A Web directory that operated from 1998 to 2017, DMOZ was also known as the Open Directory Project (ODP). Founded as GnuHoo by Rich Skrenta and Bob Truel, it was acquired by Netscape later that year. Netscape released the directory under the Open Directory License and renamed it the Open Directory Project. Owned by AOL (now part of Verizon Media), DMOZ was administered in the public interest by a community of volunteer editors. In its heyday, DMOZ was considered one of the most comprehensive human-edited directories of the Web, alongside Yahoo! Directory (which closed in 2014).
Structure and Operation
DMOZ used a hierarchical ontology scheme for organizing site listings. Listings on a similar topic were grouped into categories which then included smaller categories. The site and community who maintained it were also known as the Open Directory Project (ODP).
Closure and Legacy
On March 14, 2017, all of the DMOZ URLs began redirecting to a single page on the dmoz.org domain, stating that DMOZ had closed. The directory is no longer available. As of September 2017, a non-editable mirror remained available at dmoztools.net. The website became a single landing page on that day, with links to a static archive of DMOZ, and to the DMOZ discussion forum, where plans to rebrand and relaunch the directory were being discussed.