<![CDATA[Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor?]]>Hey can I ask you a favor?

Please don’t post URLs that have been shortened. Link-shortening services can not only potentially *track* your interactions and add telemetry to track your behaviors, they can also *break* and make your links unusable.

You can use services like https://urlexpander.net or install an app (I like Link Unshortener (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/link-unshortener/id1506953658)) to find the ultimate destination of a shortened link, and then post that instead.

Remember, all URLs in count as 23 characters, no matter how long the actual URL is, so there really is no benefit to shortening your URLs.

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/topic/52e31e34-8743-4332-bfb5-382e176703f9/hey-fediverse-can-i-ask-you-a-favorRSS for NodeSat, 22 Aug 2026 22:25:10 GMTSat, 22 Aug 2026 02:34:57 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:36:32 GMT]]>@drahardja It kind of blows my mind that *multiple* people have replied to you trying to justify the use of link shorteners with arguments that aren't even logically coherent, and they don't seem to realize it 🤦

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://techhub.social/users/diazona/statuses/117141313432022352https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://techhub.social/users/diazona/statuses/117141313432022352Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:36:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:16:05 GMT]]>@iampytest1
@ferrix they were caught doing very malicious things including running DDoS from captcha apps to taking part in a smear campaign when a journalist uncovered an identity (I think I got that all right but it's from memory).

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://techhub.social/users/bobkmertz/statuses/117141233042406560https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://techhub.social/users/bobkmertz/statuses/117141233042406560Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:16:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 20:33:39 GMT]]>@drahardja somehow despite having zero tech knowledge I can already tell that every reply fly who did this bullshit vibecoded whatever tf it was they're desperately trying to recommend

which just makes your original point stronger I guess?? because who is gonna trust vibecode trash from a chucklefuck with no reading comprehension or sense of boundaries? 😂

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.sandwich.net/users/Sharksonaplane/statuses/117141066178899955https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.sandwich.net/users/Sharksonaplane/statuses/117141066178899955Sat, 22 Aug 2026 20:33:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:53:47 GMT]]>@dmacphee Ah, so this trims tracking queries, but it doesn’t unshorten links. I think this solves a *different* (also important) problem.

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://sfba.social/users/drahardja/statuses/117140909398485513https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://sfba.social/users/drahardja/statuses/117140909398485513Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:53:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:46:09 GMT]]>@drahardja

Here is more info

https://lifehacker.com/tech/duckduckgo-copy-clean-link

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mas.to/users/dmacphee/statuses/117140879431872456https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mas.to/users/dmacphee/statuses/117140879431872456Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:46:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:35:50 GMT]]>@drahardja i've ended up with a, well, "distinctive" writing style to my own head as a result of having to work through a 500 character limitation as well as all the other pressures on posting on fedi

trust me, the "every URL is 23 characters" rule is a *godsend* for attribution

links absolutely do not need to be shortened here, and the full URL is more informative anyways!

(you should try to strip tracking parameters though. nobody has any use for that)

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mstdn.social/users/estelle/statuses/117140838857820439https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mstdn.social/users/estelle/statuses/117140838857820439Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:35:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:16:04 GMT]]>@drahardja @elduvelle a new link shortener, based on the good advice "don't use link shorteners"

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mathstodon.xyz/users/nilesjohnson/statuses/117140761087826110https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mathstodon.xyz/users/nilesjohnson/statuses/117140761087826110Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:16:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:13:38 GMT]]>@iampytest1 @benbe Nice! I use Link Unshortener which has a user-editable list of known tracker queries.

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://sfba.social/users/drahardja/statuses/117140751571789784https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://sfba.social/users/drahardja/statuses/117140751571789784Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:13:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:10:44 GMT]]>@dmacphee I don’t know…I should check it out!

