The Destruction Of Webring: One Year Later
| Category: Internet Tips | Date: 2002-12-12 |
Let me tell you a story my son. Be forewarned, this is not your normal, modern day fairy tale. This is like the fairy tales of old, before they were laundered and sanitized by modern animation factories. Remember in the original Little Red Riding Hood the wolf slaughtered and killed everyone, including the cute little girl.
Some time ago there was the kingdom of Webring. The kingdom was united and it's people were happy and content. Webring was huge, grand it was indeed. At it's height it was reported to include over 80,000 villages, cities and towns (all collectively known as webrings). Each town was ruled by a ringmaster, and each ringmaster had unlimited control over his population. At it's height, the kingdom is reported to have housed well over a million souls (ringmembers).
Although there were the usual problems associated with a large community, in general the people were happy and content. Happy, that is, until one day a foul stench wafted through the kingdom. A rumor it was, horrible to the ears. The empire of Y! was visiting with an eye towards assimilation.
Unfortunately the rumors were true, and the happy kingdom was purchased by the empire of Y! A shiver ran through the planet that day, a foul day indeed.
At first there was little change and the people went about their daily business. New rings were created at a great rate and, on the surface at least, all appeared to be normal.
Normal, that is, until one day a memo was delivered to all of the ringmasters, claiming that great and wonderful changes were afoot. Things were going to happen now, good things. The kingdom of Webring was going to change in ways wonderful to behold.
It was common for ringmasters to congregate in the great meeting hall of Webringnews, which was ruled by a gentle ruler known mysteriously only as the Bob. As the rumors of change swept through the kingdom the loyal subjects began to meet in the hall, rightly concerned about the vagueness of the notice and the possibilities it introduced.
Nothing useful was gleaned from the leaders of Y! so the ringmasters assumed the worst. The halls of Webringnews shook with speculation and consternation. The mighty Bob had his hands full maintaining order among the wild and woolly subjects.
During this time rose some great knights. The wise sir James encouraged all to remain calm. His words of wisdom earned him a special place in the annuals of Webing. The upstart Gunnar, sensing that this story might not have a happy ending, split from the kingdom to create a new kingdom - the mythical land of Ringlink. These and many others contributed to the wonderful conversations and speculations that went on during these stressful times.
Also came rumor of other kingdoms - the deserted but promising land of Ringsurf, the hills of Boomis and the wild outbacks of Netring. Slowly at first but with gathering momentum ringmasters began to leave the Kingdom. All were sensing doom and destruction at the hands of the evil leaders of Y!
The fateful day came. It is remembered by all with whispers of fear and loathing. This is the day that the armies of Y! marched through the kingdom, announcing the new order that was now upon all of the subjects. All would be assimilated, all would obey. The day was September 5, 2000, and it would be forever associated with a curse - the curse of Black Tuesday.
The mighty Y! put into effect a new constitution, the central component of which was the sacred Navbar. The Navbar was wondrous indeed, so preached the minions of Y!, so awesome that it would be loved by all. So decreed the mighty Y!, so said the holy Bob, and so it shall be. This Navbar was so incredibly monumental that it was unleashed upon the kingdom with no advance warning, no training and no instructions. Surely it would be a new world, a world were all rings were equal, and all swore allegiance to the Y!
The halls of Webringnews were full of shouting, confused souls that day. For the next few months all struggled with the new rules, hoping beyond hope that the kingdom of Webring could one day again be a happy place again.
The cries from the populace reached new heights as it became clear that the armies of the mighty Y! were uncaring and, worse still, untrained and unwashed barbarians. The flaws in the new Navbar became known, and the basic change in the fabric of the universe was made abundantly clear.
You see, in the days before the conquest of Y!, ring fragments were created by Ringmasters to drive traffic to their sites and to the ring member sites. The Navbar, through it's wicked magic spell, changed all of that. Now, all sites were connected to the sacred city of Y!Webring, and that became the center of the entire universe.
Shortly after the unveiling of the sacred Navbar, the mighty Bob decreed that all will agree with the new Navbar. No longer would there be intelligent debate in the halls of Webringnews. In fact, The Bob, who seemed to have an incredible amount of time on his hands, rewrote the history of the takeover by purging all old entries from the Book Of Webringnews. The Bob declared that all was well and all happy (so there), and anyone who thought otherwise would just be purged and banned.
