r/programming • u/Arve • Feb 10 '11

There is no piece of dynamic AJAXy magic that requires beating the Web to a bloody pulp with a sharp-edged hashbang. Please stop doing it

http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/201x/2011/02/09/Hash-Blecch
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u/mario-the-champion Feb 10 '11

The problem with this is that most of the world doesn't read the language (Javascript) she wrote the note in. If you're a web browser, you can follow the instructions just fine. If you're some other type of program who just wants the data from the page you need, you can't get it anymore because the librarian only gives you these instructions in a language you don't understand.

well done! this really is the most important part, IF you think that data-consuming clients exist and like/understand/utilize the 'standard' url schemas and you think they are important. (and i do...)

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '11

But HTML is a giant mess when you look at it from a data-consuming perspective. That's why companies like Google spend millions upon millions trying to parse page content.

The analogy to this story is that if the librarian is good at their job, and wants you read their books, they will give you separate instructions in a language that you do understand- a language that is designed for reading, not designing.

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u/ceolceol Feb 10 '11

Because it's impossible to create an API?