4 ms·

Wow, if there's one thing open source projects are known for, it's dated websites

vorticalbox 4y ago
> isn't broken don't fix it Though in this case it's likely to keep it accessible to people we slow internet connections.
- hanniabu 4y ago
  It's 1.4mb for an incredibly simple page, and a modern design doesn't mean it needs to be some bloated webapp
  - tmtvl 4y ago
    1.4 MB? WTH, Debian's current page is 14 KB, that is 0.014 MB. 1.4 MB, good grief, that is larger than Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.
    - cesarb 4y ago
      > 1.4 MB? WTH, Debian's current page is 14 KB, that is 0.014 MB. It depends on whether you're looking at just the HTML or at the page as a whole. The HTML is that small, but there are a couple of JPEG photos on the home page, each weighing on the order of hundreds of kilobytes; the total including these photos is around 1.4 MB.
bloopernova 4y ago
Could you be more specific? What exactly should Debian's website offer that it currently isn't?
- hanniabu 4y ago
  More pleasing to the eyes and not from the 90s. A more attractive site wouldn't turn people off as soon as they visit it and would yield more users and support. Ubuntu's site for example looks nicer and only 0.1mb larger.
  - steelframe 4y ago
    Are you volunteering to redo debian.org? Because that's how this works.
    - npteljes 4y ago
      That's not how it works. I don't think the people on top of the debian community would just let anyone redesign their home page, even if the website would be objectively better in some regard.
      - steelframe 4y ago
        Oh, there would be a debate, for sure. It will probably go through a lot of bikeshedding. But if you demonstrate competence and commitment and stroke the right egos, it can certainly happen.
  - bandrami 4y ago
    Now compare the two on Lynx
  - BrotherBisquick 4y ago
    I never thought i'd meet the guy who actually likes web bloat, and on HN of all places. I thought you were just a legend, like Kayser Soeze.
  - npteljes 4y ago
    I don't think a nice website would translate to that much more benefits, like new Debian users. If Debian was an online clothes retailer, and they wanted to compete with other such websites like asos.com, they'd need a website like them. But even then, Craigslist is also very popular, and the website design is similarly dated.
- philwelch 4y ago
  Half a gig of Javascript and a GDPR popup.
pessimizer 4y ago
Debian's website isn't dated, it's constantly updated and a wonderful, comprehensive resource. Unless you're bikeshedding about rounded corners or something.
- hanniabu 4y ago
  You can have a constantly updated grate resource that's still dated. Dated is in reference to the UI.
  - riku_iki 4y ago
    its old school, not dated.
npteljes 4y ago
Yes, this is part of the open source culture. It's a matter of resource allocation, and a bit of signalling. If you'd like a trendy corporate website, take a look at a distro that's backed by a corporation too, like Ubuntu, or Red Hat.

> isn't broken don't fix it Though in this case it's likely to keep it accessible to people we slow internet connections.

hanniabu 4y ago
It's 1.4mb for an incredibly simple page, and a modern design doesn't mean it needs to be some bloated webapp
- tmtvl 4y ago
  1.4 MB? WTH, Debian's current page is 14 KB, that is 0.014 MB. 1.4 MB, good grief, that is larger than Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.
  - cesarb 4y ago
    > 1.4 MB? WTH, Debian's current page is 14 KB, that is 0.014 MB. It depends on whether you're looking at just the HTML or at the page as a whole. The HTML is that small, but there are a couple of JPEG photos on the home page, each weighing on the order of hundreds of kilobytes; the total including these photos is around 1.4 MB.

bloopernova 4y ago

Could you be more specific? What exactly should Debian's website offer that it currently isn't?

hanniabu 4y ago
More pleasing to the eyes and not from the 90s. A more attractive site wouldn't turn people off as soon as they visit it and would yield more users and support. Ubuntu's site for example looks nicer and only 0.1mb larger.
- steelframe 4y ago
  Are you volunteering to redo debian.org? Because that's how this works.
  - npteljes 4y ago
    That's not how it works. I don't think the people on top of the debian community would just let anyone redesign their home page, even if the website would be objectively better in some regard.
    - steelframe 4y ago
      Oh, there would be a debate, for sure. It will probably go through a lot of bikeshedding. But if you demonstrate competence and commitment and stroke the right egos, it can certainly happen.
- bandrami 4y ago
  Now compare the two on Lynx
- BrotherBisquick 4y ago
  I never thought i'd meet the guy who actually likes web bloat, and on HN of all places. I thought you were just a legend, like Kayser Soeze.
- npteljes 4y ago
  I don't think a nice website would translate to that much more benefits, like new Debian users. If Debian was an online clothes retailer, and they wanted to compete with other such websites like asos.com, they'd need a website like them. But even then, Craigslist is also very popular, and the website design is similarly dated.
philwelch 4y ago
Half a gig of Javascript and a GDPR popup.

pessimizer 4y ago

Debian's website isn't dated, it's constantly updated and a wonderful, comprehensive resource. Unless you're bikeshedding about rounded corners or something.

hanniabu 4y ago
You can have a constantly updated grate resource that's still dated. Dated is in reference to the UI.
- riku_iki 4y ago
  its old school, not dated.

npteljes 4y ago

Yes, this is part of the open source culture. It's a matter of resource allocation, and a bit of signalling. If you'd like a trendy corporate website, take a look at a distro that's backed by a corporation too, like Ubuntu, or Red Hat.