LEGO Information (website): Difference between revisions
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| type = [[Wikipedia:Fansite|Fansite]] | | type = [[Wikipedia:Fansite|Fansite]] | ||
| language = English | | language = English | ||
| creator = David Koblas | | creator = David Koblas | ||
| parent = Home Pages, Inc. | | parent = Home Pages, Inc. | ||
| url = {{ubl| {{URL|legowww.homepages.com}} | {{URL|legowww.itek.norut.no}} }} | | url = {{ubl| {{URL|legowww.homepages.com}} | {{URL|legowww.itek.norut.no}} }} | ||
| commercial = | | commercial = No | ||
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1993|12|28}} | | launch_date = {{start date and age|1993|12|28}} | ||
| current_status = Closed | | current_status = Closed | ||
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<!--[[File:LEGO Information Page (1994-12-16) p2.jpg|thumb|left|More of the home page {{circa|December 1994}}]] | <!--[[File:LEGO Information Page (1994-12-16) p2.jpg|thumb|left|More of the home page {{circa|December 1994}}]] | ||
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The LEGO Information website featured pages covering the history of LEGO, the [[LEGO Builders Club]], information on sets that were available to purchase at the time, parts lists for specific sets, and a written tour of the [[LEGO factory]] at [[LEGO Systems, Inc.]] in [[Wikipedia:Enfield, Connecticut|Enfield, Connecticut]].<ref name="Bohannon 1996"/><ref name="Maxwell 1995"/><ref name="Schepp 1995"/><ref name="Turlington 1995"/> The site also offered activities and entertainment, such as ideas for LEGO projects, games using LEGO, computer programs, and a "LEGO theme song". It additionally hosted scans of LEGO catalogues and snapshots of television commercials from 1994−1995, alongside pictures of homemade LEGO models and LEGO robots.<ref name="Maxwell 1995"/><ref name="Schepp 1995"/><ref name="Turlington 1995"/><ref name="Sterne 1995"/><ref name="Carroll 1995"/> A link near the top of the home page invited viewers to contact Koblas and submit new information, suggestions for site improvements, and images of their own [[MOCs|LEGO creations]].<ref name="Sterne 1995"/> Other links directed readers to external websites.<ref name="Bohannon 1996"/><ref name="Maxwell 1995"/> | The LEGO Information website featured pages covering the history of LEGO, the [[LEGO Builders Club]], information on sets that were available to purchase at the time, parts lists for specific sets, and a written tour of the [[LEGO factory]] at [[LEGO Systems, Inc.]] in [[Wikipedia:Enfield, Connecticut|Enfield, Connecticut]].<ref name="Bohannon 1996"/><ref name="Maxwell 1995"/><ref name="Schepp 1995"/><ref name="Turlington 1995"/> The site also offered activities and entertainment, such as ideas for LEGO projects, games using LEGO, computer programs, and a "LEGO theme song". It additionally hosted scans of LEGO catalogues and snapshots of television commercials from 1994−1995, alongside pictures of homemade LEGO models and LEGO robots.<ref name="Maxwell 1995"/><ref name="Schepp 1995"/><ref name="Turlington 1995"/><ref name="Sterne 1995"/><ref name="Carroll 1995"/><ref name="Randall 1995"/> A link near the top of the home page invited viewers to contact Koblas and submit new information, suggestions for site improvements, and images of their own [[MOCs|LEGO creations]].<ref name="Sterne 1995"/> Other links directed readers to external websites.<ref name="Bohannon 1996"/><ref name="Maxwell 1995"/> | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
David Koblas announced the launch of an experimental LEGO website (at the time called a "[[Wikipedia:World Wide Web|WWW]] [[Wikipedia:Web server|server]]") on [[alt.toys.lego]] on December 28, 1993.<ref name="alt.toys.lego Koblas WWW"/> | David Koblas announced the launch of an experimental LEGO website (at the time called a "[[Wikipedia:World Wide Web|WWW]] [[Wikipedia:Web server|server]]") on [[alt.toys.lego]] on December 28, 1993.<ref name="alt.toys.lego Koblas WWW"/> | ||
