homestarrunner.com

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[[Image:HR web screenshot 2007-03-30.png|thumb|200px|<span class="plainlinks">http://homestarrunner.com</span>]]
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[[File:HR web screenshot 2021-01-01.png|thumb|300px|<span class="plainlinks">https://homestarrunner.com</span>]]
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{{for|YouTube channel|YouTube#homestarrunnerdotcom}}
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{{about|website}} {{for|YouTube channel|homestarrunnerdotcom}} {{for|personal website of [[Homestar Runner]]|Homestar Runner's Website}}
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'''homestarrunner.com''' is the [[Wikipedia:URL|URL]] of the website and primary home of the [[Homestar Runner (body of work)|Homestar Runner]] body of work.  
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'''homestarrunner.com''' is the {{wp|URL}} of the website and primary home of the [[Homestar Runner (body of work)|Homestar Runner]] body of work.  
==Structure==
==Structure==
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The [[Index Page]] is the first page one sees when visiting the website, and offers the viewer the option to watch the [[Intro]] or go to the [[Main Pages]]. The Main Pages, which are the main menus of the site, split homestarrunner.com into 6 main categories: [[Toons]], [[Games]], [[Characters]], [[Downloads]], [[Store]], and [[Email]]. A few of these categories host subcategories such as [[Strong Bad Email]] and [[Teen Girl Squad]].
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[[File:main1.png|thumb|The first Main Page]]
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The [[index page]] is the first page one sees when visiting the website, and displays [[Index Page Messages|recent updates]], merchandise, Tweets from [[@StrongBadActual]], and a link to a randomly selected [[Main Pages|Main Page]] (of which there are currently 27). The Main Pages, which are the main menus of the site, split homestarrunner.com into six main categories: [[Toons]], [[Games]], [[Characters]], [[Downloads]], [[Store]], and [[Email]]. A few of these categories host subcategories such as [[Strong Bad Email]] and [[Teen Girl Squad]]. The Main Pages also link to the [[Museum]], the [[Weeklies]], [[Main Page Messages|recent site updates]], the toon [[First Time Here?]], and the rest of the Main Pages.
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The website also hosts several [[wikipedia:subdomain|subdomains]], such as [[podstar:|podstar.homestarrunner.com]], which hosts the menu and files for [[Podstar Runner]]. There are also a few folders within the domain, such as the folders housing [[Stinkoman 20X6]] and [[Strong Sad's Lament]].
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Outside of the frame, the rest of the screen is simply black, with a round border around the Flash files. Some toons use this black space to their advantage, such as the Strong Bad Email [[virus]], in which [[Strong Bad]] runs outside the frame, or [[flashback]], when Strong Bad [[Widescreen|extends the boundaries]] of the screen to reveal [[Homestar Runner]], who says he's usually "behind the black". Below the frame is the [[Site Components#NavBar|navigation bar]], which has small links to various sections of the site, functioning as a more condensed version of the Main Pages on almost every page. Most toons have previous/next buttons above the navigation bar, indexed by toon category. There are other [[site components]] as well, embedded into Flash files so that they are rarely accessed on their own.
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Hidden among the website are various [[secret pages]], ranging from [[Lappynapped!|toons never added to the main list]], [[Not the 100th Email!!!|pages intended to be found]], and [[unfinished toons]]. There have also been secret pages removed after fans found them, such as [[If I Ran the Camera]].
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The site is navigated mainly via [[Flash]] menus, currently emulated through [[Ruffle]] as of the [[post-Flash site update]] on December 31, 2020. Many of these menus have a specific theme or gimmick, such as the [[TV Time Toons Menu]], which is listed on a ''{{wp|TV Guide}}''-like [[Periodicals|magazine]], and the Downloads menu, which looks like an [[ATM]]. Most menus have an interactive aspect to them. The Main Pages, for instance, have certain events that play when the cursor hovers over each button, and the [[Scrolling Shooter Games Menu]] takes the form of a vertical {{wp|scrolling shooter}} video game.
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One unique aspect of the website is the abundance of [[Easter eggs]]. For example, clicking the last digit of the copyright date on any of the Main Pages takes one to the [[Homsar Main Page]], and clicking "Eject" on the VHS player and clicking the "Homsar" tape on the [[Character Videos]] page will play [[Homsar's Character Video]]. The majority of these Easter eggs can be found in toons. Some of them require clicking on something while the toon is playing, but most of them can only be found once the toon has ended. Sometimes the clickable area will change when the cursor is hovered over it to indicate an Easter egg, such as the red letter "D" turning yellow at the end of [[Hremail 7]], but usually there will be no indication of an Easter egg beyond the cursor changing. The "Tab" button on the keyboard can sometimes be pressed to locate Easter eggs; however, this functionality is not present in the Ruffle versions.
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 +
Another unique aspect is the loading screens. The main sections of the website generally use the same loading screen: the Homestar Runner logo hovering up and down against a white background. However, specific toons often have a more unique loading screen, usually relating to the toon itself. These loading screens occasionally [[Irregular Loading Screens|say something besides "loading"]], such as "load", or even no text at all. This is another feature that is not present on Ruffle.
