Hacking Hypertext – How the Hyperlink Created the Modern Economy (2020)

blog.remaketheweb.com

9 points·ollerac··4 comments

“Low code” sounds super compelling. Give people with a little HTML and CSS experience a platform to build real things. I’m talking about the people that hacked at My Space back in the day because they wanted to. They didn’t really care about learning to code, it was all about the results.

MySpace is a great example! I think a lot of web developers out there who now work for major corporations or started their own companies probably started out just wanting to add a gif to their profile or change the background color.

Sure, the results turned out ugly 90% of the time, but it gave people a way in. A way to just experiment and have fun.

Compare that with the front-end build steps new devs are expected to find their way through these day... it doesn't make sense. I think one solution work considering is making the browser and HTML itself take on more responsibility. Front-end libraries are just giant hacks built on top of them.

I have to admit the web is built on top of hypertext. It creates links and connect everything together!

Yeah, I think links are really under-appreciated, even though they're everywhere you look.

I'm curious about what the next set of hyperlink hacks will be. For example, I'd like to be able to click on an AirBnb experience, but load it up into VR instead of having to go to it.

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