Readable, searchable, HDified
The archive is still the old Internet Underground underneath: hand-built pages, weird tables, loud colors, and the original paths preserved.
For the HD version, we added a modern wrapper around the artifacts so it is easier to browse for fun on phones, tablets, and big monitors.
- Mobile viewport fixes and more readable article layouts.
- Centered magazine and article pages where the old left edge felt stranded.
- A working internal search for archive pages.
- An original-vs-HD comparison tool for seeing what changed.
- High-resolution issue covers where public scans were available.
Preservation rule: the original archive files stay intact unless there is an explicit restoration reason. The HD work is a reader-friendly layer on top.
This site was coded entirely by hand (all 1000+ files) — using Notepad.exe — between January 1996 and May 1997. All maintenance pre-1997 was done over a 33k modem. What larks.
Internet Underground Magazine was created by Sendai Publishing Group, which was bought by Ziff-Davis Publishing in mid 1996.
The magazine was shut down midway through production of its 19th edition. All stories and art were killed.
The contents of this site are the product of the former staff and contributors, and I intend the existence of this archive to celebrate the work they did, and the work that I was allowed to do.