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The [[page titles]] are ordinarily different than the toon or menu name, and frequently contain jokes. For example, the index page has the page title "Everybody! Everybody!", which is the lyrics to the [[Intro]]. Since the post-Flash site update, page titles are followed by the subfolder name (if applicable), the page's actual name, and the name Homestar Runner.
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 +
Hidden among the website are various [[secret pages]], ranging from [[Lappynapped!|toons never added to the main list]], [[Sbemail 100 fakeout|pages intended to be found]], and [[unfinished toons]]. There have also been secret pages removed after fans found them, such as [[If I Ran the Camera]].
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The website also hosts several {{wp|subdomain}}s, such as [[podstar:|podstar.homestarrunner.com]], which hosts the menu and files for [[Podstar Runner]]; [[trogdorboardgame:|trogdorboardgame.homestarrunner.com]], which has updates and information on [[Trogdor!! The Board Game]]; [[newhr:|new.homestarrunner.com]], which displays a redesigned HTML version of the index page that was eventually abandoned; and [[oldhr:|old.homestarrunner.com]], which is an archive of the pre-2021 Flash site. There are also a few folders within the domain, such as "stinkogame", the folder housing [[Stinkoman 20X6]], and "sadjournal", which houses [[Strong Sad's Lament]].
===Filename Conventions===
===Filename Conventions===
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[[Image:404.PNG|thumb|The [[404'd|404 error]] page, which is opened when a nonexistent file is requested.]]
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[[File:Neon 404.png|thumb|The [[Neon 404'd|404 error]] page, which is opened when a nonexistent file is requested.]]
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Many of the page files (.html files) and [[Flash]] files (.swf files) have consistent naming conventions. For example, the page file for a [[Teen Girl Squad]] issue is "tgsX.html", where X is the issue number. The same goes for [[Strong Bad Email]]s ("sbemailX.html", with a handful of exceptions), and [[Marzipan's Answering Machine]] (answerX.html).  
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On the old Flash site, many of the page files (.html files) and Flash files (.swf files) for the main [[:Category:Features|features]] have consistent naming conventions. For example, the page file for a [[Strong Bad Email]] is "sbemailX.html", where X is the email number, with a [[Irregular Strong Bad Email URLs|handful of exceptions]]. The same goes for [[Teen Girl Squad]] (tgsX.html), and [[Marzipan's Answering Machine]] (answerX.html).  
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Sometimes, the page file relates to the toon. For example, [[A Jorb Well Done]] is "cantsayjob.html". Usually, the Flash file will have the same filename as the html page, but there are some exceptions. If this is not the case, the Flash file may be found by viewing the page source and reading the filename from the line that includes "<code><nowiki><PARAM NAME=movie VALUE="FILENAME.swf"></nowiki></code>".
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[[Toons|Toon]] URLs, however, are less consistent. Sometimes, the page file relates to the toon. For example, [[A Jorb Well Done]] is "cantsayjob.html". Usually, the Flash file will have the same filename as the html page, but there are some exceptions. If this is not the case, the Flash file may be found by viewing the page source and reading the filename from the line that includes "<code><nowiki><PARAM NAME=movie VALUE="FILENAME.swf"></nowiki></code>". Many URLs [[URLs that end in 2|end in the number 2]].
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Since the post-Flash site update, URLs for toons consist of the file directory (such as <code>/toons/</code> or <code>/sbemails/</code>), followed by the email number (in the case of [[Strong Bad Email]]s) and the toon name, written in lowercase with any spaces replaced by dashes. The Flash filenames remain the same as before, and can be found in the line that includes "<code><nowiki><embed id="embed" class="embed-responsive-item" src="FILENAME.swf" loop="false" menu="false" quality="high" width="750" height="545"></nowiki></code>".
==Domain==
==Domain==
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The domain is currently hosted by [http://www.caro.net CaroNet], and was registered on December 6th, 1999 by [[Harmless Junk, Inc.]] Its [[Wikipedia:IP address|IP]] is 69.59.23.70. The website used to be hosted by [[Wikipedia:Yahoo!|Yahoo!]], but it was [[Flashforward 2006 Seattle - 28 Feb 2006#A question about the Podcasts. - Red Toque|so popular that it had to be moved]]. It was hosted by [[Flashforward 2006 Seattle - 28 Feb 2006#Who are the bandwidth providers?|Sagonet]] until sometime around October 2006.
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The domain was registered on December 6, 1999 by [[Harmless Junk, Inc.]] Its {{wp|IP address}} is 69.59.23.70.
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==Other Domains==
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The website was originally hosted by {{wp|Yahoo!}}. It was [[Flashforward 2006 Seattle - 28 Feb 2006#A question about the Podcasts. - Red Toque|so popular that it wildly exceeded Yahoo's bandwidth limits]] and was [[Flashforward 2006 Seattle - 28 Feb 2006#Who are the bandwidth providers?|moved to Sagonet]]. Around October 2006 [[FAQ|it was transferred to Caronet]]. Currently the site is hosted by {{w|GoDaddy}}.
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[[Image:Thoraxcorp.png|thumb|The [[Thorax Corporation]] home page.]]
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<span class="plainlinks">Harmless Junk, Inc. also hosts other domains, such as [[videlectrix.com]], [[thoraxcorp.com]] {{inlinecontentwarning|mild language|This website contains mild profanity}}, and whatthepfargtl.com. The first two of those websites are based on companies within the [[Homestar Runner universe]], and the last is based on [[Sbemail 169 Deleted Scene|a toon]], but the site was never set up and expired April 30, 2008.
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==Email Addresses==
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===Other Domains===
