Re: on "Make readable URIs": don't rely on users to remember/type URIs

On Thu, 2005-02-03 at 17:42 +0100, Dominique Hazaël-Massieux wrote:
> Hi DanC,
> 
> Le jeudi 03 février 2005 à 09:52 -0600, Dan Connolly a écrit :
> > I disagree with the main point of this draft QA tip, and
> > I have a number of comments on the details as well.
> > 
> >   Draft - Make readable URIs
> >   http://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/readable-uri
> 
> This draft has been indeed not accepted in its current state; I've
> updated its status to reflect that. Meanwhile, an updated draft has been
> proposed:
> http://www.w3.org/QA/2004/08/readable-uri
> 
> Does it address some/all of your concerns?

Yes, it seems to address my main concerns.

But some others occur to me... more editorial.

I think preaching web architecture at the top of a tip
"By design, URIs are supposed to be mere identifiers ..."
is not a good use of attention/screenspace. A tip should
give a reader who devotes 5 seconds of attention something
s/he can act on. Stuff like "By design..." should go down
at the bottom, under "Further reading" or some such.

I think the point about "Using technology-independent URIs"
deserves a tip of its own. The slug might be

  Keep your .php to yourself

perhaps too cute/colloquial for an international audience... maybe

  Don't air your .php/.py/.pl/.asp in public

but it's better to phrase things positively...

  Keep your options open about .php vs .py vs .asp

and give (or point to) *very specific details* about how
to configure one or two popular web servers to treat

  /products/fishing/box

ala

  /wizzycms.php?category=fishing&id=box


The other point that's made well in this draft deserves
its own tip: "when a URI has to be advertised through a medium that
doesn't easily support following hypertext links (e.g. a URI written
down on paper), it's much easier for the user to have to type a simple
URI rather than a unreadable one."

A slug might be

  URIs that fit on the side of a bus

or

  Robust URIs for poor-man's hypertext

and that tip should give a nod to IRIs, which expand this concept
of URIs that fit on the side of the bus beyond the US-ASCII world.

> 
> Dom
-- 
Dan Connolly, W3C http://www.w3.org/People/Connolly/
D3C2 887B 0F92 6005 C541  0875 0F91 96DE 6E52 C29E

Received on Thursday, 3 February 2005 17:34:12 UTC