There are currently 94 domains that are over 21-years-old. Sadly, many of them are either useless, redirected, or both. Of the 94 websites currently able to vote, drink, and visit adult entertainment venues, these are the 10 that are actually cool. Before we get to the list, we must pay homage to the oldest domain on the Internet, even though the website itself has very little use, interest, or personality:
symbolics.com – 15-March-1985
What a shame. Makes me wish that someone would come along, buy the domain, and put up an online museum of Internet oddities. It’s nothing against the company that has their website there, but PLEASE do something… cool. The sad part is that the website looks like it was built in 1985 and nothing has changed on it since.
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xerox.com – 09-January-1986
It’s fitting that one of the oldest modern technology companies would have one of the oldest websites on the Internet. It has definitely been modernized to go beyond the good ol’ days of black and white photocopies, 4 per minute.
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hp.com – 03-March-1986
Hewlett Packard actually owns two of the 10 oldest domains. DEC.com, dating back to September 30, 1985 (just before Marty McFly took his first jump back in time) is actually older than HP.com.
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ibm.com – 19-March-1986
Again, IBM, one of the original innovators that made the world as computerized as it is today, is a fitting addition to this list with a robust website that fits its namesake.
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sun.com – 19-March-1986
Sun was one of the companies that really started the second generation in the computer revolution. Their website is as detailed as one would expect from the company and offers the downloads associated with their products.
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stargate.com – 05-August-1986
Okay, so this made it to the list because we were expecting to see Richard Dean Anderson. It actually turns out that the website is pretty cool other than having an auto-play video on the homepage.
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bdm.com – 27-October-1986
It’s good to finally see a website make the list that has real muscle. Even though this is a tech blog and most of the listings here are tech oriented, just take a look at the rear tires on the Ridgeback and tell me that it doesn’t heat up your internal processors.
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adobe.com – 17-November-1986
One thing can be said about Adobe – they know how to be everywhere. If you ever have trouble finding their website, just search Google for “Click Here“.
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cisco.com – 14-May-1987
More tech, more old domains. Cisco has been in the business about as long as the Internet has been around. They understand the importance of a good name and are doing what it takes to keep theirs clean.
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lockheed.com – 27-July-1987
This is technically a redirect, but what other Lockheeds are there? And what kind of list would this be without a defense contractor (since that was one of the original reasons for developing the Internet in the first place — defense coordination)?
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apple.com – 19-February-1987
There’s a little tech company that has been trying to make a splash for over 20 years. Perhaps you’ve heard of them?
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That’s it for the over-21 crowd. Most of the websites on the list (which can be found here) are wasted uses of aged domains, but at least some of them were able to position themselves properly and use the age to their advantage. Also check out the article from WHS for more strange and funny domain names.
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