56k.rip
Dial-up simulator
A free browser simulation of the 1996 dial-up internet experience, praised for its nostalgic detail and fun. Critics say it has too much AI and loads too fast.
A free browser simulation of the 1996 dial-up internet experience, praised for its nostalgic detail and fun. Critics say it has too much AI and loads too fast.
19 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 79%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Nostalgic 1996 dial-up details
“Love the detail of getting kicked off the internet because someone picked up the phone.”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” “Launches a command prompt, just like I hoped it would. Nice.”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” “love that it has the star-field screensaver. nice touch.”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” - Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience”
Fun, theme-park style experience
“Its less like a museum, and more like a theme park. It's fun”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” “I've been having a little too much fun with it honestly.”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” “Fun and cool. The News made me chuckle.”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” Polished and impressive execution
“This is amazing. Loved the emails!”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” “That's surprisingly well done”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” “So f*ing cool, thank you!!”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” Live chat and emails feature
“This is great! I especially enjoyed the live chat feature, that was surprising.”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience” “This is amazing. Loved the emails!”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “56k.rip – the 1996 dial-up internet experience”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56k.ripThis page | 15 | 4 | 79% | 2 | — | — |
| DialUp95 | 9 | 3 | 75% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
18 of the 20 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I've been having a little too much fun with it honestly.”
“This is amazing. Loved the emails!”
“Love the detail of getting kicked off the internet because someone picked up the phone.”
“This is great! I especially enjoyed the live chat feature, that was surprising.”
“Launches a command prompt, just like I hoped it would. Nice.”
“this is such a blast from the past”
“So f*ing cool, thank you!!”
“The task bar gradient felt straight out of windows 2000 too, immediately felt anachronistic.”
“How can you have DSL (connecting through WAN Miniport PPPoE) and dial up modem sounds at the same time?”
“the intention is great but too much AI”
“love that it has the star-field screensaver. nice touch.”
“Its less like a museum, and more like a theme park. It's fun”
“a solitaire game where you cannot drag the cards”
“That's surprisingly well done”
“Also riddled with inaccuracies.”
“this is great, but everything loads WAY too fast”
“Fun and cool. The News made me chuckle.”
“Free, client-side, with zero tracking.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.