4 ms·

If the trick to sensible page sizes is letting the site owners decide which features to enable, couldn't we go a step further and let users decide which feature

If the trick to sensible page sizes is letting the site owners decide which features to enable, couldn't we go a step further and let users decide which features they need from each site? Turn off ads? Disable third-party scripts site-wide? Don't send over any audio? How about webfonts? Tracking? Webgl? Webgl2? Would it not make more sense to ask the user (or their agent) what features they want to use, before trying to figure out which dependencies are needed to make them work? Could we optimize not just for speed and utility but also user feedback?

groby_b 4y ago
That would require site owners to build sites that actually work across a large range of feature sets. Given most sites barely work in their default version, godspeed on that quest. (I mean, restaurants now have QR codes to download PDF menus. Clearly, site owner incentives aren't at all aligned with customer needs)
deltree7 4y ago
Why don't we also have a check box asking [] Do you want a Million Dollars? [] Free Massage? . . or when they are booking an airline ticket [] Gigabit Internet [] Sleeper Couch The amount of entitlement HNers have is mind-boggling. Here's economics 101. Users pay with attention/money for a list of goods/services from the provider. If you don't like it, switch your provider. Unlike some physical monopolies, you aren't bound to any provider. If you think there is a market for your utopian content provider, how about you start your own company (with your fellow entitled HNers and provide all these features)?
- rekrsiv 4y ago
  Interesting plot twist! Economists do study these trends and you seem aware that the fact of having a right to something is trending among hackers, however I'm struggling to understand how any of what you just said relates to pruning code.

4 ms·

If the trick to sensible page sizes is letting the site owners decide which features to enable, couldn't we go a step further and let users decide which feature

by rekrsiv 4y ago

groby_b 4y ago
That would require site owners to build sites that actually work across a large range of feature sets. Given most sites barely work in their default version, godspeed on that quest. (I mean, restaurants now have QR codes to download PDF menus. Clearly, site owner incentives aren't at all aligned with customer needs)
deltree7 4y ago
Why don't we also have a check box asking [] Do you want a Million Dollars? [] Free Massage? . . or when they are booking an airline ticket [] Gigabit Internet [] Sleeper Couch The amount of entitlement HNers have is mind-boggling. Here's economics 101. Users pay with attention/money for a list of goods/services from the provider. If you don't like it, switch your provider. Unlike some physical monopolies, you aren't bound to any provider. If you think there is a market for your utopian content provider, how about you start your own company (with your fellow entitled HNers and provide all these features)?
- rekrsiv 4y ago
  Interesting plot twist! Economists do study these trends and you seem aware that the fact of having a right to something is trending among hackers, however I'm struggling to understand how any of what you just said relates to pruning code.