The operators of the website Serial Port have recently revived Archie, the internet’s first search engine. Its FTP search and indexing functions are available to the public.
What just happened? As Google uses generative AI and other features to change how users search the internet, many have expressed the desire to turn back the clock on search engines. Thanks to a YouTube channel, users can experience the original search engine, which provides a portal to the internet before the World Wide Web.
The operators of the website Serial Port have recently revived Archie, the internet’s first search engine. Its FTP search and indexing functions are available to the public again after languishing in obscurity for years.
Currently, the tool only hosts one server compared to the many that existed decades ago, but users can find and download almost 30,000 files from anonymous FTP sites. Serial Port also hosts Archie’s files and source code to help ensure this important piece of internet history isn’t lost again.
