Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

complang.tuwien.ac.at

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

231–240 of 285 posts

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#231

Post by tracker1 »

cercatrova wrote: post #195
tannhaeuser wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox on Ubuntu (which I'm not using anymore for these and other reasons) and presumably on other OSs does exactly that: refuse to open new tabs/sites once every two weeks or so, telling me "one more thing we need to do" ie self-update. So you're loosing all your browsing context, though FF does a better job restoring it after restart than it used to, but still that's user-hostile and self-important as fuck. And th…

> the Web is now 30 years old, past its peak, so if browsers still need to update bi-weekly for new features and experiments, this in combination with lack of browser diversity proves without any shade of doubt there's something very wrong with the incentives for browser development, the Google/Mozilla browser cartel, and the evolution of "web standards". Or maybe new features are still coming out in the W3C specs an…

On functional piping, this has been in the pipeline with a few competing proposals for a while (I prefer the F#-like version myself). Will be surprised if/when it actually makes it in.

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#232

Post by tracker1 »

tmtvl wrote: post #72
wongarsu wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that the issue of Firefox being forced to restart primarily happens on Linux, I doubt Edge is an option for them. Though I have to concur that Edge has one of the most stable and smooth vertical tab implementations around, most of the plugin-based ones are more fully featured but much less reliable.

Edge has been released for Linux a while now... not that I know anyone who uses it, but it's available for those who need it.

I use it, and it's decent. And more in the vein of "it's not google" though I do slightly prefer the chrome dev tools to the modifications that Edge has made. I don't like a lot of the "helpers" for shopping though. And definitely don't like the article wall with ads that are really hard to block/script out.

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#233

Post by anthk »

standardUser wrote: post #213

"If these browsers don't display anything, or the display looks shitty, there usually is not much content" Crazy wild assumptions given that the web was brand-spanking-new and changing rapidly and unpredictably by the day. I'll never understand these needlessly-minimalist perspectives on interacting with the internet (yeah, I'm talking to you no-JavaScript folks). That approach only result in you missing out on thing…

Back in the day mozplugger avoided lots of JS crapware.

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#234

Post by int_19h »

deanCommie wrote: post #227
mrtksn wrote: post #20

So the "movement" against modern browser features is not a movement and has nothing to do with these features but its simply a version of "kids these days lost their ways" thinking. A version of conservatism, I guess. "Everything was better in the good old days" and "The new generation is horrible, the humanity is doomed" kind of thoughts are probably a manifestation of fading youth.

There is another more simpler layer to this: Most people on HackerNews remember when they were the target demographic for most software. And they no longer are. If you're under 40, this is how we all started. The target demographic since the explosion of the internet is no longer software engineers. That feels bad for people, and they lash out conservatively. Because they're not wrong - the software IS worse. For the…

I could agree to it, if only I didn't know so many non-tech people who also think that tech started to go downhill at some point - and specifically complain about some of the same things, such as forced updates and dumbed-down UX that actually makes their life harder.

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#235

Post by int_19h »

olalonde wrote: post #78
dkarl wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And companies writing the software that average people use are motivated solely by "what the average Joe wants," where "what the average Joe wants" is defined by business metrics like "how much is Joe clicking" and "how much is Joe spending."

I assume you don't believe this is a good thing? How would you measure "what the average Joe wants"?

You ask them. And when they tell you that your product sucks, you listen, and don't tell them that they're holding it wrong, or that they just need to give it some time and they'll love it, or that everybody else loves it so clearly they aren't average, or that telemetry shows otherwise etc.

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#236

Post by int_19h »

incanus77 wrote: post #222
romland wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the _exact_ same feeling; when I read your comment I started googling a bit but I came up short. In my case it should probably have been one or some of: MUDs, Linux, Debian, Amiga, shareware, usenet, IRC.

Yeah, same. Likely UNIX utilities, Linux software or howtos (Red Hat, Debian), maybe usenet. Maybe an FTP repository?

It's the Vienna University of Technology, and places like that often run mirrors.

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#237

Post by int_19h »

cptskippy wrote: post #215

> those who have content generally value being readable I find it ironic that his website looks like hot garbage on a modern ultrawide display. I realize that it's over 20 years old and it still looks bad at 1280x1024 which was the resolution I was using back then as a poor college student with a second hand 19" Sony Trinitron that had a dodgy VGA cable you had to hold up just right with a coat hanger.

I would argue that it's the job of the web browser to provide a default stylesheet such that a basic webpage with a header and a bunch of paragraphs looks "right". Which includes defining sensible viewport size.

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#239

Post by ipaddr »

prange wrote: post #224
prange wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wouldn't seriously consider using a non-free application for something as essential as everyday web browsing. Why? Are you considering forking Firefox?

For clarification - if you either contribute code or money to Firefox, you are clearly supporting the existence of a free browser. I don’t see how just using it does. So if you aren’t contributing to it you may as well use the browser with the best feature set for your use case.

Marketshare is important, default search engine revenue is based on usage.

Re: Why I Don't Use Netscape (1999)

#240

Post by bo1024 »

timbit42 wrote: post #167
A4ET8a8uTh0 wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That or banks. Certain major US bank I am using can't function with Origin on.

My bank website doesn't have third party ads anyway.

It might have third party trackers (Facebook, Google, Twitter, typekit.net whatever that is, etc). It might also have first party trackers of e.g. your mouse and keyboard that you’d rather disable.
Post reply on HN