[Kirby]

Perhaps, but the perception of learning HTML being a barrier to entry was much smaller back then. People were excited to be part of something new, and didn't really balk at having to learn something. Totally different mentality today.

[tibbon]

HTML was a bit easier, and few cared about web standards or accessibility- as long as it worked. We didn't have much javascript (and what we had was counters and similar), XML, RSS, Ajax, Rails sites, etc.

Many of the sites were made in something like Frontpage even. There were templates and site makers, but also most people kept the stuff super simple.

And just because it was more complex doesn't mean it wasn't important. It was the easiest thing to come along. Before that you had to set up a web server, buy a domain, etc...