Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail From: Chris Angelico Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: WP-A: A New URL Shortener Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:43:13 +1100 Lines: 36 Message-ID: References: <17785955.P1rOlOtRcj@PointedEars.de> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de EJUe7cgK2XadHQ37UD67rQpcNGmEOf0ojsU/LCXHPN7A== Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.017 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.97; '*S*': 0.00; '16,': 0.03; 'received:209.85.223': 0.03; 'cc:addr:python-list': 0.09; 'creator': 0.09; 'it;': 0.09; 'wed,': 0.15; '2016': 0.16; '3:27': 0.16; 'arbitrarily': 0.16; 'from:addr:rosuav': 0.16; 'from:name:chris angelico': 0.16; 'gregory': 0.16; 'received:io': 0.16; 'received:psf.io': 0.16; 'redirects': 0.16; 'shorten': 0.16; 'subject:URL': 0.16; 'url.': 0.16; 'uses,': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.16; 'app': 0.16; "shouldn't": 0.18; 'typical': 0.18; 'solution.': 0.18; 'people,': 0.20; 'cc:2**0': 0.20; 'cc:addr:python.org': 0.20; 'either.': 0.22; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.24; 'chris': 0.26; 'helpful': 0.27; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.27; 'correct': 0.28; 'long.': 0.29; 'random': 0.29; 'becomes': 0.30; 'good.': 0.32; 'shorter': 0.33; 'running': 0.34; 'received:google.com': 0.35; 'trouble': 0.35; 'quite': 0.35; "isn't": 0.35; 'but': 0.36; 'too': 0.36; 'there': 0.36; 'received:209.85': 0.36; 'keyword': 0.36; 'urls': 0.36; 'pm,': 0.36; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'being': 0.37; 'received:209': 0.38; 'google': 0.39; 'enough': 0.39; 'subject:-': 0.39; 'where': 0.40; 'still': 0.40; 'some': 0.40; 'your': 0.60; 'address': 0.61; 'card': 0.63; 'different': 0.63; 'places': 0.64; 'mar': 0.65; 'store,': 0.66; "they're": 0.66; 'virtually': 0.66; 'card.': 0.67; 'cards': 0.67; 'letters': 0.67; 'media': 0.67; 'business': 0.69; 'power': 0.72; 'clicking': 0.75; 'chrisa': 0.84; 'hand.': 0.84; 'risks.': 0.84; 'to:none': 0.91 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:cc; bh=O5BktA0UBGX6hXgBgYF3e1eZEpJYJDDu8p1Qk9Y9s1A=; b=TnSVRNhbiEhBXuRdzsO+Pr2R9XdFNJv+9WbY9ZTMaL7/vCCiXQz3/r/e4ZbrcRyzWn 4W1S+rMsOhIzrQWKRcqIpAhGOm0mMa9bvLIkmRHMIxEt0DvPnTGu9aECKUkxiFDJQ3HS kuofRQ3No9wQnT/k3Ugid0cMhsvY12E86Fu0n8m1xnCG7C/EIRnitFjWdzvMjdDrh00G k/deF7lxfccaIZx2Mr7vOPTe+/trBNw4mPrePx9Fxk/bivUBglMHkKhzZKpmTbj9lUWC uwRt4v3aDea17A/EX+1i6wR/CkHkbsxGsJ9+bRFu+t+PILXqylrbGBrCKpwt5QehFMrV bwGg== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20130820; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date :message-id:subject:from:cc; bh=O5BktA0UBGX6hXgBgYF3e1eZEpJYJDDu8p1Qk9Y9s1A=; b=KtRZaC9Ua0trVLoY7UrhXqGMB1871rlB8SBtglBYlaRlHT7j9xeKqR8ceXM8tqFHx5 w0SUkjitqZ1cNZrJiKdqchIgjHpXEMwclc+Ze1eyOjh9m2EeRpOV4nKB3QHmCQ9d7HyG CcQpjHN3eUGZSoiIWFhKJVRv4ncxcUhQrzlYRugp/OgheBn2d63v/NmdKDG5vy45UtlT v7089xgXvBAHq/0U03Gcj+RJ4VHcjM32cNm+F5vkk55KL7sBWJiEnzlCmeYcMokXJRqt t21zO3Ic4NuYdZgSGhWaTOXt6g6ukSNpVc/jbj+vbFn4T7XFCb6X1qOgzomq+Hp15vyf ikUQ== X-Gm-Message-State: AD7BkJIwiSHwGrovoR9nk1xPaiarphRretid/8P0/rqoHkRDEW0zjRl//5KYQ7mvSQAcsWx3mX6D5LDAMMU5EA== X-Received: by 10.107.128.104 with SMTP id b101mr2515279iod.31.1458106993281; Tue, 15 Mar 2016 22:43:13 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.21 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:104989 On Wed, Mar 16, 2016 at 3:27 PM, Gregory Ewing wrote: > Chris Angelico wrote: >> >> There are many places where there are limits (hard or soft) on message >> lengths. Some of us still use MUDs and 80-character line limits. >> Business cards or other printed media need to be transcribed by hand. >> Dictation of URLs becomes virtually impossible when they're >> arbitrarily long. > > > Your typical shortened URL made up of a random jumble > of letters and numbers isn't good for dictating or > transcribing from a business card either. > > For those uses, a well-chosen semantically-memorable > URL is still the best solution. There shouldn't be > too much trouble in arranging one of those that's > short enough to put on a business card. Quite a few URL shorteners allow you to pick a keyword (conditionally on it not being in use, of course). For example, http://bit.ly/threshvote is perfectly memorable, but is still shorter than the address it redirects to. Given that it's a mobile app download link, it's extremely helpful for people to be able to type that without clicking on it; and since it's going to the Google Play Store, the creator of the app has no power to shorten the official URL. In some cases, the correct solution would be a short URL at a domain that the provider controls. But that's no different from running your own shortener service - it still has the extra indirection and consequent risks. So for a lot of people, a public shortener is just as good. ChrisA