It was originally hosted by the [[Wikipedia:Norut|Norut]] Group's Information Technology division in [[Wikipedia:Tromsø|Tromsø]], Norway.<ref name="Norut"/> In November 1994, Koblas moved the server to his own [[Wikipedia:Mountain View, California|Mountain View, California]]-based company, Home Pages, for faster access speeds.<ref name="rec.toys.lego Koblas Norut"/><ref name="Betts 1995"/> | It was originally hosted by the [[Wikipedia:Norut|Norut]] Group's Information Technology division in [[Wikipedia:Tromsø|Tromsø]], Norway.<ref name="Norut"/> In November 1994, Koblas moved the server to his own [[Wikipedia:Mountain View, California|Mountain View, California]]-based company, Home Pages, for faster international access speeds.<ref name="rec.toys.lego Koblas Norut"/><ref name="Betts 1995"/> | ||
<!-- | <!-- | ||
In a September 1995 issue of ''[[Wikipedia:Computerworld|Computerworld]]'' | In a September 1995 issue of ''[[Wikipedia:Computerworld|Computerworld]]'' | ||
Koblas's website was featured in an article | Koblas's website was featured in an article | ||
on unauthorised | on unauthorised commercial web pages using trademark | ||
| Line 44: | Line 41: | ||
announced that | announced that | ||
--> | --> | ||
<ref name="rec.toys.lego Koblas letter"/> | <ref name="rec.toys.lego Koblas letter"/><ref name="Net Guide 1995"/> | ||
== Reception == | == Reception == | ||
LEGO Information was one of the first [[Wikipedia:Web page|web pages]] dedicated to LEGO, created at a time when the [[Wikipedia:World Wide Web|World Wide Web]] was still new and relatively small.{{efn|The World Wide Web [[Wikipedia:HTTP|protocol]] and code had only been publicly released in April 1993.<ref name="CERN"/> A study by [[Wikipedia:Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] researcher Matthew Gray found that there were only 623 websites near the end of 1993, compared to over ten thousand just one year later and around one hundred thousand | LEGO Information was one of the first [[Wikipedia:Web page|web pages]] dedicated to LEGO, created at a time when the [[Wikipedia:World Wide Web|World Wide Web]] was still new and relatively small.{{efn|The World Wide Web [[Wikipedia:HTTP|protocol]] and code had only been publicly released in April 1993.<ref name="CERN"/> A study by [[Wikipedia:Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] researcher Matthew Gray found that there were only 623 websites near the end of 1993, compared to over ten thousand just one year later and around one hundred thousand two years later.<ref name="MIT"/>}} | ||
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Koblas's website was featured in Jim Sterne's 1995 book ''World Wide Web Marketing'', where it was praised for its positive tone and user-friendly layout.<ref name="Sterne"/> | |||
sources called it "the lego web site"<ref name="Randall 1995"/> | |||
--> | |||
In the March 1996 issue of [[Wikipedia:MacUser|''MacUser'']], LEGO Information was featured in a list of 101 must-see websites. It was placed in the "Have You Lost Your Mind?" section, alongside other websites with subject matters considered niche or unusual.<ref name="MacUser"/> | In the March 1996 issue of [[Wikipedia:MacUser|''MacUser'']], LEGO Information was featured in a list of 101 must-see websites. It was placed in the "Have You Lost Your Mind?" section, alongside other websites with subject matters considered niche or unusual.<ref name="MacUser"/> | ||
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<ref name="Maxwell 1995">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/nrofficialintern0000chri/page/524/mode/2up?view=theater |title=McKinley Internet Directory |first=Christine |last=Maxwell |publisher=New Riders Publishing |location=[[Wikipedia:Indianapolis|Indianapolis]] |year=1995 |isbn=1-56205-439-2 |page=524}}</ref> | <ref name="Maxwell 1995">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/nrofficialintern0000chri/page/524/mode/2up?view=theater |title=McKinley Internet Directory |first=Christine |last=Maxwell |publisher=New Riders Publishing |location=[[Wikipedia:Indianapolis|Indianapolis]] |year=1995 |isbn=1-56205-439-2 |page=524}}</ref> | ||
