WP-A: A New URL Shortener

[Erik]

Hi Chris,

On 15/03/16 23:16, Chris Angelico wrote:
> So URL shorteners are invaluable tools.

Perhaps, and in the specific - transient - use-cases you describe that's 
fine. The problem I have with them is that they are a level of 
indirection controlled by a third party. If the source (let's say this 
list) has a message containing a link to something on the target which 
is still available via a "shortened" URL, then if the shortening service 
goes offline, the link is dead. Even though the target is still there.

People complain about the use of pastebin in this list for showing code 
fragments. It's the same thing - one URL shortening (indirection) 
service goes offline and a ton of links are suddenly silenced. It's like 
a disturbance in the force ;)

FWIW, I also have an issue with services that convert your ASCII text 
into unicode such that the resulting glyphs are still things a human 
reader will understand as substitutes for the original text but which 
can't be easily searched/grepped.

All for saving a byte or two.

> However, I'm not sure what
> this one is that others aren't.

Vinicius didn't say his code was anything different.

He said he _WANTED_ to do something different _BUT_ realised ideas are 
hard to come by, _SO_ he developed some URL-shortening software and then 
shared it.

I see it as a learning exercise on his part, and that's great.

E.