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Until late 2015, "brotherschaps@homestarrunner.com" was the personal [[email]] address of [[The Brothers Chaps]], the creators of Homestar Runner, while "strongbad@homestarrunner.com" is the email address for sending Strong Bad Emails. In [[sbemail206]], it was suggested that any future emails should be sent via Twitter to [[@StrongBadActual]].
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[[File:Thoraxcorp.png|thumb|The [[Thorax Corporation]] home page.]]
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Harmless Junk, Inc. also hosts other domains, such as [[videlectrix.com]], [[thoraxcorp.com]] {{inlinecontentwarning|mild language|This website contains mild profanity}}, and whatthepfargtl.com. The first two of those websites are based on companies within the [[Homestar Runner universe]], and the last is based on [[Sbemail 169 Deleted Scene|a toon]], but the site was never set up and expired April 30, 2008.
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==Remarks==
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===Email Addresses===
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*Homestarrunner.com does not pass the [http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homestarrunner.com&charset=(detect+automatically)&doctype=Inline&group=0 W3C Validation Test], at least not on many of its pages. This is mainly due to no DOCTYPE and because it uses the EMBED HTML Object (which is is not valid HTML 4.01; you must use [http://www.actionscript.org/forums/showthread.php3?t=174681 flash satay] in order to bypass validation errors.)
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Until late 2015, "brotherschaps@homestarrunner.com" was the personal [[email]] address of [[The Brothers Chaps]], the creators of Homestar Runner, while "strongbad@homestarrunner.com" was the email address for sending Strong Bad Emails. In [[sbemail 206]], it was suggested that any future emails should be sent via Twitter to [[@StrongBadActual]].
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*Currently, the website is not supported by mobile browsers, as it is made up almost entirely of Flash files. It was suggested in [[Flash is Dead!]] that by circa February 2016, the website (or any future additions to it) would be in [[wikipedia:HTML5|HTML5]] format. It is not only more secure, but its [[wikipedia:HTML5 video|video format]] is supported by some mobile browsers. In addition, selected toons and Strong Bad Emails can be viewed from mobile devices via official [[YouTube#homestarrunnerdotcom|YouTube]] uploads. However, this time has passed and the prediction has not come true, though the first toon released after that timeframe, [[Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 17.2]], uses YouTube's player.
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==Browser Support==
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===HTML Validity===
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homestarrunner.com does not pass the [http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homestarrunner.com&charset=(detect+automatically)&doctype=Inline&group=0 W3C Validation Test], at least not on many of its pages. This is mainly due to no DOCTYPE and because it uses the EMBED HTML Object (which is is not valid HTML 4.01; [http://www.actionscript.org/forums/showthread.php3?t=174681 flash satay] must be used in order to bypass validation errors.)
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 +
===Mobile Browser Support===
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 +
Prior to the December 31, 2020 update, the website was not fully supported by mobile browsers, as it was made up almost entirely of Flash files. However, the site could be fully viewed on Android devices until 2012, when Flash Player support was discontinued for Android. It was suggested in [[Flash is Dead!]] that by circa February 2016, the website (or any future additions to it) would be in {{wp|HTML5}} format. HTML5 is not only more secure, but its [[wikipedia:HTML5 video|video format]] is supported by some mobile browsers.
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In late 2017, The Brothers Chaps started on an [[newhr:|HTML redesign]] of the site. This redesign was much simpler and uses embedded YouTube videos instead of Flash content, with links to the old site, as well as links to other non-Flash content such as the Store, the [[YouTube#homestarrunnerdotcom|YouTube]] channel, the HTML5 [[TROGDOR!]] game, and the @StrongBadActual Twitter account. In addition, selected toons and Strong Bad Emails could be viewed from mobile devices via official YouTube uploads, and a few toons released since 2016 had been posted on the site in embedded YouTube video format.
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 +
On December 31, 2020, the redesigned website was updated to use Ruffle instead of Flash, allowing the entirety of the site to be viewable on mobile devices for the first time since 2012. In addition, the website has received some optimizations for mobile devices in order to improve the layout of the pages.
==See Also==
==See Also==
*[[Timeline of Homestar Runner]]
*[[Timeline of Homestar Runner]]
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*[[Post-Flash Site Update]]
==External Links==
==External Links==
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[[Category:Real World]]
[[Category:Real World]]
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[[Category:Technology]]
<!-----------------------------------------------------------------
<!-----------------------------------------------------------------
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NOTES for things to add to the page:
NOTES for things to add to the page:
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Common layout of pages
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Filename conventions for thumbnails
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Subdomains (may need expanding)
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Filename conventions
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-thumbnails
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Links to [[Site Components]] etc.
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Server info
Server info
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------------------------------------------------------------------->
------------------------------------------------------------------->

