[nknighthb]

A shitty, laggy, memory-eating UI for mobile/touchscreen devices that people who have absolutely never used a tablet put on their websites thinking it makes them cool. In reality, it is a sort of reverse-DDoS on mobile web users.

I assume it's really a secret plot by Microsoft to make the mobile web unusable and drive everybody back to PCs where they're still semi-competitive.

[tptacek]

Ok, now, can someone demonstrate some insight and/or thoughtfulness by explaining what OnSwipe is supposed to be? Their offices are next door to ours at Union Square, and the people that work there do not appear to be assholes hell-bent on ruining your mobile browsing experience.

I'm not sticking up for OnSwipe, but this litany of "OnSwipe is evil" has become something of a religious ritual on HN, and for once I'd like to see if we can do better than a mindless chant.

What do we think the people who work at OnSwipe are setting out to do?

[nknighthb]

Your question is mindless. We all know what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's sufficiently obvious as to need no explanation.

If you care that much about getting deeper insight into how yet another horrible, misguided product came to foul the market with its stench, why don't you walk next door and investigate instead of doing your old man yells at clouds routine? You're obviously both better-equipped and better-motivated than the rest of us to get answers. If that's not enough to make you do it, don't expect anyone else to do it for you.

[sillysaurus2]

Why be an asshole? Write your comments for the readers of HN, not for whomever you're replying to.

I have no idea what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's not obvious at all.

[nknighthb]

> Why be an asshole?

In my opinion, I am not an asshole, but at least one other person in this thread certainly is. Why ask this question? Has my answer contributed anything of value? Were you expecting it to?

> Write your comments for the readers of HN, not for whomever you're replying to.

Do as you say, not as you do?

> I have no idea what OnSwipe is supposed to be. It's not obvious at all.

It's a UI for mobile/touchscreen devices. I even stated as much in my original comment, and I reject the notion that it is non-obvious.

Every time you encounter a crappy example of a product category, do you ask what the product is supposed to be? What answer are you even expecting? "This is really bad spaghetti." "OK, but what is it supposed to be?"... Wat?

[tptacek]

What does it mean to be a "UI for mobile/touchscreen devices"? Mobile devices already have UIs. What is it trying to add to those? It's obviously trying to add something, unless you literally believe the developers that go to work in that office are setting out to make your life worse.

[statictype]

It's certainly trying to add something of value - the problem everyone seems to have is that it's failing at that task pretty badly. And not in the sense that the developers are incompetent or lack skill - but in the sense that what they think is a better UI experience is very definitely not an opinion shared by others.

This is further aggravated by the fact that many site owners choose to use them.

[nknighthb]

It's not trying to add anything to the device. It's trying to add a touch interface to websites based on a common (if itself questionable) paradigm. And it's doing it very badly.