Type of site Single serving Created by Jeff Abrahamson | Owner Jeff Abrahamson Website www.purple.com | |
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Alexa rank 287,332 (Global, December 2014)
76,061 (US, December 2014) Launched August 31, 1994; 22 years ago (1994-08-31) | ||
Purple.com, commonly referred to as "Purple" is a single-page website created in 1994. It once consisted of no links or text and its only noticeable content was a purple background. The site is notable as being the oldest known single-serving site. It is also the oldest mobile friendly site.
Contents
Content
The most noticeable feature of the site is the main page with a purple-coloured background. The site has since added subpages, including FAQ's, a notification about abuse/spam, a guideline about linking the site, and guidelines on availability.
History
According to the creator, software engineer Jeff Abrahamson, the site originated from the difficult process of accessing and surfing the internet in its early days, similar to most early single serving sites.
The site was launched on 31 August 1994. From its launch to late 2006 the background colour was #DD00FF, resulting in numerous complaints that it was not actually purple. It was changed to #7D26CD on 6 November 2006 based on recommendations.
Impact
Some sites have been created as parodies of the site. Some of the most well known, both created in 2007 are SometimesRedSometimesBlue.com, created by Damon Zucconi which alternates between a red and blue background and LetsTurnThisFuckingWebsiteYellow.com., a site which consists of a yellow background created by Charles Broskoski. Randomcolour.com is a website that generates a different background colour (chosen at random) when visited.