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Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

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Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#361
post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"SJW" is a pejorative at this point because the key part isn't about the ideas being expressed but the motivations behind advocating those views. It implies that despite outward appearances it's all rather self-serving, a form of getting validation and superficial virtue signaling. So when you see major rewrites, major redesigns and controversial changes in popular products you'll often find an agenda behind it. Some…

> Look for the SJWs pulling on the strings The use of the word "SJW" is the same kind of social singalling that you attempted to criticize. It's a cheap insult, counter-productive to the discussion, and trivializes the real work on social justice that is necessary for humanity to grow up and become a mature civilization. I actually agree with the main point you're making, that there are people who superficially attac…

Your point about strings being pulled on the anti-SJW side is something I find really interesting. In fact, the strings are being pulled on 'division' itself. People without much of a side in the matter stoking the divide.

The most obvious example of this recently must be the 'SJW' that went round on the underground spraying bleach on men who were 'man-spreading' that turned out to very probably be fake.

I feel like everyone needs to learn the 'sniff test' - for things that both agree and disagree with our world view.

There never has there been such a large and sophisticated effort to manipulate the the population by shaping the information that gets to us.

Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#362
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I switched to Firefox years ago and never looked back.

I never switched away from Firefox. I am old enough to know that nothing comes free, especially from a Big Corporation. As customers, all we can do is to always keep a good alternative alive, no matter what.

> > I switched to Firefox years ago and never looked back.

> I never switched away from Firefox.

I switched to Firefox... from Netscape/Mozilla.

Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#363
post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt that. You mention in your parent post that people don't know the difference between a browser and a specific site. I think most people do. At least if they use more then 1 site.

What I meant was that in a tech support context if you ask people what browser they're using they will often say something like "I went to Product Name" or "I'm on Product Name". Then ask them what actual address they visited or again ask them what browser they are using and they will say something like "I went to the Internet". I am not calling anybody dumb. I'm saying they don't care and don't know there is any rea…

I still doubt that. People know how to enter URLs. They chose not to because it's oftentimes easier just to search where you want to go. Google Chrome hasn't gotten this market dominance by people not caring. It has to installed actively.

Even if, showing the URL bar changes nothing for them, so why hide it?

Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#364

If their goal is really to help detect fraudulent sites (the sorts of google.com.notahacker.tk), they can just show the domain in a more prominent way -- they're already deemphasizing the part of the URL after the domain name anyway. This is clearly not their motive. What Google is trying to do here is to drift the web from its most iconic components: the URL. This is the biggest threat to the web that we loved for s…

We’ll be back to ‘AOL Keywords’ soon if it were up to them.

“Jerry, you don’t deserve the internet” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lcR4h4eIR2E

Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#366
post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also puzzled by the SJW non-sequitur. That being said, let's not get into literal guilt-by-association accusations. If someone carries water for proto-fascists or otherwise has a negative worldview, just say that. Being "adjacent" is often a good thing. A diplomat to a totalitarian country is voluntarily "tyrant adjacent" to pick an arbitrary example. Legitimate journalists (as opposed to propagandists) on the al…

That's the nefarious thing about the shift from outright slurs to more approachable concepts. The less obvious it is you're talking about a marginalized group, the more people you can rope in who don't realize it's a dog whistle. Soon it's hard to tell who's who from outside the growing and ever-angrier mob. One day it's "jews" or "queers," the next it's "SJWs" and people who are just a little frustrated with modern…

Pointing out the dogwhistle works for me and doesn't become guilt by association.

It's also worth noting that some folks bothered by social justice movements are bothered by the qualities they share with fascist ones: thought crime, lack of due process, blacklisting, doublespeak, etc.

It's possible actual allies againt oppression seem "evil adjacent" right now, but only because they aren't comfortable with fighting fire with fire, so to speak.

Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#367
Does anyone remember AOL keywords? I worry that this might be laying the ground to do something like that. Maybe it's not planned or maybe it's only an option they want on the table but obviously they have the incentive to do some kind of "Google keywords" and this would certainly help with that.

Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#368
Google munging the URL on it's own search results to look like a breadcrumb bar is among the primary reasons I do not use google.com as my default search engine anymore. I'm surprised they didn't do the same on the URL bar instead of hiding the full URL.

That being said, if you look at most non-IT persons using a browser, the URL is just visual noise for them: showing the domain prominently is perhaps (and _just_ perhaps) a better way to make them take notice.

Not that I would ever use this for myself though. I already disable FF URL formatting and "trimming".

Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the only economically rational explanation I can think of. Unless it ties into other user-abusive projects they have planned.

What about reducing phishing? Seems more obvious

Why assume good intentions when profit and lock-in already explain it?

Re: Google adds experimental setting to hide full URLs in Chrome 85 address bar

#370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're relying on bug reports to find why a page is broken you're in for a bad time because 99% of the time the user isn't going to report anything. They're just going to think your page is broken and stop using it. Use a telemetry and error reporting service like Sentry or Rollbar. These services can strip sensitive data on the client before it gets logged.

Sentry only capture software exceptions. It doesn't tell you a page is rendering badly in the user's browser.

You can send your own events to Sentry. It's not just for exceptions.
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