November 16, 2025
Weekend at Bernie’s: The Web
The Man Who Keeps Predicting the Web's Death
He keeps calling the Web’s funeral — comments clap back
TLDR: Zeldman calls out decades of “Web is dead” predictions, spotlighting George Colony’s repeat obituaries while arguing the Web keeps evolving. Comments split between “apps killed it,” “it adapts,” and “let’s build many webs,” showing why this matters: it’s a fight over who controls how we find and share information.
Web legend Jeffrey Zeldman dusted off the classic debate: is the Web dead, now that AI apps and fancy new browsers are taking over? He points to a 30-year pattern of “RIP Web” takes—especially from Forrester founder George Colony—and the community went full popcorn mode. The hottest camp: doomers like James_K who insist “The Web is dead” because people live in a handful of apps, not on open websites. Backing that vibe, krater23 gripes that “Most content is now on <10 big platforms,” turning the Internet into a mall. The counter-camp? Old-school builders chanting “the Web evolves,” roasting Colony’s ‘90s predictions about Java and the ‘00s “XInternet” like a failed sci-fi reboot. Cue memes: “Weekend at Bernie’s but with HTML,” “Press F to pay respects (again),” and “You had one job: say JavaScript.”
Then chaos: deadbabe proposes a multiverse of webs with their own rules, cultures, and even different building blocks—basically Internet theme parks. Some cheered the creativity; others asked who’s going to maintain all those worlds. Zeldman’s reminder (link): every time someone declares the Web finished, it absorbs the next thing (apps, video, social, now AI) and keeps shambling on. Verdict? It’s less a corpse than a shape-shifter—and the comments are the fight club.
Key Points
- •Jeffrey Zeldman highlights renewed debate about the Web’s death amid AI-era tools, referencing a new OpenAI browser.
- •George Colony of Forrester Research repeatedly declared the Web “dead” or dying, starting in 1995 due to perceived lack of interactivity.
- •In 1997, Colony suggested Java would take over online experiences and later stated current technology couldn’t support the internet economy’s scale.
- •IDC’s Michael Sullivan-Trainor countered that the Web would evolve rather than be replaced, emphasizing its foundational role.
- •In the 2000s, Colony continued similar predictions, promoting concepts like the “XInternet,” which drew industry criticism documented by The Register.