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://sfba.social/users/drahardja/statuses/117140740122981826https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://sfba.social/users/drahardja/statuses/117140740122981826Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:10:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:04:31 GMT]]>@catsalad
Don't cause another Elon-gate.
@drahardja

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://chaos.social/users/snaeqe/statuses/117140715730704514https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://chaos.social/users/snaeqe/statuses/117140715730704514Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:04:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 18:59:41 GMT]]>@catsalad https://www.reallylong.link/

Honorable mention:
https://creepylink.com/

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://sfba.social/users/drahardja/statuses/117140696682002352https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://sfba.social/users/drahardja/statuses/117140696682002352Sat, 22 Aug 2026 18:59:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 18:11:02 GMT]]>
Upon first glance [I'll read it more closely] none of it offers any supportable justification for negative comments on what I posted myself. The fact is that you joined a dogpile to vent about your feelings and not to say anything useful.

However, you've invested time and effort now in reasoned points on the broader issue. That is to be respected.

I've spent most of the last 12 hours in the Fediverse. [I slept from about 5:30am to 8:30am local time.] This isn't usual for me. I have other business to attend to presently. Allow me the day. I'll comment on specifics to the extent possible before Monday morning in my time zone.]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/da49b91c-995c-4ebd-9ded-3fbe5c215b7bhttps://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/da49b91c-995c-4ebd-9ded-3fbe5c215b7bSat, 22 Aug 2026 18:11:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:57:28 GMT]]>@GuillaumeRossolini @drahardja
"There is also an issue with trimming the query string, as has been suggested in this thread. Unless you know for a fact which parameters are extraneous, I’d advise not to trim the URL since that could make the target output very different from the intended output "

Yes, you have to test it before "sharing it". I do that.

Edit: Not foolproof if the content is depending on you being logged in. But then even untrimmed may fail.

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.ie/users/raymaccarthy/statuses/117140452044164971https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.ie/users/raymaccarthy/statuses/117140452044164971Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:57:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:37:53 GMT]]>@drahardja No worries! I should have said, “I learned something and will apply it in the future” but my lazy ass didn’t want to type all that out! 😂

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://beige.party/users/emersunn/statuses/117140375054223545https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://beige.party/users/emersunn/statuses/117140375054223545Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:37:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:53:14 GMT]]>
However, if they direct criticism at somebody, it had better be relevant to what the target has said.

I offered technical details for a tweak that had all of the advantages of an approach which had been proposed and none of the disadvantages. You commented in a critical manner based solely on your dislike of something that I hadn't advocated. The first type of comment is reasonable. The second type, not so much.

Regarding whether or not I'm "assuming much", the primary "assuming" that I've done is simply to guess that you're in the age range of 30 to 45.

I never said that I'd made contributions of great import to anybody. In fact, there are a few interesting stories for another time. But that wasn't my point. My point was that I didn't need to be educated by you.

I never said or implied that you haven't made contributions. For all I know, you may have found a way to split the beer atom. [Reference: "Young Einstein".]

What I do know is that you responded to me as though I was advocating the thing that you disliked. You had no interest in what I had actually said. This was a dogpile, straight out of Twitter. If it wasn't for the different architecture of the Fediverse, I'd have been buried in a flood of the same thing.

It isn't as enjoyable as you imagined that I'd find it.]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/58ad10f3-16d6-4f49-8a81-d82135b35adchttps://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/58ad10f3-16d6-4f49-8a81-d82135b35adcSat, 22 Aug 2026 16:53:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:11:26 GMT]]>@drahardja Thank you for your post. Another thing people aren't aware of is how often gmail and other providers like microsoft add redirects to links in your email.

On my Android phone I use URLCheck (I think from FDroid) to show the real link prior to giving you the choice of clearing redirects and embedded parameters in the link and then open with your a selectable browser of choice on your phone.

Link to the project: https://github.com/TrianguloY/UrlChecker

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.social/users/scribbler/statuses/117140035104712999https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.social/users/scribbler/statuses/117140035104712999Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:11:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:08:32 GMT]]>@schmidt_fu @drahardja @andrewabernathy also those"archive" sites that steal articles from behind paywalls are *not* your friends

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.online/users/ferrix/statuses/117140023672294139https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.online/users/ferrix/statuses/117140023672294139Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:08:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:06:23 GMT]]>@drahardja
I'm seeing this a lot with 20 year old posts I'm going through. "Omg this is the best joke ever! ...bit.ly..."

