4 ms·

I've been dreaming with a sci-fi world where at some point the web get's so awful, that a small group splits to an alternate hypertext reality that is only text

I've been dreaming with a sci-fi world where at some point the web get's so awful, that a small group splits to an alternate hypertext reality that is only text based.

freedomben 9y ago
I'd join that commune
dorian-graph 9y ago
The tildeverse?
pavlov 9y ago
Some people keep Gopher alive, apparently -- so maybe that's where survivors will take refuge after the JavaScript ad tracking apocalypse finally comes.
- digi_owl 9y ago
  Not sure if gopher is the right fit.
  - pavlov 9y ago
    In the post-JavaScript apocalyptic nightmare, the few remaining working terminals will be green-on-black CRTs with nuclear launch instructions burned in the screens. Gopher is a good fit.
    - Mchl 9y ago
      Will we be able to install Node on those?
    - j_s 9y ago
      > green-on-black CRTs Any source for something like this that is usable on a modern computer? I did a bit of eBay-ing and everything was ancient/incompatible and megabucks.
- bch 9y ago
  > Some people keep Gopher alive, apparently -- so maybe that's where survivors will take refuge... Maybe just links[0]/elinks[1]/lynx[2]... [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Links_(web_browser) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Links_(web_browser) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELinks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELinks [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser)
- j_s 9y ago
  gopher://hngopher.com:70/ https://github.com/michael-lazar/hn-gopher https://github.com/michael-lazar/hn-gopher
kowdermeister 9y ago
While I'm super happy with today's web technologies, I think there would be indeed room for an alternative, typography centered approach that would dare to try new paradigms. The crucial thing is to avoid reinventing teletext :)
digi_owl 9y ago
I dunno. I have little problem with images etc. The problem i have is the attempts to "app-ify" by turning every site into a GUI via JS. The initial idea of the web as a source of linked static documents were fine. Heck, even early CGI sites may have been fine. It was AJAX(?) that brought the madness. And btw, late gen terminals from DEC could show images (and perhaps even videos by abusing the protocol). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixel https://saitoha.github.io/libsixel/ https://saitoha.github.io/libsixel/
FLUX-YOU 9y ago
>alternate hypertext reality that is only text based Except the text is aligned vertically and the terminal scrolls horizontally. You've just logged into... the Twilight Zone.
zokier 9y ago
Maybe in the same universe the overuse of VT control codes has led to command line to be actually line based.

I've been dreaming with a sci-fi world where at some point the web get's so awful, that a small group splits to an alternate hypertext reality that is only text based.

freedomben 9y ago

I'd join that commune

dorian-graph 9y ago

The tildeverse?

pavlov 9y ago

Some people keep Gopher alive, apparently -- so maybe that's where survivors will take refuge after the JavaScript ad tracking apocalypse finally comes.

digi_owl 9y ago
Not sure if gopher is the right fit.
- pavlov 9y ago
  In the post-JavaScript apocalyptic nightmare, the few remaining working terminals will be green-on-black CRTs with nuclear launch instructions burned in the screens. Gopher is a good fit.
  - Mchl 9y ago
    Will we be able to install Node on those?
  - j_s 9y ago
    > green-on-black CRTs Any source for something like this that is usable on a modern computer? I did a bit of eBay-ing and everything was ancient/incompatible and megabucks.
bch 9y ago
> Some people keep Gopher alive, apparently -- so maybe that's where survivors will take refuge... Maybe just links[0]/elinks[1]/lynx[2]... [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Links_(web_browser) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Links_(web_browser) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELinks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELinks [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser)
j_s 9y ago
gopher://hngopher.com:70/ https://github.com/michael-lazar/hn-gopher https://github.com/michael-lazar/hn-gopher

kowdermeister 9y ago

While I'm super happy with today's web technologies, I think there would be indeed room for an alternative, typography centered approach that would dare to try new paradigms. The crucial thing is to avoid reinventing teletext :)

digi_owl 9y ago

I dunno. I have little problem with images etc. The problem i have is the attempts to "app-ify" by turning every site into a GUI via JS. The initial idea of the web as a source of linked static documents were fine. Heck, even early CGI sites may have been fine. It was AJAX(?) that brought the madness. And btw, late gen terminals from DEC could show images (and perhaps even videos by abusing the protocol). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixel https://saitoha.github.io/libsixel/ https://saitoha.github.io/libsixel/

FLUX-YOU 9y ago

>alternate hypertext reality that is only text based Except the text is aligned vertically and the terminal scrolls horizontally. You've just logged into... the Twilight Zone.

zokier 9y ago

Maybe in the same universe the overuse of VT control codes has led to command line to be actually line based.