5 ms·

if we could go back I wonder if it would be better if we had required a leading dot in domain names ".google.com"

giantrobot 6y ago
I think that ends up as user unfriendly as requiring the dot after the TLD. I don't read up on all the gTLDs so I didn't realize zip was one for the longest time. I think ICANN just went nuts with TLDs, especially ones like .app and .zip that have long-standing associations with ubiquitous file extensions. That combined with the "smart bar" just leads to trouble.
Ekaros 6y ago
Or if browsers weren't trying to be too smart enough and use the same box for both searching and addresses. Trips me with .py files all time time.
- BiteCode_dev 6y ago
  After ".py", use " ?" (the space is important) to force the search in firefox.
  - oauea 6y ago
    Or just start the query with `?` Typing `?bla.py` in the omnibar will perform a search for `bla.py` on both Firefox and Chrome
  - kbenson 6y ago
    Using a question make in front of the term is traditionally how some browsers trigger search. They usually have a jeybconbe to add it automatically. For example, in firefox and chrome ctrl-l will clear the URL bar and put the cursor and focus there to take you to the location you enter, and ctrl-k will do similar but pre-fill the location bar with a preceding '?' so a search is triggered on the input. These shortcuts have existed for quite a while. They used to just focus the respective separate input boxes, when it wasn't all done through one.
    - dTal 6y ago
      What's a "jeybconbe"? It's a googlewhack for this thread.
      - Aearnus 6y ago
        My best guess is that it looks like a typo for "keycombo".
        kbenson 6y ago
        Yes, thanks. Switched to a new keyboard on my phone, and I'm getting some different typos now. Not necessarily more, I always seem to have a lot that slip through, just different...
      - bigiain 6y ago
        And six hours later, as I read this thread, nobody has registered the domain still! ;-)
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- vbezhenar 6y ago
  Press Ctrl+K and browser will be forced to search.
basch 6y ago
or go back to left to right reading. http//com.google.www. vs http//com.google.www./file.zip
- CydeWeys 6y ago
  This is the real answer here. It's widely believed that domains working the opposite way of filesystem hierarchies and even URL paths was a huge design mistake. Think of how many billions of dollars have been lost over the years from account compromises resulting from people not correctly distinguishing yourbank.com/account/foobar from yourbank.com-account.info/foobar.
  - dan-robertson 6y ago
    1. The reason for the change is generally thought to be email: you read least specific to most specific from left to right, like non-American dates, e.g firstname.lastname@group.department.university.edu 2. also I think ! was used rather than . for some networks at some times. Certainly I’ve heard this anecdote from some early users of the internet (or maybe other computer networks) 3. Traditionally the dot is the zero-level or extra-top level domain, a bit like / for root in the Unix file system. Indeed if you use dig you may be familiar that it writes domains like “www.google.com.” My web browser only partly seems to accept this format.
    - JoshTriplett 6y ago
      > 2. also I think ! was used rather than . for some networks at some times. Certainly I’ve heard this anecdote from some early users of the internet (or maybe other computer networks) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UUCP#Bang_path https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UUCP#Bang_path ! was used for manual routing from the source to the destination, when messages were copied from server to server via UUCP. People would write paths like ...!ucbvax!deptserver!myname , which means "you probably know how to get messages to ucbvax; from there, here's how to reach me".
      - elygre 6y ago
tsimionescu 6y ago
Or just required the use of the true FQDN - "google.com."
- jdxcode 6y ago
  that's what I meant actually—I just forgot it was trailing
deleted 6y ago
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deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

I think that ends up as user unfriendly as requiring the dot after the TLD. I don't read up on all the gTLDs so I didn't realize zip was one for the longest time. I think ICANN just went nuts with TLDs, especially ones like .app and .zip that have long-standing associations with ubiquitous file extensions. That combined with the "smart bar" just leads to trouble.

Ekaros 6y ago

Or if browsers weren't trying to be too smart enough and use the same box for both searching and addresses. Trips me with .py files all time time.

BiteCode_dev 6y ago
After ".py", use " ?" (the space is important) to force the search in firefox.
- oauea 6y ago
  Or just start the query with `?` Typing `?bla.py` in the omnibar will perform a search for `bla.py` on both Firefox and Chrome
- kbenson 6y ago
  Using a question make in front of the term is traditionally how some browsers trigger search. They usually have a jeybconbe to add it automatically. For example, in firefox and chrome ctrl-l will clear the URL bar and put the cursor and focus there to take you to the location you enter, and ctrl-k will do similar but pre-fill the location bar with a preceding '?' so a search is triggered on the input. These shortcuts have existed for quite a while. They used to just focus the respective separate input boxes, when it wasn't all done through one.
  - dTal 6y ago
    What's a "jeybconbe"? It's a googlewhack for this thread.
    - Aearnus 6y ago
      My best guess is that it looks like a typo for "keycombo".
      - kbenson 6y ago
        Yes, thanks. Switched to a new keyboard on my phone, and I'm getting some different typos now. Not necessarily more, I always seem to have a lot that slip through, just different...
    - bigiain 6y ago
      And six hours later, as I read this thread, nobody has registered the domain still! ;-)
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
vbezhenar 6y ago
Press Ctrl+K and browser will be forced to search.

basch 6y ago

or go back to left to right reading. http//com.google.www. vs http//com.google.www./file.zip

CydeWeys 6y ago
This is the real answer here. It's widely believed that domains working the opposite way of filesystem hierarchies and even URL paths was a huge design mistake. Think of how many billions of dollars have been lost over the years from account compromises resulting from people not correctly distinguishing yourbank.com/account/foobar from yourbank.com-account.info/foobar.
- dan-robertson 6y ago
  1. The reason for the change is generally thought to be email: you read least specific to most specific from left to right, like non-American dates, e.g firstname.lastname@group.department.university.edu 2. also I think ! was used rather than . for some networks at some times. Certainly I’ve heard this anecdote from some early users of the internet (or maybe other computer networks) 3. Traditionally the dot is the zero-level or extra-top level domain, a bit like / for root in the Unix file system. Indeed if you use dig you may be familiar that it writes domains like “www.google.com.” My web browser only partly seems to accept this format.
  - JoshTriplett 6y ago
    > 2. also I think ! was used rather than . for some networks at some times. Certainly I’ve heard this anecdote from some early users of the internet (or maybe other computer networks) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UUCP#Bang_path https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UUCP#Bang_path ! was used for manual routing from the source to the destination, when messages were copied from server to server via UUCP. People would write paths like ...!ucbvax!deptserver!myname , which means "you probably know how to get messages to ucbvax; from there, here's how to reach me".
    - elygre 6y ago

tsimionescu 6y ago

Or just required the use of the true FQDN - "google.com."

jdxcode 6y ago
that's what I meant actually—I just forgot it was trailing

deleted 6y ago

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deleted 6y ago

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