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Top-level
 @interfluidity Understanding how to hand-crank a Ford without breaking your arm was an elementary skill of the original car. The technology tends towards simplification and user-friendliness as adoption approaches 100%. Do we really want to keep the web a land of the privileged where "you must be at least this nerd to talk to your grandma?" 6 comments
@interfluidity In the case of URLs, my understanding is that the move to domain name display stems from user testing that suggested that most users consider the full URL eyes-glaze-over noise and the salient piece of information (the one they need to keep themselves safe online) is whether the domain is the one they think they're talking to. In that way, URL obfuscation is a safety feature.  @mark every bad idea can be smuggled through as a safety feature. destroying people’s capacity to replace parts in the products they purchase and own, or use whatever ink cartridge they choose, is for “safety”. a world of people completely incapable of understanding or exercising agency with the most basic elements of their world is the least safe kind of world, even if individual withdrawals of agency are in some narrow sense protective. @mark there are thoughtful ways to balance safety and encouragements to agency, eg https://z0ne.social/notes/9s8x1hzmu3 @interfluidity That makes sense. I like the "highlight the domain" approach too. What about the mobile form factor where the text box is narrow? @mark the mobile form factor is generally harder to invite agency within. but people should try! it’d be great if when clicking into a URL in a mobile browser, for example, an editable box wrapping the whole URL appeared, rather than just a narrow truncation that is hard both to see and edit. |
Gregory's Server
@mark you don’t have to be a nerd. but things should teach you about them if you are open to learning. hermetic sealing is a bad heuristic for “user friendliness”. cars are more user friendly when you can open their hoods and replace their parts. they are becoming far less user friendly now. preserving handcranks would teach nothing, relative to electronic ignition, which is better. things should get better. but they shouldn’t be hidden just for the sake of hiding.