A vast migration from Y!Webring began, as ringmasters burned their villages and took their ringmembers elsewhere. Some moved to the uncharted lands of RingSurf, while others fled to the golden lands of Ringlink. The trickle soon turned into a river, and then a flood as people fled the evils of the Y!Webring.
Even the mighty Bob could not stifle the screams of agony from the ringmasters. Finally, in an act of desperation, the halls of Webringnews were burned to the ground, utterly destroyed. New halls were opened in a futile attempt to restore order, but they all suffered the same fate in the end. Finally, the Bob fled and was not seen again.
In a final act of desperation, an attempt was made to resurrect the founding king of Webring, the mythical Sage. A letter was carefully drafted with all of the correct incantations, but it was to naught. The Sage had moved on to another plane, and was not interested in getting involved in the wilds of Y!Webring.
Now, one year later, what is the result? The roads of the Internet are littered with the ruins of the once-mighty Webring. Broken rings abound, bits and pieces of ring fragments are everywhere, showing the greatness that once was.
The new and wondrous Navbar is appearing everywhere, and it's true purpose has become clear. You see, it was all a plot to lower the intelligence of the internet user, and it has succeeded. The spell it has cast over Y!Webring is strong and cannot be defeated.
The land of RingSurf seems to be healthy and it's people prosperous, although the ruler is missing. The wise and noble Sir James has become a collector of Navbars, with over 1,200 to his name! He continues to explore new kingdoms and has allied with the rogue King Gunnar. Many of the most talented and vocal ringmasters have joined arms with this man.
The only thing left to do is hope, and perhaps pray to whatever gods you believe in. Perhaps the rogue knight, sir Gunnar, will have his way. Perhaps Sir Gunnar can lead us into a new golden age - the age of Ringlink. An age where all beings are created equal and have a voice. Perhaps one day ... it will all be true.
In the meantime, Sir Gunnar has released the second era of the Ringlink kingdom, which may attract a whole new flock of ringmasters. Perhaps, from the ruins of Webring will emerge a new order. Only time will tell.
by Richard Lowe, Jr., internet-tips.net
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm
Daily Tips: internet-tips@GetResponse.com
Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com
List of articles available for reprint: article-list@internet-tips.net
articles@internet-tips.net
http://www.internet-tips.net
Some time ago there was the kingdom of Webring. The kingdom was united and it's people were happy and content. Webring was huge, grand it was indeed. At it's height it was reported to include over 80,000 villages, cities and towns (all collectively known as webrings). Each town was ruled by a ringmaster, and each ringmaster had unlimited control over his population. At it's height, the kingdom is reported to have housed well over a million souls (ringmembers).
Although there were the usual problems associated with a large community, in general the people were happy and content. Happy, that is, until one day a foul stench wafted through the kingdom. A rumor it was, horrible to the ears. The empire of Y! was visiting with an eye towards assimilation.
Unfortunately the rumors were true, and the happy kingdom was purchased by the empire of Y! A shiver ran through the planet that day, a foul day indeed.
At first there was little change and the people went about their daily business. New rings were created at a great rate and, on the surface at least, all appeared to be normal.
Normal, that is, until one day a memo was delivered to all of the ringmasters, claiming that great and wonderful changes were afoot. Things were going to happen now, good things. The kingdom of Webring was going to change in ways wonderful to behold.
It was common for ringmasters to congregate in the great meeting hall of Webringnews, which was ruled by a gentle ruler known mysteriously only as the Bob. As the rumors of change swept through the kingdom the loyal subjects began to meet in the hall, rightly concerned about the vagueness of the notice and the possibilities it introduced.
Nothing useful was gleaned from the leaders of Y! so the ringmasters assumed the worst. The halls of Webringnews shook with speculation and consternation. The mighty Bob had his hands full maintaining order among the wild and woolly subjects.
During this time rose some great knights. The wise sir James encouraged all to remain calm. His words of wisdom earned him a special place in the annuals of Webing. The upstart Gunnar, sensing that this story might not have a happy ending, split from the kingdom to create a new kingdom - the mythical land of Ringlink. These and many others contributed to the wonderful conversations and speculations that went on during these stressful times.
