5 ms·

All these cursors moving around the page, sometimes highlighting text… was way too distracting. Thank goodness for Reader Mode.

by mproud 3y ago

ask5531 3y ago
throwback to 2000 and angelfire
millzlane 3y ago
It was the lines and colors for me.
JoshGG 3y ago
I don’t understand what the cursors and highlights are supposed to show us. Maybe they could just put in flashing text plus a flashing background plus a microwave attack on the reader.
- jvanderbot 3y ago
  The only highlights I saw were links.
- trescenzi 3y ago
  Presumably it’s live mouse locations of others on the site with flags of their country right? Didn’t look at the inspector to see if they were real but it’s a neat idea. Wildly distracting and weird but neat.
- chasd00 3y ago
  > Maybe they could just put in flashing text plus a flashing background plus a microwave attack on the reader. And a fast moving image where if you click on it you get a prize. Call it punch the chimp or something..
- vunderba 3y ago
  Just from a cursory (ha) glance, I see Websockets in dev console. Wouldn't be surprised if this is other viewers on the page. EDIT: It's a web component on the page that does exactly this. https://github.com/partykit/sketch-disco https://github.com/partykit/sketch-disco
  - genmon 3y ago
    Author here Good find! That's a slightly older version that I'm moving. Here's a better version, complete with instructions on how to embed it in your own site https://github.com/genmon/interconnected-cursor-party https://github.com/genmon/interconnected-cursor-party It's a fork of the upstream PartyKit versions (I've added shared text highlights) https://github.com/partykit/cursor-party https://github.com/partykit/cursor-party PartyKit is genuinely the best way to build real-time super scalable apps in very little code, multiplayer included. I have a contract here rn but I was a fan and user first. It's my go-to for most projects now: https://www.partykit.io https://www.partykit.io
    - baobabKoodaa 3y ago
      Please don't do this! I want to read your article but I can't stand to look at it with all these flags and cursors.
hoherd 3y ago
It wouldn't surprise me if this were his way of highlighting how JavaScript does user-hostile things. This site uses JS only to irritate the user, but other sites' JS might be malicious. I still hate it though. I'm not disabling JavaScript. Reader mode saves the day.
- sidewndr46 3y ago
  Well that is an interesting way to filter your audience. Select for your user base by adding Javascript which only serves to make the page unusable. But make sure the page is perfectly usable without it enabled.
penjelly 3y ago
ya this made it unreadable for me.
omgmajk 3y ago
I see this stuff more and more, maybe like four times in the last week just from links I have clicked from the HN frontpage. Other visitors, doing their thing. I really dislike it.
- coldpie 3y ago
  Install NoScript. Makes the web way better. All that cutesy JS crap is disabled by default, and for badly written websites that require JS, you can go whitelist just enough to get the page functional.
  - DaSHacka 3y ago
    You can do this in uBlock Origin too, saves needing to install another extension (as I assume most of us already have it installed)
- grotorea 3y ago
  It's like the view counter from the early web updated for the 2020s, what's not to like?
  - lizardking 3y ago
    1990's web was a whacky place
    - MomoXenosaga 3y ago
      Whenever someone on HN starts whining how the internet used to be better I just mutter "pop ups". Someone invented ad blockers for a reason 25 or so years ago.
crtasm 3y ago
I'm disappointed this feature doesn't load for me in Firefox. The / key also conflicts with its quick-search feature.
TeMPOraL 3y ago
What cursors? I don't see anything on Firefox, even on Windows, with uBlock Origin turned off.
randomsolutions 3y ago
I think it is awesome. Definitely glad every page isn't like this, but it is cool, and goes with the vibe of the blog. Unfortunately leaving the tab and returning seems to make it crash. But I'll take this over another striver blog.

All these cursors moving around the page, sometimes highlighting text… was way too distracting. Thank goodness for Reader Mode.

by mproud 3y ago

All these cursors moving around the page, sometimes highlighting text… was way too distracting. Thank goodness for Reader Mode.

ask5531 3y ago

throwback to 2000 and angelfire

millzlane 3y ago

It was the lines and colors for me.

JoshGG 3y ago

I don’t understand what the cursors and highlights are supposed to show us. Maybe they could just put in flashing text plus a flashing background plus a microwave attack on the reader.

jvanderbot 3y ago
The only highlights I saw were links.
trescenzi 3y ago
Presumably it’s live mouse locations of others on the site with flags of their country right? Didn’t look at the inspector to see if they were real but it’s a neat idea. Wildly distracting and weird but neat.
chasd00 3y ago
> Maybe they could just put in flashing text plus a flashing background plus a microwave attack on the reader. And a fast moving image where if you click on it you get a prize. Call it punch the chimp or something..
vunderba 3y ago
Just from a cursory (ha) glance, I see Websockets in dev console. Wouldn't be surprised if this is other viewers on the page. EDIT: It's a web component on the page that does exactly this. https://github.com/partykit/sketch-disco https://github.com/partykit/sketch-disco
- genmon 3y ago
  Author here Good find! That's a slightly older version that I'm moving. Here's a better version, complete with instructions on how to embed it in your own site https://github.com/genmon/interconnected-cursor-party https://github.com/genmon/interconnected-cursor-party It's a fork of the upstream PartyKit versions (I've added shared text highlights) https://github.com/partykit/cursor-party https://github.com/partykit/cursor-party PartyKit is genuinely the best way to build real-time super scalable apps in very little code, multiplayer included. I have a contract here rn but I was a fan and user first. It's my go-to for most projects now: https://www.partykit.io https://www.partykit.io
  - baobabKoodaa 3y ago
    Please don't do this! I want to read your article but I can't stand to look at it with all these flags and cursors.

hoherd 3y ago

It wouldn't surprise me if this were his way of highlighting how JavaScript does user-hostile things. This site uses JS only to irritate the user, but other sites' JS might be malicious. I still hate it though. I'm not disabling JavaScript. Reader mode saves the day.

sidewndr46 3y ago
Well that is an interesting way to filter your audience. Select for your user base by adding Javascript which only serves to make the page unusable. But make sure the page is perfectly usable without it enabled.

penjelly 3y ago

ya this made it unreadable for me.

omgmajk 3y ago

I see this stuff more and more, maybe like four times in the last week just from links I have clicked from the HN frontpage. Other visitors, doing their thing. I really dislike it.

coldpie 3y ago
Install NoScript. Makes the web way better. All that cutesy JS crap is disabled by default, and for badly written websites that require JS, you can go whitelist just enough to get the page functional.
- DaSHacka 3y ago
  You can do this in uBlock Origin too, saves needing to install another extension (as I assume most of us already have it installed)
grotorea 3y ago
It's like the view counter from the early web updated for the 2020s, what's not to like?
- lizardking 3y ago
  1990's web was a whacky place
  - MomoXenosaga 3y ago
    Whenever someone on HN starts whining how the internet used to be better I just mutter "pop ups". Someone invented ad blockers for a reason 25 or so years ago.

crtasm 3y ago

I'm disappointed this feature doesn't load for me in Firefox. The / key also conflicts with its quick-search feature.

TeMPOraL 3y ago

What cursors? I don't see anything on Firefox, even on Windows, with uBlock Origin turned off.

randomsolutions 3y ago

I think it is awesome. Definitely glad every page isn't like this, but it is cool, and goes with the vibe of the blog. Unfortunately leaving the tab and returning seems to make it crash. But I'll take this over another striver blog.