As AI-generated summaries and commercial content increasingly shape online search, developers are building new tools to help people rediscover the web’s more personal side.
One of those projects is Wander Console, an open-source tool that lets visitors jump between websites recommended by a community of independent site owners.
The project was created by Susam Pal, a developer based in London.
Inspired by the small web
Pal said the idea came after using Kagi’s small web search tool, which focuses on blogs, webcomics and other niche content.
He felt that many independent sites, games and personal projects still remained difficult to discover.
That led him to create Wander, a system that relies on people rather than algorithms to recommend websites.
“Not everybody is aware of this beautiful portion of the internet, which is quirky, where we have all kinds of strange websites, where people are expressing their personality, and so on,” Pal said.
Echoes of StumbleUpon and webrings
Wander borrows ideas from earlier internet communities.
Its approach resembles:
- Webrings.
- Blogrolls.
- The now-defunct StumbleUpon service.
Like StumbleUpon, Wander introduces an element of chance.
Users can click a button and land on a random website.
“It’s the element of surprise — you never know what you will find when you click the button,” Pal said.
How it works
Website owners only need to upload two files:
- An index.html file.
- A wander.js file.
The JavaScript file contains links to other Wander users’ consoles.
No server-side software or database is required.
According to Pal, the tool can even be hosted through:
- GitHub Pages.
- Codeberg Pages.
Once installed, site owners can add a “Wander” link to their pages.
Visitors can then:
- Load a random site with the Wander button.
- Open the Console view.
- Explore recommended sites, called Neighbors.
Personalized experiences
Many participants have customized their consoles.
Examples include:
- A creator named Josh, whose console recommends websites built by other people named Josh.
- A site that transforms the cursor into a small creature.
- Consoles that guide users through pages hosted on Neocities.
- Designs with nostalgic color schemes.
Pal said users can easily modify the console with CSS and JavaScript without altering the underlying software.
Growing community
After introducing the project on Hacker News, and later on Reddit and other communities, Pal said the response was overwhelmingly positive.
More than 60 users have adopted Wander so far.
Together, they recommend over 1,500 websites.
Pal said the project is aimed at people who enjoy creativity and experimentation online.
“I don’t think everybody needs to know about the small web — some people use the web as a utility, and I think it’s totally fine for them,” he said.
“But people who are creative, they might want to know about the small web.”
TL;DR:
Wander Console is an open-source website discovery tool inspired by StumbleUpon and old web communities. Created by London developer Susam Pal, the project helps users explore more than 1,500 websites recommended by a growing network of indie creators.
AI summary:
- Wander Console is an open-source tool for discovering independent websites.
- The project was created by London developer Susam Pal.
- Users can browse random sites recommended by other creators.
- More than 60 participants currently recommend over 1,500 websites.
- The project draws inspiration from StumbleUpon, blogrolls and webrings.
