[Donzo]

The reason why Google is doing this is because they are slowly trying to do away with URLs, as direct traffic is probably their greatest untapped segment.

Google is trying to get users to go through their doorway pages, which is exactly the kind of thing for which they penalize publishers.

Pay attention to when you enter direct addresses, let's say from a device/media subscription authorization page. The autosuggestion feature will often recommend Google searches, disguised as URLs, instead of helping you complete the very obvious URL.

If they help you get to the site directly, the opportunity to acquire your page views diminishes.

These behaviors are hostile toward users. I'd like to see further in their playbook to depreciate the URL as we know it.

[masswerk]

Compare yesterdays Ars Technica piece, https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/09/google-wants-to-get-...

As a comment reads there, do they want to reintroduce AOL keywords?

Edit: May we expect a non-standard subdomain "google-remote", which is more of a protocol-extension and will be also hidden?

[akurtzhs]

They already reintroduced AOL keywords in 2011 with their Direct Connect "feature" for Google+, https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/google-pages-connect..., so one could go straight to Pepsi's Google+ page with +Pepsi.

They killed it off in 2014.

[Donzo]

"Their complexity makes them a security hazard."

GTFOH! HANDS OFF!

[masswerk]

Notably, what is the common answer to a system regarded to be too complex to be handled on a general level, so that it may be considered a common risk? Authority (read, trusted man in the middle).

[vanadium]

Referencing the AMP URL controversy seems somewhat relevant in this context.

[EvanAnderson]

This needs to be a top-level comment.

[magicalist]

> they are slowly trying to do away with URLs

They might be changing how they want to display them, but "do away with" is unsupported by the article:

> But this will mean big changes in how and when Chrome displays URLs. We want to challenge how URLs should be displayed and question it as we’re figuring out the right way to convey identity.

https://www.wired.com/story/google-wants-to-kill-the-url/

[Donzo]

Did you read the whole article?

"The focus right now, they say, is on identifying all the ways people use URLs to try to find an alternative that will enhance security and identity integrity on the web while also adding convenience for everyday tasks like sharing links on mobile devices."

My statement is clearly supported by the article. They paint a rosy picture of it, because this is a submarine piece, but they are definitely making moves against the url.

[magicalist]

> My statement is clearly supported by the article.

You're ignoring a direct quote in favor of a Wired reporter paraphrase (one which mentions sharing links, no less). They cite an earlier effort, which was a display change. This issue is for a display change. None of this points to "trying to do away with URLs".

[Donzo]

>"None of this points to 'trying to do away with URLs'"

Except for that "trying to identify an alternative" part. But let's ignore that, because doing so makes you comfortable.

[mehrdadn]

Sorry, what? Could you expand on this? What do you mean by doing away with URLs?

[Donzo]

From the linked article:

"I don’t know what this will look like, because it’s an active discussion in the team right now," says Parisa Tabriz, director of engineering at Chrome. "But I do know that whatever we propose is going to be controversial. That’s one of the challenges with a really old and open and sprawling platform. Change will be controversial whatever form it takes. But it’s important we do something, because everyone is unsatisfied by URLs. They kind of suck."

https://www.wired.com/story/google-wants-to-kill-the-url/

She's says it's important that they do something! GTFOH! Hands of our Internet!

The problem here is that they view Chrome as their platform. They have too much market share ala IE6. Instead of following and helping to shape standards, they are considering highjacking the project. Argh!!!!!

[LocalH]

They seem to view the Internet as their platform, given the way they like to bully the tech sphere.

[Donzo]

Their dominance has become problematic when they entertain concepts like this seriously. They are really growing into the monolith that we all feared.

[bambax]

+1 Why do they need to change anything? Of course it’s going to be « controversial »!! What happened to RFQs?

Hidding the url scheme was the first step down this path of utter stupidity and I vividly remember the hostility and hubris of the Chrome team at the time.

We still have Firefox, but many times they just blindly follow suit.

[jrowley]

Many users never use the url bar. They just 'Google' for websites they want to access and follow the results.

[pwg]

It is worse than that for some users. I've seen actual users that type/paste real url's into google's search box in order to go to the site. They actually had no idea that the bar at the top of the browser that said "google" (since they/someone set their default homepage to google) was a place where they could delete "google.com" and type/paste the url they wanted to visit there instead to actually get to the site they wanted to visit.

[pests]

You seem shocked at this with word usage like "actual users", "real url's" and "actually no idea"

But how are we to expect users to know any better until general technology literacy improves?

Many people can't tell you the difference between a modem, router, OS, browser, or website.

I remember years ago sitting down with my elderly grandmother trying to show her how to use a desktop...

We are too close to our work so everything is familiar and easy.

Even the concept of moving the mouse on a table to represent moving the mouse cursor on the screen is something we take for granted.

Tell someone who's never used a mouse before to double click something to open it. You have to start way back earlier at the concept of which physical button on the mouse to use.

This turned more into a general rant about how we overestimate regular users but I'ts been on my mind for awhile.

[chiefalchemist]

> "Many people can't tell you the difference between a modem, router, OS, browser, or website."

They don't care, nor should they. How many people know how many spark plugs are in their car?

You're correct. We, the more tech-literate, take too much for granted; and most experiences and learning curves are too far over the head of the "average" user.

It's not them. It's us.

[philwelch]

It's not about knowing how many spark plugs are in their car. It's more about buying a car that comes with a custom power adapter plugged into the cigarette lighter, never realizing that you can plug your own accessories into the cigarette lighter instead of buying your phone charger or GPS from the car company, and then not caring when they just take away the cigarette lighter and replace it with their own custom port.

[pvorb]

I think the comparison to spark plugs is misleading when we talk about URLs and security.

It's more like looking in the mirror before changing lanes. It's something you need to check in order to stay safe.

Mirrors, like URLs, are just an implementation detail. But since currently driving works with mirrors, you have to learn how to use them.

[jwalton]

Do you seriously not know how many spark plugs are in your car? It's the same as the number of cylinders. How could you not know that?

They absolutely should care. They should be aware that when they store things in "the cloud" they are not stored on their device and are visible to third parties. They should understand what encryption is and how to use it. "I don't know what I'm doing, and I didn't get the result I wanted, but it's not my fault it's the machine" is not an acceptable statement, whether we're talking about cars or computers.

[mehrdadn]

Ohhhh holy cow I never realized Google might want to encourage this. Thanks!

[vbezhenar]

I'm occasionally doing that and especially suggest non-technical users to do exactly this thing. I can mistype URL. Google will correct me, if site is well-known. Otherwise I'm risking to go to phishing website.

[hdkrgr]

I just finished helping out a friend who did exactly this thing, clicked on an ad at the results page thinking it was Google's top result and was redirected to an ESTA scam site where they lost a bunch of money.

What's easier to tell apart for nontechnical users? URL bar from Google search field or ads from Google results?