4 ms·

I'm sympathetic to the argument that hiding information is counter-educational. But nothing exists in a vacuum. There are serious problems to deal with, too. I

I'm sympathetic to the argument that hiding information is counter-educational. But nothing exists in a vacuum. There are serious problems to deal with, too. I suspect the concern is phishing. Consider: hxxp://mc564.mail.yahooo.cz/mc/welcome?.gx=1&.tm=1290173262&.rand=8a8hcjme2nb60#_pg=showMessage& sMid=13&&filterBy=&.rand=1020435964&midIndex=13&mid=1_41637_AFNv%2FNgAARb0TMWfVwycxVDDYoo&fromId=sendreceive@iso50.com&m=1_45237_AFRv%2FNgAALZZTMxQEQbt1QDuB60,1_44482_AFRv%2FNgAAX6dTMscRg7DzmBp0%2BM,1_43847_AFRv%2FNgAAWU6TMoFPgz8kG1tlus,1_43135_AFVv%2FNgAAPHWTMixWAJSDRUfECQ,1_42368_AFNv%2FNgAAEUnTMcCHAZk2EsgYvc,1_41637_AFNv%2FNgAARb0TMWfVwycxVDDYoo,1_40918_AFdv%2FNgAAOo%2FTMMVTQtEN0nYhxw,1_40277_AFdv%2FNgAAK2ETMGqmwMZ%2Fm865vA,1_39560_AFdv%2FNgAAJLQTMBzaQzIs28a2Uc,1_38916_AFJv%2FNgAAGfRTL97CgGm0yp6dBs,1_38170_AFZv%2FNgAAAK%2BTL4DxwdptRQfn90,&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&hash=30c49f5b9f61273beed1953ae7674c2f&.jsrand=5917415 How likely are you to notice the problems with this URL? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that non-technical users consider the address field a sort of write-only space; they type something comprehensible in there, and the browser destroys it. The simplified address field with the bold domain name is a lot easier to read, and that probably increases the chances that it will be read, rather than ignored. The full URL is just one click away.

corin_ 16y ago
Enter the URL with two spaces before it please, to place it in a code box. It's changing the layout.
- Lagged2Death 16y ago
  Sorry about that. But that's interesting, isn't it? The URL is so unwieldy that the site and/or the typical web browser cannot handle it properly. In fact, it's so long that most of it is already invisible on a typical screen anyway.
bambax 16y ago
All modern browsers deal with phising without destroying information; just alert the user that the site they're visiting is not what it claims to be. If users don't look at the address bar and don't understand urls, how are they going to tell something is amiss when they visit the following domains (all available at the time of writing): - gnail.fr - gnail.me - gmail.se.com - gmail.uk.net - yahooo.uk.com - yahooo.eu.com Only showing the domain does not help the non-technical user: you can have a fake domain look quite legitimate to the non-technical eye.
- Lagged2Death 16y ago
  Hiding part of the URL is what every browser currently does, when the URL gets long enough. Does that count as "destroying information?" The Opera alpha shows the whole URL when you click on the address field. I think I'd be more likely to notice typos like "yahooo" or "gnail" with the new display method, without the noise of a thousand-character URL surrounding them. That is by no means the be-all and end-all of anti-phishing technology. It's just giving me one more chance to see something that might be amiss.

corin_ 16y ago

Enter the URL with two spaces before it please, to place it in a code box. It's changing the layout.

Lagged2Death 16y ago
Sorry about that. But that's interesting, isn't it? The URL is so unwieldy that the site and/or the typical web browser cannot handle it properly. In fact, it's so long that most of it is already invisible on a typical screen anyway.

bambax 16y ago

All modern browsers deal with phising without destroying information; just alert the user that the site they're visiting is not what it claims to be. If users don't look at the address bar and don't understand urls, how are they going to tell something is amiss when they visit the following domains (all available at the time of writing): - gnail.fr - gnail.me - gmail.se.com - gmail.uk.net - yahooo.uk.com - yahooo.eu.com Only showing the domain does not help the non-technical user: you can have a fake domain look quite legitimate to the non-technical eye.

Lagged2Death 16y ago
Hiding part of the URL is what every browser currently does, when the URL gets long enough. Does that count as "destroying information?" The Opera alpha shows the whole URL when you click on the address field. I think I'd be more likely to notice typos like "yahooo" or "gnail" with the new display method, without the noise of a thousand-character URL surrounding them. That is by no means the be-all and end-all of anti-phishing technology. It's just giving me one more chance to see something that might be amiss.