<ref name="Net Guide 1995">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/netguideyourcomp00malo/page/131/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Net Guide: Your Complete Guide to the Internet and Online Services |first1=Kelly |last1=Maloni |first2=Ben |last2=Greenman |first3=Kristin |last3=Miller |first4=Jeff |last4=Hearn |display-authors=3 |edition=Second |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Random House|Random House Electronic Publishing]] |date=1995 |ISBN=0-679-76456-9 |pages=131-132}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Randall 1995">{{cite book |title=Plug-n-Play Internet |publisher=Sams Publishing |location=[[Wikipedia:Indianapolis|Indianapolis]] |first1=Neil |last1=Randall |first2=Celine |last2=Latulipe |year=1995 |url=https://archive.org/details/plugnplayinterne0000rand/page/297/mode/2up?view=theater |page=297 |ISBN=0-672-30669-7}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Schepp 1995">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/kidnetkidsguidet00sche/page/154/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Kidnet: The Kid's Guide to Surfing Through Cyberspace |first1=Debra Sorkowitz |last1=Schepp |first2=Brad |last2=Schepp |publisher=[[Wikipedia:HarperCollins Publishers|HarperCollins Publishers]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |year=1995 |isbn=0-06-273380-X |pages=154-155}}</ref> | <ref name="Schepp 1995">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/kidnetkidsguidet00sche/page/154/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Kidnet: The Kid's Guide to Surfing Through Cyberspace |first1=Debra Sorkowitz |last1=Schepp |first2=Brad |last2=Schepp |publisher=[[Wikipedia:HarperCollins Publishers|HarperCollins Publishers]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |year=1995 |isbn=0-06-273380-X |pages=154-155}}</ref> | ||
| Line 78: | Line 85: | ||
<ref name="CERN">{{cite web |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/1164399/ |title=Statement concerning CERN W3 software release into public domain |date=30 April 1993 |location=[[Wikipedia:Geneva|Geneva]] |publisher=[[Wikipedia:CERN|CERN]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430154938/https://cds.cern.ch/record/1164399 |archive-date=30 April 2013 |url-status=live |access-date=13 February 2026 |via=CERN Document Server}}</ref> | <ref name="CERN">{{cite web |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/1164399/ |title=Statement concerning CERN W3 software release into public domain |date=30 April 1993 |location=[[Wikipedia:Geneva|Geneva]] |publisher=[[Wikipedia:CERN|CERN]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430154938/https://cds.cern.ch/record/1164399 |archive-date=30 April 2013 |url-status=live |access-date=13 February 2026 |via=CERN Document Server}}</ref> | ||
<ref name="MIT">{{cite web |url=https://stuff.mit.edu/people/mkgray/net/web-growth-summary.html |title=Web Growth Summary |date=June 20, 1996 |first=Matthew |last=Gray |website=Internet Statistics: Growth and Usage of the Web and the Internet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041228225457/http://stuff.mit.edu/people/mkgray/net/web-growth-summary.html |archive-date=December 28, 2004 |url-status=live |access-date=February 12, 2026 |via=[[Wikipedia:Mit.edu|stuff.mit.edu]]}}</ref> | <ref name="MIT">{{cite web |url=https://stuff.mit.edu/people/mkgray/net/web-growth-summary.html |title=Web Growth Summary |date=June 20, 1996 |first=Matthew |last=Gray |website=Internet Statistics: Growth and Usage of the Web and the Internet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041228225457/http://stuff.mit.edu/people/mkgray/net/web-growth-summary.html |archive-date=December 28, 2004 |url-status=live |access-date=February 12, 2026 |via=[[Wikipedia:Mit.edu|stuff.mit.edu]] |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] |location=[[Wikipedia:Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge, Massachusetts]]}}</ref> | ||
<ref name="Norut">{{cite web |url=http://itek.norut.no/ |title=The NORUT Group Ltd. |website=itek.norut.no |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227092014/http://itek.norut.no/ |archive-date=27 December 1996}}</ref> | <ref name="Norut">{{cite web |url=http://itek.norut.no/ |title=The NORUT Group Ltd. |website=itek.norut.no |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227092014/http://itek.norut.no/ |archive-date=27 December 1996}}</ref> | ||
Latest revision as of 21:22, 13 February 2026
.jpg) | |
Type of site | Fansite |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Created by | David Koblas |
| Parent | Home Pages, Inc. |
| URL | |
| Commercial | No |
| Launched | December 28, 1993 |
| Discontinued | April 3, 1996[1] |
| Current status | Closed |
LEGO Information (also called the LEGO WWW server) was a fansite that contained information and resources regarding LEGO. The site was launched by rec.toys.lego founder David Koblas in December 1993. It was one of the first pages on the World Wide Web dedicated to LEGO.