Revision as of 18:54, 6 January 2022

This article is about the website. For the YouTube channel, see homestarrunnerdotcom. For the personal website of Homestar Runner, see Homestar Runner's Website.

homestarrunner.com is the URL of the website and primary home of the Homestar Runner body of work.

Contents

Structure

The first Main Page

The index page is the first page one sees when visiting the website, and displays recent updates, merchandise, Tweets from @StrongBadActual, and a link to a randomly selected Main Page (of which there are currently 27). The Main Pages, which are the main menus of the site, split homestarrunner.com into six main categories: Toons, Games, Characters, Downloads, Store, and Email. A few of these categories host subcategories such as Strong Bad Email and Teen Girl Squad. The Main Pages also link to the Museum, the Weeklies, recent site updates, the toon First Time Here?, and the rest of the Main Pages.

Outside of the frame, the rest of the screen is simply black, with a round border around the Flash files. Some toons use this black space to their advantage, such as the Strong Bad Email virus, in which Strong Bad runs outside the frame, or flashback, when Strong Bad extends the boundaries of the screen to reveal Homestar Runner, who says he's usually "behind the black". Below the frame is the navigation bar, which has small links to various sections of the site, functioning as a more condensed version of the Main Pages on almost every page. Most toons have previous/next buttons above the navigation bar, indexed by toon category. There are other site components as well, embedded into Flash files so that they are rarely accessed on their own.

The site is navigated mainly via Flash menus, currently emulated through Ruffle as of the post-Flash site update on December 31, 2020. Many of these menus have a specific theme or gimmick, such as the TV Time Toons Menu, which is listed on a TV Guide-like magazine, and the Downloads menu, which looks like an ATM. Most menus have an interactive aspect to them. The Main Pages, for instance, have certain events that play when the cursor hovers over each button, and the Scrolling Shooter Games Menu takes the form of a vertical scrolling shooter video game.

One unique aspect of the website is the abundance of Easter eggs. For example, clicking the last digit of the copyright date on any of the Main Pages takes one to the Homsar Main Page, and clicking "Eject" on the VHS player and clicking the "Homsar" tape on the Character Videos page will play Homsar's Character Video. The majority of these Easter eggs can be found in toons. Some of them require clicking on something while the toon is playing, but most of them can only be found once the toon has ended. Sometimes the clickable area will change when the cursor is hovered over it to indicate an Easter egg, such as the red letter "D" turning yellow at the end of Hremail 7, but usually there will be no indication of an Easter egg beyond the cursor changing. The "Tab" button on the keyboard can sometimes be pressed to locate Easter eggs; however, this functionality is not present in the Ruffle versions.

Another unique aspect is the loading screens. The main sections of the website generally use the same loading screen: the Homestar Runner logo hovering up and down against a white background. However, specific toons often have a more unique loading screen, usually relating to the toon itself. These loading screens occasionally say something besides "loading", such as "load", or even no text at all. This is another feature that is not present on Ruffle.

