[jjjensen90]

This design is probably a product of the page being written in 2001. Back then, the web was (text) content-centered because browsers couldn't do much other than text and layout. I might even be old enough to say those were "the good ol' days" :)

[usrusr]

Those good old days were much earlier, that article is from the heyday of Macromedia Flash. The page is as bare and content centric as it is not because of age but because it is on .edu, the majority of which was already delightfully retro back in 2001.