4 ms·

It's funny how a 3-line bash script is considered an automated agent, but the 100's of millions of lines of code that Chrome uses to download, parse, and displa

It's funny how a 3-line bash script is considered an automated agent, but the 100's of millions of lines of code that Chrome uses to download, parse, and display HTML is somehow not "automated"

danso 7y ago
Why is the number of lines of code particularly relevant?
- elchief 7y ago
  Chrome uses a LOT of automation to do what it does The actual number of lines is not important
gitgud 7y ago
Chrome (to my knowledge) doesn't automatically download webpages, it strictly downloads what you type into the url. This begs the questions; - At what point does web-scraping become research? - Is it considered scraping if a human is actioning it (no automation)? - Could I manually click links and copy the data from the browser, is this scraping? There's no strict definition, so it's up to a judges and lawyers to decide what the definitions entail...
- mantap 7y ago
  Chrome does automatically download webpages: it supports prefetching and iframes. Not only is it up to judges and lawyers but there's >190 juresdictions in which you could be sued. There are more important things to worry about, such as heart disease.
  - gitgud 7y ago
    > There are more important things to worry about, such as heart disease. Exactly, so much of humanity is wasting time needlessly arguing in courts... we need better systems of laws to reduce these redundant debates...
mantap 7y ago
Yes you can write that same bash script as a chrome extension and nobody will care. Many people use extensions that make automated requests not intended by the website operators. Making automated requests isn't illegal and won't per se get you sued, it's literally how a web browser works. What gets you sued is pissing somebody off. So don't do that.
- wruza 7y ago
  How about someone who is pissed off by looks in a public place or by ignoring their claims. Maybe they should not leave their visually protected home and issue commands there instead? Seriously, if one expects some privacy, they don’t live in a glass house and then complain if you see ‘em, no matter what ToS on the entrance claims.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

It's funny how a 3-line bash script is considered an automated agent, but the 100's of millions of lines of code that Chrome uses to download, parse, and display HTML is somehow not "automated"

danso 7y ago

Why is the number of lines of code particularly relevant?

elchief 7y ago
Chrome uses a LOT of automation to do what it does The actual number of lines is not important

gitgud 7y ago

Chrome (to my knowledge) doesn't automatically download webpages, it strictly downloads what you type into the url. This begs the questions; - At what point does web-scraping become research? - Is it considered scraping if a human is actioning it (no automation)? - Could I manually click links and copy the data from the browser, is this scraping? There's no strict definition, so it's up to a judges and lawyers to decide what the definitions entail...

mantap 7y ago
Chrome does automatically download webpages: it supports prefetching and iframes. Not only is it up to judges and lawyers but there's >190 juresdictions in which you could be sued. There are more important things to worry about, such as heart disease.
- gitgud 7y ago
  > There are more important things to worry about, such as heart disease. Exactly, so much of humanity is wasting time needlessly arguing in courts... we need better systems of laws to reduce these redundant debates...

mantap 7y ago

Yes you can write that same bash script as a chrome extension and nobody will care. Many people use extensions that make automated requests not intended by the website operators. Making automated requests isn't illegal and won't per se get you sued, it's literally how a web browser works. What gets you sued is pissing somebody off. So don't do that.

wruza 7y ago
How about someone who is pissed off by looks in a public place or by ignoring their claims. Maybe they should not leave their visually protected home and issue commands there instead? Seriously, if one expects some privacy, they don’t live in a glass house and then complain if you see ‘em, no matter what ToS on the entrance claims.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]