The Internet Archive was founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle with the mission to provide "Universal Access to All Knowledge." Its origin story stems from Kahle’s vision of preserving a digital record of the web, particularly as websites began to disappear or change over time. The Archive started by crawling the web and capturing snapshots of websites at various points in time, leading to the creation of the Wayback Machine, a tool that allows users to view archived versions of web pages.
### Key Milestones:
- **1996**: The Internet Archive is established.
- **1999**: The Wayback Machine is launched, allowing users to access historical web pages.
- **2005**: The Archive begins to include audio, video, and book collections.
- **2010s**: Expansion into various media types and formats, including software and games, with initiatives like the Open Library project.
### Alternatives to the Internet Archive:
1. **Archive.is**: A snapshot service that saves web pages and provides a permanent link for them, although it has its limitations in terms of scope and accessibility.
2. **WebCite**: An on-demand archiving system intended for academic and research use, allowing authors to create permanent records of web pages they cite.
3. **PageFreezer**: A commercial service that provides web archiving solutions for businesses, focusing on compliance and legal needs.
4. **Perma.cc**: Developed specifically for citations, it allows users to create permanent links to web pages that will not change over time.
These alternatives often cater to specific user needs, such as academic citation or business compliance, but none offer the extensive media and historical archive that the Internet Archive provides.
