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> The reason there's room for this is that our URL shortening function has no ads, no third party tracking, no bloat ... no dark patterns. But it’s still a clo

by hk__2 10y ago

> The reason there's room for this is that our URL shortening function has no ads, no third party tracking, no bloat ... no dark patterns. But it’s still a closed, proprietary database and there’s no way to decode an “Oh By Code” if the service goes down, which is the disadvantage number one you have with URL shorteners. > The real utility are the easily recognizable codes, prefixed with "0x". Why not using a prefix that helps differentiate your codes from hexadecimal numbers? How do you plan to get people to know your service if it’s not recognizable? Let’s say I put one of those codes on my business card, I still have to write somewhere that people should use 0x.co to access the content, which ruins the advantage of having just one code rather than a URL to my website (literally anyone knows how to open a URL in a browser).

rsync 10y ago
"But it’s still a closed, proprietary database and there’s no way to decode an “Oh By Code” if the service goes down, which is the disadvantage number one you have with URL shorteners." Yes, that's correct. In this case, "Oh By" will continue running indefinitely. This is true for two reasons: 1) Building an extremely lightweight, ad free interface has a happy byproduct of ... being extremely lightweight. The infrastructure requirements for even a wildly popular "Oh By" are trivial. 2) Because Oh By is self-funded, there is no pressure from outside parties to break the pattern of an ad free, tracking free service with zero bloat. If you're having trouble swallowing this, remember that rsync.net has been running continuously since 2001[1]. I think that's a credible track record[2]. [1] As a feature of JohnCompanies, the first VPS provider, and then as a standalone corporation in 2006. [2] In fact, the rsync.net warrant canary turns 10 years old this year.
- paulcole 10y ago
  Past performance is no indicator of future success. There's a 0% chance this will be running "indefinitely." You're just skirting the issue by making a promise you can't keep.
  - rsync 10y ago
    The "Oh By" shortener will be running, and codes you create today will be functioning, twenty years from now - in 2036.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
rsync 10y ago
"How do you plan to get people to know your service if it’s not recognizable? Let’s say I put one of those codes on my business card, I still have to write somewhere that people should use 0x.co to access the content, which ruins the advantage of having just one code rather than a URL to my website (literally anyone knows how to open a URL in a browser)." Well that's the real trick, isn't it ? I'm happy to report that while Oh By itself does not display ads, we are a consumer of ads. We have a decent budget for sales and marketing.

by hk__2 10y ago

rsync 10y ago

"But it’s still a closed, proprietary database and there’s no way to decode an “Oh By Code” if the service goes down, which is the disadvantage number one you have with URL shorteners." Yes, that's correct. In this case, "Oh By" will continue running indefinitely. This is true for two reasons: 1) Building an extremely lightweight, ad free interface has a happy byproduct of ... being extremely lightweight. The infrastructure requirements for even a wildly popular "Oh By" are trivial. 2) Because Oh By is self-funded, there is no pressure from outside parties to break the pattern of an ad free, tracking free service with zero bloat. If you're having trouble swallowing this, remember that rsync.net has been running continuously since 2001[1]. I think that's a credible track record[2]. [1] As a feature of JohnCompanies, the first VPS provider, and then as a standalone corporation in 2006. [2] In fact, the rsync.net warrant canary turns 10 years old this year.

paulcole 10y ago
Past performance is no indicator of future success. There's a 0% chance this will be running "indefinitely." You're just skirting the issue by making a promise you can't keep.
- rsync 10y ago
  The "Oh By" shortener will be running, and codes you create today will be functioning, twenty years from now - in 2036.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

rsync 10y ago

"How do you plan to get people to know your service if it’s not recognizable? Let’s say I put one of those codes on my business card, I still have to write somewhere that people should use 0x.co to access the content, which ruins the advantage of having just one code rather than a URL to my website (literally anyone knows how to open a URL in a browser)." Well that's the real trick, isn't it ? I'm happy to report that while Oh By itself does not display ads, we are a consumer of ads. We have a decent budget for sales and marketing.