WP-A: A New URL Shortener

[Rick Johnson]

On Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 5:54:46 PM UTC-5, Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
> Vinicius Mesel wrote:
> > I'm a 16 year old Python Programmer that wanted to do
> > something different. But, like we know, ideas are quite
> > difficult to find. So I decided to develop a URL
> > Shortener to help the Python community out and share my
> > coding knowledge, and today the project was launched
> > with its first stable version.

Although Thomas makes some very valid points, don't let
anybody discourage you Vinicius. If you want to build
something, and everyone in the *ENTIRE* world say's it's a bad
idea, do it anyway -- if for nothing else than to spite
them. :-P

> While I commend your efforts, I think that you should have
> chosen another topic for your project.  It is also hard
> for me to see in which way this is "something different" -
> are there not enough "URL Shorteners" already? -, and how
> a "URL Shortener" could "help the Python community out".

How many Python URL trimmers are there anyway? If none
exist, then he could claim the "i was the first" prize. If
others already exist, no harm, perhaps his implementation
utilizes a unique method of creating these small URLs that
could be a valuable teaching tool. And even if none of these
apply, his contribution is most welcome -- this is an open
community after all.

> Because I think that "URL Shorteners" are a bad idea in
> the first place: One never knows for how long a time a
> "short URL" works, who is listening in the middle, and
> what they are referring to, until one uses them at which
> point it is too late.  If a "short URL" expires, there is
> *no way* to retrieve the referred content; when a *real*
> URI breaks, there are services like the Internet Archive
> and the Google cache to help one out.  So when I see a
> "short URL", I tend not to use it.

I'll have to agree with Thomas here. I avoid them like the
plague for the same reasons. But don't be discouraged by
this, Vinicius, many people use them. Thankfully, not
everyone is as paranoid as Thomas and myself. :-)