[delwin]

The question is irrelevant, there is already a standard. Browsers use http://, dead-tree material uses nothing, and no one uses //, because that's just weird.

Typing in http:// is never necessary, so we're already saving as many keystrokes as possible.

[adamtheclayman]

Delwin, on the keystroke front, adding support for processing the text "//google.com" as a likely link does not impact users like me who type "google.com" into their URL bar.

I'm not proposing that we lengthen "hipmunk.com" into "//hipmunk.com". Just that we shorten "http://hipmunk.com, where and when it appears, to "//hipmunk.com", or enable support for such shortening in as many major consumer web applications we can collectively reach, through a top-ranked Hacker News story.

//url is already supported by every major browser.

I don't know how to format or title an HN post to attract attention. I'm starting to regret titling this "BATTLE: //url.tld" instead of something more like, "It's 2012. Why do we still need to write http:// to tell a web service we've written a link, when // will do?"

Should this not or never reach the front page, if you or anyone you know has an idea of how to get the short //url proposal somewhere it gets considered for a moment by the webdev collective and YC participants (and aspirants), I'd be greatly appreciative.

//news.ycombinator.com (<- press me, I'm a link)