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Ask HN: Review my web application

markitforlater.com

11–20 of 37 posts

Re: Ask HN: Review my web application

#12

How's this different/better than Instapaper?

Instapaper primarily targets the mobile market with it's main feature being the reformatting of pages for offline viewing. (And damn is it a cool, and extremely well done feature.)

My focus is on making a lean, cross browser, bookmarking site with a focus on short-term storage. If you don't opt-out of the feature you can get a reminder the day before any links expire in case you forget to read one.

This app grew out of the habit I had of emailing articles to myself several times a week so I could go back and read them after work, or at lunch, or whenever. I realized there had to be a better way. Looked at a few of the other sites around at that time, didn't really like any of them, so I wrote my own.

One of the big reasons I wrote my own was that I'm addicted to interfaces like Hacker News and Reddit. Simple, concise, and almost exclusively text only. I modeled the link-list on that idea. The one twist being, thanks to some nifty JS code, that the longer a link hangs out on your list the more faded it becomes. To me this makes it a much quicker and easier interface to get in, find what I need, and get out. I carried the same idea through to the bookmarklet in that it doesn't redirect you to the MarkitForLater site when adding a link. Instead it adds it in the background and notifies you once it's done, this way you can continue reading, or move on with minimal interruption.

In summary, I think MarkitForLater provides a minimal impact on the way you browse, while still providing a useful service.

I think Instapaper is one hell of a cool application and has definitely earned it's place in the market. I won't tell you which is better for you, but I know which one I use ;)

Re: Ask HN: Review my web application

#13
post #11

I think your tag line should read "a naturally zesty enterprise" as opposed to "a natural zesty enterprise". And what is it, exactly, that makes you "zesty?"

It's actually an out of context quote from the film "The Big Lebowski". A copy of the quote can be found on this page.

http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm/content_id.20733/M...

As for what makes me zesty, well, you should follow the link for a bit more of an explanation.

Re: Ask HN: Review my web application

#19

how is this any different than delicious?

It's intentionally non-social, your stuff is yours. It doesn't require a redirect when adding a bookmark, and in general I find it simpler and quicker to work with than delicious (especially the newest version).
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