You're not wrong. This is how the internet used to look like. Modern web layouts and designs evolved to be this way because they result in higher engagement metrics.
Well, higher engagement metrics seems like a cynical way to say "more readable" especially given the parent comment's complaint.
You don't need commercial interests to think about UX. The early web looked the way it did mostly due to hobbyism and undeveloped UX standards that we take for granted today.
I didn’t intend to use engagement metrics in a negative way. We also have to note that the audience has changed. The audience of the early web was very different to the average audience today (almost everyone).
There's also the fact that screens have gotten so much bigger since the early web. A wall of text didn't look as much like a wall when it was in a 640x480 window. (Minus a couple of banner ads, of course!)
