Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#11

Post by kamakazizuru » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:29 AM UTC

1. Set standards for HTML CSS etc that EVERYONE uses, so things look the same across browsers, screens and geographies.

2. Get rid of http:// from all URLs - we dont need it - its pointless, even Tim-Berners Lee says so.

3. Make it easier for everyone to mark websites as spam and have them taken off easily (im talking about the ones that show up whenever you search anything health related and promise you magical immediate cures).

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#12

Post by phyllotaxis » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:31 AM UTC

The day my mother can log on and do what she wants without instruction will be the next generation of the internet. We're nowhere close to that today.

I want Star Trek for Baby Boomer moms : "Computer: send email to Gladys." "Computer: turn the channel to Polyanna" "Computer: calculate 2011 taxes paid to date and print results on the den" "Computer: show me favorite restaurant list with realtime estimated wait. Make reservation for two at 8:10. Charge bill to home account:"

I want "the internet" to be that simple. I want it to stop being called "the internet". I want it to be so ubiquitous that it's just the way you get things done. Not just a way to do things. When it finally is, we'll watch the world kick into a future we've been wastefully squirreling away in fantasy novels.

*Oh, and forced audio on any webpage for any damned reason whatever is more inappropriate than farting at the dinner table.

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#13

Post by pagekalisedown » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:33 AM UTC

I would deprecate all clear text protocols in favor or their secure counterparts. For example, HTTPS vs HTTP.

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#14

Post by jswinghammer » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:36 AM UTC

More websites support SPDY:

http://www.chromium.org/spdy

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#15

Post by pagekalisedown » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:38 AM UTC

canistr wrote: post #3

Make all buttons, particularly "next" buttons in photo albums or forums, much much bigger. Every forum, photo album, multi-page news article, and website has a habit of making tiny links/buttons to get to the next page. This makes it incredibly difficult to click on anything but a mouse. Trackpads aren't accurate and trying to press these tiny buttons on a touchscreen is futile. To UI Designers: MAKE YOUR BUTTONS BIG…

Same thing for mobile app designers.

10 pixel high text on a Retina display? Really? Can I borrow your bionic eyes?

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#16

Post by noonespecial » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:45 AM UTC

As long as I'm completely absolved from proving feasibility of implementation... A reputation system for domains that are held for a long time and don't piss off users.

Videolan.org should show a green dot by it's name. Getvlcforfree.com should have a blinking red one. You earn your domain's credibility over time. Browsers and search engines can be set just not to bother with karmas below 0 (or any given value).

Don't put your password or cc number into a red-dot Internet site is advice my mom could handle.

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#17

Post by raldi » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:53 AM UTC

Reverse the order of domain name components. Most significant should be on the left: com.ycombinator.news/blah/file

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#18

Post by hollerith » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:56 AM UTC

raldi wrote: post #17

Reverse the order of domain name components. Most significant should be on the left: com.ycombinator.news/blah/file

the Brits wrote them that way into the 1990s.

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#19

Post by stephenr » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:56 AM UTC

athst wrote: post #4

I would kill all mailto: links. In the age of gmail, how many people does this actually apply to? I always accidentally click these links, and it opens up some default email program that came with my OS that I've never touched before.

Webmail is a poor replacement for a real email client, and the usage stats back this up: http://www.campaignmonitor.com/stats/email-clients/

More people used the Mail app on iOS devices than Hotmail, Yahoo Mail or Gmail.

A better solution to your problem would be for the browser/OS to allow the user to specify a web app to handle mailto: links

Re: Ask HN: If you could change one thing on the Web, what would it be?

#20

Post by lkrubner » Fri, Jul 08, 2011, 1:57 AM UTC

raldi wrote: post #17

Reverse the order of domain name components. Most significant should be on the left: com.ycombinator.news/blah/file

That is, of course, one of the regrets that Sir Tim Berners Lee has:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1220286/Sir-T...

"In the past, Sir Tim has also said that he would reverse the order of domain names, in order of size.

This would mean that the web address for the bird guide on the RSPCA’s website, for example, would read: http:uk/org/rspca/wildlife/birdguide.

"