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- Thread starter [TW]Fox
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Hard to remember something like tax.dvla.gov.uk?
There are so many people who don't realise the address bar can actually be typed into. They actually think the whole internet can only be reached via google or other search engines. 
Nearly everybody uses computers in their dayjobs... it boggles me how people still get confused on how to work a machine they use daily. Many idiots actually seem to be proud to announce to everybody that they are "clueless when it comes to computers". They should get a grip and learn what a website address is and how it works. The internet is here to stay people!
It's like they are afraid that they will be branded as "nerds" by their peers... bleh, you don't see plumbers calling "pipe support" asking how to replace a section of piping they are working on.
Nearly everybody uses computers in their dayjobs... it boggles me how people still get confused on how to work a machine they use daily. Many idiots actually seem to be proud to announce to everybody that they are "clueless when it comes to computers". They should get a grip and learn what a website address is and how it works. The internet is here to stay people!
It's like they are afraid that they will be branded as "nerds" by their peers... bleh, you don't see plumbers calling "pipe support" asking how to replace a section of piping they are working on.
There are so many people who don't realise the address bar can actually be typed into. They actually think the whole internet can only be reached via google or other search engines.
For some of us the address bar and google search are one and the same
(Chrome)
Soldato
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Can't say I've ever noticed it in anything other than the example in the first post.
Because Mr Joe Public doesn't use URLs any more. If you give him a URL he'll just type it into the Google box anyway, so you might as well use something that's easier to remember.
Also, browsers themselves discourage the use of URLs e.g. Chrome's address bar, the smart location bar in Firefox. With the location bar and my bookmarks toolbar, it's pretty rare that I type a URL these days. They're becoming increasingly irrelevant.
Also, browsers themselves discourage the use of URLs e.g. Chrome's address bar, the smart location bar in Firefox. With the location bar and my bookmarks toolbar, it's pretty rare that I type a URL these days. They're becoming increasingly irrelevant.
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Soldato
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Personally, I hate that.For some of us the address bar and google search are one and the same
(Chrome)
I also hate people that type www.google.com into the search bar. That is worse than www.hotmail.com.
Soldato
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I'll hardcore SEO HSBC for google and you can lucky dip my phising site!
How are you going to fake the SSL cert?
HSBC's will either be validated as who you think you're browsing, or validated as a domain name that is clearly HSBC.
Not true; Browsers are simply saving space by not having two separate bars. Makes more sense to just have one universal bar.
But in the address bar of old, you essentially had to type a URL. Now, faced with a bar that will accept either a URL or a semantic search term, most people will go for the latter because URLs are gobbledegook to the majority of the population.
The location bar in Firefox 3 has practically eliminated my use of URLs. Why bother when I can just type a couple of letters of what I'm looking for? The brain isn't conditioned to remember URLs, which are essentially strings of meaningless text.
It's similar to how people used to remember phone numbers, but now they don't bother because they're in their mobile's contacts list.
Fox is actually onto something. There has been an incident, which i think is now awaiting legal resolution, where "searching for child benefit on the internet" as suggested by advert promptly led to an "entrepreneur", otherwise dealing with adult chatlines, to pay google and put a website on top of the search which looked all nice but suggested calling his premium number at 1.50 a minute for never ending details (site appropriately called child-benefit.org.uk ) . It was so successful the guy then paid to have other of his urls listed on top of search, including stuff like housing benefits, passport enquiries etc.
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Soldato
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WTH are you on about?
static www.
dynamic google
static .com
So our brain can't remember www.google.com but can remember google?
LOL
That isn't what I meant. The brain can remember 'OcUK General Discussion' but most would struggle to remember 'http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=12' very quickly.
I put it to you that they are in fact strings of very meaningful text.
I'll grant you that the bit after the TLD isn't terribly easy to remember, but I'd always be quicker opening a browser and putting in "forums.overclockers.co.uk" than I would Googling for "OCUK General Discussion" or whatever.
I must be getting old, because 'http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=14167320&posted=1#post14167320' means very little to my brain. Of course, I know what it means, but it isn't associated with the page in any way that would help me remember it. Typing 'search online' into my Firefox location bar is much more useful.
The point is that people want to type what they're looking for, rather than wasting brain power using an unnecessary conduit.
That's a bad example. If I wanted to find a particular post I'd search for it too, sure, but if I was looking for the forum as a whole it's easier to type in the URL.
Mattus said:
Similarly, if you want to go to the DVLA website, you type in dvla.gov.uk. How is it quicker to type in DVLA into Google, wait for the result to come back, scan the links then click the appropriate one?