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The author is suggesting that websites care more about server side issues than client side issues. To the point that they don't realize that users stop using th

The author is suggesting that websites care more about server side issues than client side issues. To the point that they don't realize that users stop using them. I think that statement is way too strong and obviously not true of businesses. It might be true if hobbyist websites where the creator is personally more interested on the server side but it's definitely not true of professional websites. Professional websites that have enough of a budget to care about the server side will absolutely care about the client side and will track usage. If 10% fewer people used the website, the analytics would show that and there would be a fire drill. What I can agree with on the author is more of a nuanced point. Client side problems are a lot harder and have a very long tail due to unique client configurations (OS, browser, extensions, physical hardware). So with thousands of combinations, you end up with some wild and rare issues. It becomes hard to chase all of them down and some you just have to ignore. This can lead to it feeling like websites don't care about client side but it just shows client side is hard.

carlosjobim 1y ago
> I think that statement is way too strong and obviously not true of businesses Amazon.com Inc is currently worth 2.4 billion dollars and the only reason is that most businesses insist on giving their customers the worst online experience possible. I wish that I could one day understand the logic, which goes like this: 1. Notice that people are on their phones all the time. 2. And notice that when people are looking to buy something they first go on the computer or on the smart phone. 3. Therefore let's make the most godawful experience on our website possible, to make sure that our potential customers hate us and don't make a purchase. 4. Customers make their purchase on Amazon instead. 5. Profit??
- danaris 1y ago
  > Amazon.com Inc is currently worth 2.4 billion dollars and the only reason is that most businesses insist on giving their customers the worst online experience possible. This is an incredibly reductive view of how Amazon came to dominate online retail. If you genuinely believe this, I would strongly urge you to research their history and understand how they became the monopoly they are today. I assure you, it's not primarily because they care more about the end user's experience.
  - carlosjobim 1y ago
    It's just an example, and it holds true even if it's reductive. If businesses made just 5% of the effort with their online experience as they do with their physical stores or social media campaigning, then they would see massive returns on effort.
    - nulbyte 1y ago
      I...don't have this experience. It doesn't hold true for me, and I suspect I am not alone. There are certainly some online stores that are not very great, but by and large, I just don't have problems with them. I prefer the seller's website over Amazon. Amazon, on the other hand, is plagued with fake or bad products from copycat sellers. I have no idea what I am going to get when I place an order. Frankly, I'm surprised when I get the actual thing I ordered.
      - zzzeek 1y ago
        it's still the case today, in 2025, that when I bought a Focusrite 18i20 mixer from Sweetwater that turned out to be defective, I had to spend a week with a lengthy and super-long-delayed conversation with their support department convincing them that the unit was in fact defective, that I was using it correctly, and finally getting the prized RMA to return it. Whereas if I had bought it from Amazon, I would have received the original package more quickly, and when defective, I could have had it in a box and shipped off from any local shipper that same day with no emails/phone calls required with a new one to arrive the next day. Amazon even as the leader in "enshittification" still offers a dramatically better experience for a wide range of products (though certainly not all of them).
      - ndriscoll 1y ago
        A couple years back I tried to buy some parts on digikey and literally could not get the checkout to work without completely disabling noscript (assuming that would've helped). They had like a dozen 3rd party tracking scripts. Eventually I gave up and used Amazon.
    - bellgrove 1y ago
- jerbearito 1y ago
  > Amazon.com Inc is currently worth 2.4 billion dollars and the only reason is that most businesses insist on giving their customers the worst online experience possible Huh?
  - narag 1y ago
    Not the gp, but from my own experience: some business use out-of-the-box online shop software that is not very good. I wouldn't say "most" but, if you're buying some particular niche products, it becomes true. Slow pages, abysmal usability... one pet peeve is that they offer a brand filter in the left column with checkboxes. I want to select three brands and, every time I tick the checkbox, the page is reloaded. Reloading is painfully slow, so I need one minute to get to the search. If I want to do several searches, it's too much time. Also, at least in Spain, some delivery companies are awful. I have a package delivered to a convenience store right now. They refuse to give it to me because I have no delivery key. The courier didn't send it to me. I try to get assistance in their web... and they ask me the key that I want them to give me. Nice, huh? I asked for a refund to the shop. They have ghosted me in the chat, their return form doesn't work. Their email addresses are no-reply. The contact form doesn't work either. Now I need to wait until Monday to phone them. I know the shop is legit. They're just woefully incompetent and don't know they are or think that's the way things work. For cheap and not too expensive products, Amazon just works. No "but I went to your house and there was nobody there" bullshit. No questions return policy.
- Wowfunhappy 1y ago
  > most businesses insist on giving their customers the worst online experience possible. I think you're underselling the amount of work it takes to create an experience as smooth as Amazon's.
  - carlosjobim 1y ago
    There are many one man online businesses with very smooth and user friendly customer experience. Does every business have to be as smooth as Amazon? No. But that's not an argument for giving up completely.
- transcriptase 1y ago
  Trillion.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  Amazon is fine if you want cheap chinese garbage products or name brands that have a decent chance of being counterfeit. I never buy there.

