How We Got the Favicon
SMRTR summary
During the 1999 browser wars, Microsoft developer Bharat Shyam created the favicon to help users distinguish websites in Internet Explorer's favorites list using 16x16 pixel icons. Late one night, Shyam convinced junior manager Ray Sun to approve the feature for Internet Explorer 5, despite Sun later being reprimanded for the hasty decision. The favicon quickly became popular among developers, eventually evolving beyond Microsoft's original .ico format to support various image types and standardized implementation methods.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Hacker News.
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