@Em0nM4stodon

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.coffee/users/xinit/statuses/117140015245316221https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.coffee/users/xinit/statuses/117140015245316221Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:06:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:02:15 GMT]]>
I've started a more productive discussion with 1 of the 3 people in DM. He seems to be saying that he just wanted to emphasize his views. The problem was that his views had nothing to do with what I was saying.

The latest person seems to be riding on the same train. I'm appreciative that the Fediverse lacks some of the dogpile features that Twitter has. I'd be buried under a dogpile by now otherwise. Woof.]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/ec604bbe-645c-4514-a9bc-54a1857b6849https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/ec604bbe-645c-4514-a9bc-54a1857b6849Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:02:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:53:09 GMT]]>
I don't "need", myself, to be told repeatedly that people don't like the use of external link shorteners.

I happen to have been a senior code and data architect a generation, it appears, before you were born. I wrote or assembled much of the infrastructure that this post is being made on. This includes the Linux distro itself. I've been building that for 30 years.

I have a little time left to live. I try to put it to good use. So, in this case, I explained that there was an alternative which had all of the advantages and none of the disadvantages. Repeat, net improvement that isn't net. No downside. It shouldn't be as difficult as I gather that it is to follow that much.

Two people repeated their extreme dislike of a mechanism that had nothing to do with my own. Again and again. Now you're offering to extend the same thread.

I'll add that Mr. Maccarthy has commented in DM that there has probably been a misunderstanding. He agrees that he and I were talking about different things.

In your case, you're retorting that my solution has a "very limited" use case. That isn't true. However, if it is true, so what?

More importantly, you've added that the "overwhelming majority of people do not need to shorten their links".

Why would you tell me that? How is it relevant to any part of my point?

You don't believe that you're a dullard or a troll. So, pause and consider this: What was the point of that statement? How is it relevant to the question of whether or not what I proposed would work as advertised?

How would any person who was talking about something else react? Why would anybody wish to respond to you except to tell you to truck off?

I've hosting and running Fediverse nodes for 6 years. [Initially Mastodon and presently Pleroma and PeerTube.] I've written and responded to perhaps a thousand posts.

But I've never felt so much that I was back in Twitter until I woke up a few minutes ago and found the post from you which contributes nothing of merit to a discussion and is indicative of little more than mindless dogpile.]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/fc16e9e5-9472-4c8b-8635-5db58dfa0a00https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/fc16e9e5-9472-4c8b-8635-5db58dfa0a00Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:53:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:34:43 GMT]]>@OldCoder I think you missed the Mastodon user agreement, “it is essential that everybody use the same approach.” : ) Remember: the problem isn’t the structural incentives for the company misusing technology; it isn’t the people implementing the misuse of the technology in the company; it is the casual user of the tech. /sarcasm : despite a technology that allows 10000 flowers to bloom we as a group like to nag people into homogeneity. Possibly some UX is nicer for the people who can comply.

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.online/users/jayalane/statuses/117139890701141182https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.online/users/jayalane/statuses/117139890701141182Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:34:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:15:20 GMT]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/1e932ee6-0b0d-4d1a-bb08-ea09dbf01ba4https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://dansu.org/objects/1e932ee6-0b0d-4d1a-bb08-ea09dbf01ba4Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:15:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:15:49 GMT]]>@drahardja I heard that the DDG browser has a clean copy function now for copying urls so it strips out tracking stuff. I am no expert on this so is this a good alternative in some ways?

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mas.to/users/dmacphee/statuses/117139580488468675https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mas.to/users/dmacphee/statuses/117139580488468675Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:15:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey #Fediverse can I ask you a favor? on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:03:33 GMT]]>@semitones @OldCoder @drahardja
No.
A link of your wiki needs to be unchanged. You can have an alias link on your website, but if you change domain name the QR codes are all broken.
Generating the QR code is trivial. It's just a 2D pattern that decodes to a fixed text string. If a printed string for the URL gets broken, so will the URL.
My scanner app always previews and shows both text (as a link if applicable) and possible apps to "send" it to, apart from the browser.
Madness to not preview.

]]>https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.ie/users/raymaccarthy/statuses/117139532218792976https://forum.pierobosio.it/post/https://mastodon.ie/users/raymaccarthy/statuses/117139532218792976Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:03:33 GMT