Ignoring the security implications, I miss kb large old raw html websites that loaded instantly on DSL internet. Nowadays shit is too fancy because hardware allows that, but I feel we're just constantly running into more bugs first and then worry about them later.

Edit: I've thought more about it, and I think I just missed the simplicity of the internet back then. There's just too much bloat these days with ad trackers and misinformation. I kinda forgot just how bright and eye jarring most old UIs were lol.

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[–] 89 points 2 years ago (3 children)

You know what I miss? When information was condensed instead of spread out to insert more ads. When software willingly gave you all the options you could ever need instead of removing most of them because "people might get confused". When website took up the entire screen instead of a mobile wide strip in the middle because "it can be scary for people".

Fuck everyone who keeps lowering the bar of tech literacy just to appeal to the general public.

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  • [–] [S] 8 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    I literally have a vertical monitor to avoid the middle strip of text problem. It especially sucks for higher resolution monitors, it just feels like so much wasted space on the left and right side of the article.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago

    The most used e-commerce platform on my country does this for the map for in store pick ups when selecting where the package is sent. The map is basically a long vertical strip and the actual map area occupies maybe 10-5% of a 1440p monitor.

    Drives me nuts every time I have to use it

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  • [–] 67 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Not that unpopular an opinion I bet.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I saw a web page from 1999 today and as a full stack dev I immediately clicked away bc obvi NSFW

    BUT then I had the urge to go back to this simple ass web "site" and just admire it for a second like "wow, someone probably spent weeks on this 2 day design".

    Tbh afterwards I was kind of in awe that every option was available on each page with no sidebars or extra clicks. Not slick but quick tho!

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  • [–] 51 points 2 years ago (9 children)

    Ignoring the security implications.

    There are literally none with basic html.

    It's when you started adding shit like Shockwave, javascript and the like, all massive security holes, things got dicey.

    Plain old HTML, none what so ever.

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    [–] 40 points 2 years ago (3 children)
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    [–] 36 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I mean, there are basically no security implications for plain html.

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  • [–] 32 points 2 years ago (3 children)
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    [–] 32 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Most of the issue with loading times are the billion ads and trackers. There are sites I visit that load instantly with Adblock on but extremely slow without it.

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    [–] 29 points 2 years ago*

    Find the right webring, and you’d hit a treasure trove of content. Dig a little deeper and find something even more interesting. The pre-corporate takeover internet.

    We talk about enshittification ruining everything, but Facebook and Web 2.0 started ripping out the heart of the internet. Everyone went along with it, and corporate claws sunk in. The fun internet got pushed aside for the ad-friendly internet.

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  • [+] 25 points 2 years ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)
  • [–] [S] 7 points 2 years ago*

    No need. As someone who understands web development enough to know I know nothing about web development, it makes sense to me why the internet is what it is today. It's all about establishing a brand and identity now so doing extra things can make you stand out.

    While YouTube has gotten more sluggish over the years, I do think some recent changes like ambient mode have been pretty cool. I also support reasonable hardware requirements because things get obsolete over time.

    I guess I just miss the simplicity of early internet browsing more compared to all the bloat that exists today.

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    [+] 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 child)
  • [–] 19 points 2 years ago

    Right there with you buddy.

    Craigslist and McMaster are so efficient..

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  • [–] 17 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I miss kb large old raw html websites that loaded instantly on DSL internet

    Instantly? We had very different DSL connections 😳

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    [–] 15 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    What would stop an individual or company nowadays to build a pure html website? Isn't this what a "static site" is?

    Isn't this what HUGO and Jekyll produce, only a little bit prettier?

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Nothing. Warren Buffetts company Berkshire Hathaway has the most simple business's site of all time.

    https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/

    The fault is a combination of execs wanting a slick site, marketing wanting a highly SEO scoring page, and Devs wanting to play with web frameworks.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Hey, they even have an old-school tracker-free static advertisement image on that page. Now that's a classic.

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  • [+] 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (8 children)
  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    I dont think that usability or acessibility gets so much in the way. It's more about thinking webpages as applications instead of documents. Plain html is easier for screenreaders and larger fonts. You can also get responsive with very little css.

    Simplicity is just not the goal anymore.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago

    I instantly hit the Firefox Reader Mode button or turn on Brave's accessibility reader. They cut all the crap out of most websites. Bonus is they often remove paywalls.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago
    [–] 9 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    This web thing is okay, but it will never replace Gopher.

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    [–] 8 points 2 years ago
    [–] 6 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    You can still use old Gmail. I do. It's fast. It has no ads. It's amazing.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago

    I like using email client software instead. It just uses Gmail as a backend and the inbox looks however I want it to look.

    Plus, it works while offline on the train or with Amtrak's shitty WiFi

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago

    Everything is a transpiled Rract SPA loaded with trackers ..want to read your neighbors blog? Suck these hundreds trackers ...

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