Contents
The LEGO Information website featured pages covering the history of LEGO, the LEGO Builders Club, information on sets that were available to purchase at the time, parts lists for specific sets, and a written tour of the LEGO factory at LEGO Systems, Inc. in Enfield, Connecticut.[2][3][4][5] The site also offered activities and entertainment, such as ideas for LEGO projects, games using LEGO, computer programs, and a "LEGO theme song". It additionally hosted scans of LEGO catalogues and snapshots of television commercials from 1994−1995, alongside pictures of homemade LEGO models and LEGO robots.[3][4][5][6][7][8] A link near the top of the home page invited viewers to contact Koblas and submit new information, suggestions for site improvements, and images of their own LEGO creations.[6] Other links directed readers to external websites.[2][3]
History
David Koblas announced the launch of an experimental LEGO website (at the time called a "WWW server") on alt.toys.lego on December 28, 1993.[9]
It was originally hosted by the Norut Group's Information Technology division in Tromsø, Norway.[10] In November 1994, Koblas moved the server to his own Mountain View, California-based company, Home Pages, for faster international access speeds.[11][12] [1][13]
Reception
LEGO Information was one of the first web pages dedicated to LEGO, created at a time when the World Wide Web was still new and relatively small.[a]
In the March 1996 issue of MacUser, LEGO Information was featured in a list of 101 must-see websites. It was placed in the "Have You Lost Your Mind?" section, alongside other websites with subject matters considered niche or unusual.[16]
Notes
- ↑ The World Wide Web protocol and code had only been publicly released in April 1993.[14] A study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Matthew Gray found that there were only 623 websites near the end of 1993, compared to over ten thousand just one year later and around one hundred thousand two years later.[15]
References
- ↑ a b Koblas, David (3 April 1996). "legowww.homepages.com". Newsgroup: rec.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026 – via Google Groups.
- ↑ a b Bohannon, Ric (1996). "Hobbies, Travel & Tourism". In Gagnon, Eric (ed.). What's on the Web (Spring/Summer 1996 ed.). Fairfax, Virginia: Internet Media Corp. p. 179. ISBN 1-884640-19-2.
- ↑ a b c Maxwell, Christine (1995). McKinley Internet Directory. Indianapolis: New Riders Publishing. p. 524. ISBN 1-56205-439-2.
- ↑ a b Schepp, Debra Sorkowitz; Schepp, Brad (1995). Kidnet: The Kid's Guide to Surfing Through Cyberspace. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 154–155. ISBN 0-06-273380-X.
- ↑ a b Turlington, Shannon; et al. (1995). Internet Roadside Attractions: Sites, Sounds & Scenes Along the Information Superhighway. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Ventana Press. pp. 86–87. ISBN 1-56604-193-7.
- ↑ a b Sterne, Jim (1995). "Interactivity Is King – LEGO On-Line". World Wide Web Marketing: Integrating the Internet into Your Marketing Strategy. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 133–136. ISBN 0-471-12843-0.
- ↑ Carroll, Jim; Broadhead, Rick (1995). The Canadian Internet Advantage: Opportunities for Business and Other Organizations. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall Canada, Inc. pp. 94–97. ISBN 0-13-226598-2.
- ↑ Randall, Neil; Latulipe, Celine (1995). Plug-n-Play Internet. Indianapolis: Sams Publishing. p. 297. ISBN 0-672-30669-7.
- ↑ Koblas, David (28 December 1993). "Experimental WWW server online". Newsgroup: alt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2026 – via Google Groups.
- ↑ "The NORUT Group Ltd". itek.norut.no. Archived from the original on 27 December 1996.
- ↑ Koblas, David (12 November 1994). "Re: WWW: LEGO page". Newsgroup: rec.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2026 – via Google Groups.
- ↑ Betts, Mitch (September 11, 1995). "Lego finds unauthorized Web pages easy to build". The Internet Page. Computerworld. Vol. 29, no. 37. Framingham, Massachusetts: International Data Group. p. 68. ISSN 0010-4841.
- ↑ Maloni, Kelly; Greenman, Ben; Miller, Kristin; et al. (1995). Net Guide: Your Complete Guide to the Internet and Online Services (Second ed.). New York: Random House Electronic Publishing. pp. 131–132. ISBN 0-679-76456-9.
- ↑ "Statement concerning CERN W3 software release into public domain". Geneva: CERN. 30 April 1993. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2026 – via CERN Document Server.
- ↑ Gray, Matthew (June 20, 1996). "Web Growth Summary". Internet Statistics: Growth and Usage of the Web and the Internet. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on December 28, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2026 – via stuff.mit.edu.
- ↑ Myslewski, Rik; Brisbin, Shelly; Snell, Jason; et al. (March 1996). "Welcome to the Web!". MacUser. Vol. 12, no. 3. New York: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. p. 81. ISSN 0884-0997.
