[GTALUG] The story of computing

[Jamon Camisso]

On 2015-01-31 12:17 PM, Thomas Milne wrote:
> On Sat, Jan 31, 2015 at 12:08 PM, Jamon Camisso
>> That's just inconsiderate. It only takes an extra second or two to copy
>> a link - no one's time is that important that they can't be bothered to
>> copy/paste a full URL.
> 
> This is what I am very patiently trying to explain.
> 
> THERE NEVER WAS A FULL URL ANYWHERE. I WAS NOT USING A WEB BROWSER.

Then take the time to generate one, or provide some context. Easy. "Hey
all, here's a link to a podcast by The Guardian discussing a book called
The Story of Computing."

See what I did there? I didn't have to resort to calling people names
either.

>> To understand why shortened links without context are an issue, take a
>> look at this Google generated short URL to CSIS's site:
>> http://goo.gl/GO9PkW
> 
> If we never visited a link unless we knew what was there in advance,
> most of the Internet would be cut off from us.

Context. Search engines provide, amongst other things context. People
sharing links with friends and mailing lists and aggregation sites,
provide, amongst other things, context.

Relevant commentary is next level and can encourage people to engage in
discussion too. What did you find interesting about the podcast? Was it
relevant to Linux users, and if so why? Yes I'm being patronizing, but
you thought it was worth posting. I'm genuinely interested in your
thoughts about it and might be encouraged to listen if you care to share
them.

>> If I were malicious and posted a link to a less *cough* reputable site,
>> then I could potentially do all sorts of nasty things to anyone who
>> opened it.
>>
> 
> Yes we should always behave as if the worst possible thing is about to
> happen to us.

That's great advice when it comes to browsing the internet.. glad we
agree on that one!

Cheers, Jamon