Peter BarfussJul 31, 2018
Baldur Bjarnason

“The Bullshit Web”
https://pxlnv.com/blog/bullshit-web/

The most on point description of the state of the web that I’ve read in a while.

The Bullshit Web

My home computer in 1998 had a 56K modem connected to our telephone line; we were allowed a maximum of thirty minutes of computer usage a day, because my parents — quite reasonably — did not want to have their telephone shut off for an evening at a time. I remember webpages loading slowly: ten […]

Jul 31, 2018 at 2:29pmWeb
Show threadBaldur BjarnasonJul 31, 2018
Moreover, the post points out that most of web dev's standard 'state of the art' practices are bullshit jobs (in the David Graeber sense) created entirely by pre-existing bullshit practices.
Show threadJamey SharpJul 31, 2018
@baldur I didn't get this sense from the post so I'm not sure what you're referring to. Could you expand on this point?
Show threadBaldur BjarnasonJul 31, 2018
@jamey The criticism directed at AMP in the post applies equally to a number of web dev practices. They exist only because of bullshit on the business model or management level.
Show threadJamey SharpJul 31, 2018
@baldur Oh, I see. Hmm. Maybe I've just ignored the practices you're referring to because I've never had to submit to management bullshit in the bits of web development I've done. Can you give another example besides AMP? I assume you aren't referring to things like tracking scripts, which also only exist because of business model bullshit, but aren't "web dev practices" exactly…?
Show threadBaldur BjarnasonJul 31, 2018

@jamey The top examples that come to mind:

- Turning everything into an SPA
- Writing and rewriting everything in the framework of the day.
- Using machine learning for everything.

A lot of the time these tactics increase costs/complexity for no end user gain. Or they even reduce end user value. But none of that matters because the business in question is bullshit (in the Harry Frankfurt sense) throughout.

Show threadJamey SharpJul 31, 2018
@baldur Oh! Those are excellent examples. Thank you for clarifying!
Show threaddogtraxJul 31, 2018

@baldur thx for sharing that piece.

This stood out for me:

“But a lot of the stuff we’re seeing is a pile-up of garbage on seemingly every major website that does nothing to make visitors happier — if anything, much of this stuff is deeply irritating and morally indefensible.”

Yep.

Show threadAlonealastalovedalongtheJul 31, 2018

@baldur "text-based webpages are now obese and torpid and excreting a casual contempt for its visitors"

That is a good bit of poetry there

Show threadBaldur BjarnasonJul 31, 2018
@Alonealastalovedalongthe 😁