carlosjobim 1y ago

> I think that statement is way too strong and obviously not true of businesses Amazon.com Inc is currently worth 2.4 billion dollars and the only reason is that most businesses insist on giving their customers the worst online experience possible. I wish that I could one day understand the logic, which goes like this: 1. Notice that people are on their phones all the time. 2. And notice that when people are looking to buy something they first go on the computer or on the smart phone. 3. Therefore let's make the most godawful experience on our website possible, to make sure that our potential customers hate us and don't make a purchase. 4. Customers make their purchase on Amazon instead. 5. Profit??

danaris 1y ago
> Amazon.com Inc is currently worth 2.4 billion dollars and the only reason is that most businesses insist on giving their customers the worst online experience possible. This is an incredibly reductive view of how Amazon came to dominate online retail. If you genuinely believe this, I would strongly urge you to research their history and understand how they became the monopoly they are today. I assure you, it's not primarily because they care more about the end user's experience.
- carlosjobim 1y ago
  It's just an example, and it holds true even if it's reductive. If businesses made just 5% of the effort with their online experience as they do with their physical stores or social media campaigning, then they would see massive returns on effort.
  - nulbyte 1y ago
    I...don't have this experience. It doesn't hold true for me, and I suspect I am not alone. There are certainly some online stores that are not very great, but by and large, I just don't have problems with them. I prefer the seller's website over Amazon. Amazon, on the other hand, is plagued with fake or bad products from copycat sellers. I have no idea what I am going to get when I place an order. Frankly, I'm surprised when I get the actual thing I ordered.
    - zzzeek 1y ago
      it's still the case today, in 2025, that when I bought a Focusrite 18i20 mixer from Sweetwater that turned out to be defective, I had to spend a week with a lengthy and super-long-delayed conversation with their support department convincing them that the unit was in fact defective, that I was using it correctly, and finally getting the prized RMA to return it. Whereas if I had bought it from Amazon, I would have received the original package more quickly, and when defective, I could have had it in a box and shipped off from any local shipper that same day with no emails/phone calls required with a new one to arrive the next day. Amazon even as the leader in "enshittification" still offers a dramatically better experience for a wide range of products (though certainly not all of them).
    - ndriscoll 1y ago
      A couple years back I tried to buy some parts on digikey and literally could not get the checkout to work without completely disabling noscript (assuming that would've helped). They had like a dozen 3rd party tracking scripts. Eventually I gave up and used Amazon.
  - bellgrove 1y ago
jerbearito 1y ago
> Amazon.com Inc is currently worth 2.4 billion dollars and the only reason is that most businesses insist on giving their customers the worst online experience possible Huh?
- narag 1y ago
  Not the gp, but from my own experience: some business use out-of-the-box online shop software that is not very good. I wouldn't say "most" but, if you're buying some particular niche products, it becomes true. Slow pages, abysmal usability... one pet peeve is that they offer a brand filter in the left column with checkboxes. I want to select three brands and, every time I tick the checkbox, the page is reloaded. Reloading is painfully slow, so I need one minute to get to the search. If I want to do several searches, it's too much time. Also, at least in Spain, some delivery companies are awful. I have a package delivered to a convenience store right now. They refuse to give it to me because I have no delivery key. The courier didn't send it to me. I try to get assistance in their web... and they ask me the key that I want them to give me. Nice, huh? I asked for a refund to the shop. They have ghosted me in the chat, their return form doesn't work. Their email addresses are no-reply. The contact form doesn't work either. Now I need to wait until Monday to phone them. I know the shop is legit. They're just woefully incompetent and don't know they are or think that's the way things work. For cheap and not too expensive products, Amazon just works. No "but I went to your house and there was nobody there" bullshit. No questions return policy.
Wowfunhappy 1y ago
> most businesses insist on giving their customers the worst online experience possible. I think you're underselling the amount of work it takes to create an experience as smooth as Amazon's.
- carlosjobim 1y ago
  There are many one man online businesses with very smooth and user friendly customer experience. Does every business have to be as smooth as Amazon? No. But that's not an argument for giving up completely.
transcriptase 1y ago
Trillion.
SoftTalker 1y ago
Amazon is fine if you want cheap chinese garbage products or name brands that have a decent chance of being counterfeit. I never buy there.