The page titles are ordinarily different than the toon or menu name, and frequently contain jokes. For example, the index page has the page title "Everybody! Everybody!", which is the lyrics to the Intro. Since the post-Flash site update, page titles are followed by the subfolder name (if applicable), the page's actual name, and the name Homestar Runner.

Hidden among the website are various secret pages, ranging from toons never added to the main list, pages intended to be found, and unfinished toons. There have also been secret pages removed after fans found them, such as If I Ran the Camera.

The website also hosts several subdomains, such as podstar.homestarrunner.com, which hosts the menu and files for Podstar Runner; trogdorboardgame.homestarrunner.com, which has updates and information on Trogdor!! The Board Game; new.homestarrunner.com, which displays a redesigned HTML version of the index page that was eventually abandoned; and old.homestarrunner.com, which is an archive of the pre-2021 Flash site. There are also a few folders within the domain, such as "stinkogame", the folder housing Stinkoman 20X6, and "sadjournal", which houses Strong Sad's Lament.

Filename Conventions

The 404 error page, which is opened when a nonexistent file is requested.

On the old Flash site, many of the page files (.html files) and Flash files (.swf files) for the main features have consistent naming conventions. For example, the page file for a Strong Bad Email is "sbemailX.html", where X is the email number, with a handful of exceptions. The same goes for Teen Girl Squad (tgsX.html), and Marzipan's Answering Machine (answerX.html).

Toon URLs, however, are less consistent. Sometimes, the page file relates to the toon. For example, A Jorb Well Done is "cantsayjob.html". Usually, the Flash file will have the same filename as the html page, but there are some exceptions. If this is not the case, the Flash file may be found by viewing the page source and reading the filename from the line that includes "<PARAM NAME=movie VALUE="FILENAME.swf">". Many URLs end in the number 2.

Since the post-Flash site update, URLs for toons consist of the file directory (such as /toons/ or /sbemails/), followed by the email number (in the case of Strong Bad Emails) and the toon name, written in lowercase with any spaces replaced by dashes. The Flash filenames remain the same as before, and can be found in the line that includes "<embed id="embed" class="embed-responsive-item" src="FILENAME.swf" loop="false" menu="false" quality="high" width="750" height="545">".

Domain

The domain was registered on December 6, 1999 by Harmless Junk, Inc. Its IP address is 69.59.23.70.

The website was originally hosted by Yahoo!. It was so popular that it wildly exceeded Yahoo's bandwidth limits and was moved to Sagonet. Around October 2006 it was transferred to Caronet. Currently the site is hosted by GoDaddy.

Other Domains

The Thorax Corporation home page.

Harmless Junk, Inc. also hosts other domains, such as videlectrix.com, thoraxcorp.com This website contains mild profanity mild language, and whatthepfargtl.com. The first two of those websites are based on companies within the Homestar Runner universe, and the last is based on a toon, but the site was never set up and expired April 30, 2008.

Email Addresses

Until late 2015, "brotherschaps@homestarrunner.com" was the personal email address of The Brothers Chaps, the creators of Homestar Runner, while "strongbad@homestarrunner.com" was the email address for sending Strong Bad Emails. In sbemail 206, it was suggested that any future emails should be sent via Twitter to @StrongBadActual.

Browser Support

HTML Validity

homestarrunner.com does not pass the W3C Validation Test, at least not on many of its pages. This is mainly due to no DOCTYPE and because it uses the EMBED HTML Object (which is is not valid HTML 4.01; flash satay must be used in order to bypass validation errors.)

Mobile Browser Support

Prior to the December 31, 2020 update, the website was not fully supported by mobile browsers, as it was made up almost entirely of Flash files. However, the site could be fully viewed on Android devices until 2012, when Flash Player support was discontinued for Android. It was suggested in Flash is Dead! that by circa February 2016, the website (or any future additions to it) would be in HTML5 format. HTML5 is not only more secure, but its video format is supported by some mobile browsers.

In late 2017, The Brothers Chaps started on an HTML redesign of the site. This redesign was much simpler and uses embedded YouTube videos instead of Flash content, with links to the old site, as well as links to other non-Flash content such as the Store, the YouTube channel, the HTML5 TROGDOR! game, and the @StrongBadActual Twitter account. In addition, selected toons and Strong Bad Emails could be viewed from mobile devices via official YouTube uploads, and a few toons released since 2016 had been posted on the site in embedded YouTube video format.

On December 31, 2020, the redesigned website was updated to use Ruffle instead of Flash, allowing the entirety of the site to be viewable on mobile devices for the first time since 2012. In addition, the website has received some optimizations for mobile devices in order to improve the layout of the pages.

See Also

External Links

Personal tools