Birbla

Discussion summary

Discussion about implementing a web ring using modern tools like Cloudflare Workers or static pages. Some prefer simple, static solutions, while others consider serverless scripts or client-side options.

What the discussion says

  • Some advocate for a static page approach with scripts managed via GitHub.
  • Others see serverless or client-side scripts as viable options.
  • There is nostalgia and interest in reviving webrings.
  • Concerns about overcomplication or overkill for simple solutions.
“Using a Cloudflare Worker to implement a web 0.9 feature”
— amenghra
“Back in the day (1990s) you'd use a serverless script in the 'Personal HomePage' language.”
— hahahaa

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  • Hacker News
  • > "By the time Yahoo stopped controlling webring.org in 2001, search engines had become good enough that web rings were no longer as useful."

    Given how those good (enough) search engines work these days ... I wouldn't be surprised if we see more of the old social/discovery things things (DMOZ and such) start coming back.

    by techcode
  • This is what will keep the web more human as we go forward into AI slop commercial web crap. Hand build your sites, talk about things your passionate about, share stories, art, things you make. And the web-ring connects you too others in the community with things you share similar interests in. This is what the web was for. Not everything needs to be about making money
    by ravetcofx
  • I recently added Wander to a website of mine (https://www.heyhomepage.com/wander/). Before that, I became a proud member of the small Tech Makers webring (at the bottom of https://www.theredpanther.org/).

    Even before that, I just implemented a blogroll (or list of shared links, as I prefer to call it) at https://www.heyhomepage.com/?module=timeline&link=1&view=sha... Maybe your blog is also in it!? I manually picked most of the bookmarks/feeds I follow from HN.

    The basis of all these rolls, lists and rings are - of course - hyperlinks. RSS and OPML are silently working in the background. I think there's still unfulfilled potential for RSS as a replacement for social media, because the open web is already social media.

    by rambambram
  • I prefer opening: https://github.com/lukehsiao/openring-rs

    The main idea being that you don't actually need to coordinate a real ring of links to easily link to posts on other blogs that you like.

    by lwhsiao
  • Am I missing something? The person advocates for something that they don't use? I likely don't understand the idea behind it because I was expecting to see links to other pages on that page.
    by dr_kretyn
  • In case you want a webring, but don't feel like setting up your own server to run it, I run a webring hosting service that you might find useful: https://webri.ng/
    by ajxs
  • I have no friends.

    Anyone else have a nerdy blog they want to ring me in? I'll point to the next one.

    (engineersneedart.com)

    by JKCalhoun
  • Not sure I get it. Why a "ring"? Why not just have a list of web-site URLs on a page and share that page with your friends and ask them to put that page somewhere on their site?

    "Ring" means you are navigating linearly and circularly. Isn't it better to provide a list of links so users can choose where they want to go "next"?

    And why should I have to go around the whole "ring" to get back to where I started from? The Web is based on hyperlinks, not "hyper-rings".

    by galaxyLogic

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