Also came rumor of other kingdoms - the deserted but promising land of Ringsurf, the hills of Boomis and the wild outbacks of Netring. Slowly at first but with gathering momentum ringmasters began to leave the Kingdom. All were sensing doom and destruction at the hands of the evil leaders of Y!
The fateful day came. It is remembered by all with whispers of fear and loathing. This is the day that the armies of Y! marched through the kingdom, announcing the new order that was now upon all of the subjects. All would be assimilated, all would obey. The day was September 5, 2000, and it would be forever associated with a curse - the curse of Black Tuesday.
The mighty Y! put into effect a new constitution, the central component of which was the sacred Navbar. The Navbar was wondrous indeed, so preached the minions of Y!, so awesome that it would be loved by all. So decreed the mighty Y!, so said the holy Bob, and so it shall be. This Navbar was so incredibly monumental that it was unleashed upon the kingdom with no advance warning, no training and no instructions. Surely it would be a new world, a world were all rings were equal, and all swore allegiance to the Y!
The halls of Webringnews were full of shouting, confused souls that day. For the next few months all struggled with the new rules, hoping beyond hope that the kingdom of Webring could one day again be a happy place again.
The cries from the populace reached new heights as it became clear that the armies of the mighty Y! were uncaring and, worse still, untrained and unwashed barbarians. The flaws in the new Navbar became known, and the basic change in the fabric of the universe was made abundantly clear.
You see, in the days before the conquest of Y!, ring fragments were created by Ringmasters to drive traffic to their sites and to the ring member sites. The Navbar, through it's wicked magic spell, changed all of that. Now, all sites were connected to the sacred city of Y!Webring, and that became the center of the entire universe.
Shortly after the unveiling of the sacred Navbar, the mighty Bob decreed that all will agree with the new Navbar. No longer would there be intelligent debate in the halls of Webringnews. In fact, The Bob, who seemed to have an incredible amount of time on his hands, rewrote the history of the takeover by purging all old entries from the Book Of Webringnews. The Bob declared that all was well and all happy (so there), and anyone who thought otherwise would just be purged and banned.
A vast migration from Y!Webring began, as ringmasters burned their villages and took their ringmembers elsewhere. Some moved to the uncharted lands of RingSurf, while others fled to the golden lands of Ringlink. The trickle soon turned into a river, and then a flood as people fled the evils of the Y!Webring.
Even the mighty Bob could not stifle the screams of agony from the ringmasters. Finally, in an act of desperation, the halls of Webringnews were burned to the ground, utterly destroyed. New halls were opened in a futile attempt to restore order, but they all suffered the same fate in the end. Finally, the Bob fled and was not seen again.
In a final act of desperation, an attempt was made to resurrect the founding king of Webring, the mythical Sage. A letter was carefully drafted with all of the correct incantations, but it was to naught. The Sage had moved on to another plane, and was not interested in getting involved in the wilds of Y!Webring.
Now, one year later, what is the result? The roads of the Internet are littered with the ruins of the once-mighty Webring. Broken rings abound, bits and pieces of ring fragments are everywhere, showing the greatness that once was.
The new and wondrous Navbar is appearing everywhere, and it's true purpose has become clear. You see, it was all a plot to lower the intelligence of the internet user, and it has succeeded. The spell it has cast over Y!Webring is strong and cannot be defeated.
The land of RingSurf seems to be healthy and it's people prosperous, although the ruler is missing. The wise and noble Sir James has become a collector of Navbars, with over 1,200 to his name! He continues to explore new kingdoms and has allied with the rogue King Gunnar. Many of the most talented and vocal ringmasters have joined arms with this man.
The only thing left to do is hope, and perhaps pray to whatever gods you believe in. Perhaps the rogue knight, sir Gunnar, will have his way. Perhaps Sir Gunnar can lead us into a new golden age - the age of Ringlink. An age where all beings are created equal and have a voice. Perhaps one day ... it will all be true.
In the meantime, Sir Gunnar has released the second era of the Ringlink kingdom, which may attract a whole new flock of ringmasters. Perhaps, from the ruins of Webring will emerge a new order. Only time will tell.
by Richard Lowe, Jr., internet-tips.net
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm
Daily Tips: internet-tips@GetResponse.com
Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com
List of articles available for reprint: article-list@internet-tips.net
articles@internet-tips.net
http://www.internet-tips.net
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