Serge from Babka

I wish I knew a way to take a web page and hand it over to the browser as a single file (ie a tarball or zipfile) that contained the html, css, images and other supporting content, all as one bundle.

This could be more efficient than multiple files in some cases.

#WebDeveloment

Feb 12, 2025 at 7:41amWeb
Show threadgryzzlyFeb 12, 2025
@serge I think some of the browsers produce .mhtml file – not sure what your goal is but at least its aimed at exactly this.
Show threadNoah LiebmanFeb 12, 2025
@serge I believe you can configure some bundlers to inline all css and js into the html file (in style and script tags). And most servers will gzip everything for transit anyway
Show threadAmanda CarsonFeb 12, 2025
@serge This is how we got pdf, which has been one of the worst things to happen to the internet in the last 25 years. Don't go down this path, down this path lies darkness and misery.
Show threadSerge from BabkaFeb 12, 2025

@acarson

You could say the same about epub, or odf. Neither are problematic.

Show threadAmanda CarsonFeb 12, 2025

@serge epub and odf didn't get embedded in everything, and they don't require extra effort to make accessible so that everyone can read them. PDF's do since they are more often than not generated via library, and since noone wants to make the effort, they're inaccessible more often than not.

And I have absolutely zero confidence that the same wouldn't be the case with any sort of portabilization of web page assets for browsers.

We have enough of an inaccessible web already, developers and designers and managers don't need another tool to make it worse.