 1999. The same month, WBS went down permanently, and was absorbed into a subsidiary of Disney, Go.com.
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	Go.com lacked much of the webchatting functionality, and more or less just became a second name for Disney's previous venture into the online space, Disney Online. Go.com did have a form of webchat,<ref name="go.com webchat">[https://web.archive.org/web/20000619181732/http://www.go.com/Chat?svx=CTOC_Chat archive.org of Go.com webchat]</ref>		Go.com lacked much of the webchatting functionality, and more or less just became a second name for Disney's previous venture into the online space, Disney Online. Go.com did have a form of webchat,<ref name="go.com webchat">[https://web.archive.org/web/20000619181732/http://www.go.com/Chat?svx=CTOC_Chat archive.org of Go.com webchat]</ref>
	however ~~much~~ of community fell away to other sites, where their friends followed. Despite this, Go.com did have some notable activity in their chatrooms, with some of their most active chatrooms (the flirting one, of course...) reaching in the triple digits for actively chatting members in archives, actually being to a similar quantity as WBS was in during 1998<ref name="wbsActiveArchive" />.		however a sizeable chunk of their community fell away to other sites, where their friends followed. Despite this, Go.com did have some notable activity in their chatrooms, with some of their most active chatrooms (the flirting one, of course...) reaching in the triple digits for actively chatting members in archives, actually being to a similar quantity as WBS was in during 1998<ref name="wbsActiveArchive" />.

	However, this would not last, as Go.com soon faced financial issues due to the platform itself not being the ~~most profitable~~. As a result, in January 2001, Go.com was to be announced to be shut down<ref name="go.com shutdown">[https://www.computerworld.com/article/1367443/disney-to-stop-go-com.html Computerworld article on the shutdown of Go.com]</ref>, the chatrooms were to be closed and soon after that ~~anything~~ community ~~wise~~ fell away to other sites, ~~including their~~ user-contributed site directory and search engine. Soon after, Go.com had become a site simply being a shell for GoTo.com, then another search engine, and ~~soon~~ after just becoming a homepage for Disney content. Today the site remains as a [https://www.go.com/ Disney directory].		However, this would not last, as Go.com soon faced financial issues due to the platform itself not being profitable in the eyes of Disney. As a result, in January 2001, Go.com was to be announced to be shut down<ref name="go.com shutdown">[https://www.computerworld.com/article/1367443/disney-to-stop-go-com.html Computerworld article on the shutdown of Go.com]</ref>, the chatrooms were to be closed and soon after that the community and their efforts fell away to other sites, leading to the death of Go.com's user-contributed site directory and search engine. Soon after, Go.com had become a site simply being a shell for GoTo.com, then another search engine, and barely a while after just becoming a homepage for Disney content. Today the site remains as a [https://www.go.com/ Disney directory].

	=== Chatting throughout The Mid-Late 2000s ===		=== Chatting throughout The Mid-Late 2000s ===
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	=== 2010s, and almost modern day ===		=== 2010s, and almost modern day ===
	This was the point where the majority of people using webchat had retreated to smaller communities, through more decentralized ~~(as in community)~~ alternatives, such as Skype and Facebook, where real time chatting had become enough of a commodity they ended up merged into parts of social media. However, many sites still floated around offering features that more traditional social media couldn't.		This was the point where the majority of people using webchat had retreated to smaller communities, through more decentralized alternatives, such as Skype and Facebook, where real time chatting had become enough of a commodity they ended up merged into parts of social media. However, many sites still floated around offering features that more traditional social media couldn't.

	(im expanding this later too)		(im expanding this later too)
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	Webchat still finds a use today, primarily being used as simple and fast texting for customer support (when its uh.. not [[ChatGPT]]-san.. and actually works...), and there are still many small to medium sized communities that still utilize old style webchatting even today, despite other, more innovative options around the internet.		Webchat still finds a use today, primarily being used as simple and fast texting for customer support (when its uh.. not [[ChatGPT]]-san.. and actually works...), and there are still many small to medium sized communities that still utilize old style webchatting even today, despite other, more innovative options around the internet.

	Some of the more popular modern forms of Webchat are examples such as Omegle, and the many thousands of spawn that came after it's death. ~~(like a wolf spider..)~~		Some of the more popular modern forms of Webchat are examples such as Omegle, and the many thousands of wolf-spider-like spawn that came after it's death.
	These sites primarily center around the same format, with a webcam feed, and either (or both) voice chat and simple text chat with a semi-randomly selected other user.		These sites primarily center around the same format, with a webcam feed, and either (or both) voice chat and simple text chat with a semi-randomly selected other user.
	Some of these sites will allow you to simply chat without either a voice or camera feed, and simply match you with another person to chat with. (namely, omegle itself.)		Some of these sites will allow you to simply chat without either a voice or camera feed, and simply match you with another person to chat with. (namely, omegle itself.)
	This format of 1 to 1 chatting became very popular, ~~primarily~~ due to it's younger audience performing... [[CP\|acts when requested]] and various other horny scenarios. ~~It was filled with aLOT of horny 3D lovers~~.
			This format of 1 to 1 chatting became very popular, possibly due to it's younger audience performing... [[CP\|acts when requested]] and various other horny scenarios. Many people also took up 'omegle trolling' (look it up on youtube), and still continue on the alternative sites.

	However, resident users of these more ancient than old sites end up spinning off their own revival servers. Notably, WBS has had a myriad of various revival projects, such as classic-wbs.net (dead since summer 2023) and [https://wbs.chat/ wbs-retro] (still going), each of which less successful than the last. Fans of these sites typically forgot about it, and moved on to wherever else.		However, resident users of these more ancient than old sites end up spinning off their own revival servers. Notably, WBS has had a myriad of various revival projects, such as classic-wbs.net (dead since summer 2023) and [https://wbs.chat/ wbs-retro] (still going), each of which less successful than the last. Fans of these sites typically forgot about it, and moved on to wherever else.