The text on /the-boring-internet and /the-boring-internet/ascii is not identical, there are some differences in wording
Both are readbale with text-only browser designed for "the boring internet" (no CSS, no Javascript), although the HTML could be simpler and more effective
Perhaps ironic that these pages appear to target the so-called "modern" browser now designed for "platforms" and "services"
even this "ascii" (i expected raw text but still got html+css) was hardly readable for me, had to reach to the reader view, finally readable, ohh... looks much like ai-generated, why did i spend so much time jumping over obstacles...
Fortunately my "defenses" worked on this one, though CSS only doesn't seem to have been enough. I don't care if they want to make the user feel like they're living in a blingee gif by default, I just desperately want pages to respect prefers-reduced-motion
If those are referenced in the linked article, I'll be honest I didn't read it. That website succeeds whole handedly in its job of being too annoying to read.
To be honest I don't know of any, I just didn't want to be outright dismissive of it. If you just use it for a header to have some kind of small animation that grabs the reader's attention I guess it's fine. Just don't use it for the main text body.
The text on /the-boring-internet and /the-boring-internet/ascii is not identical, there are some differences in wording
Both are readbale with text-only browser designed for "the boring internet" (no CSS, no Javascript), although the HTML could be simpler and more effective
Perhaps ironic that these pages appear to target the so-called "modern" browser now designed for "platforms" and "services"
Wait, why isn't that the article instead? Who actually wants this fade-scroll-thing? It detracts from the sensible content.
even this "ascii" (i expected raw text but still got html+css) was hardly readable for me, had to reach to the reader view, finally readable, ohh... looks much like ai-generated, why did i spend so much time jumping over obstacles...
The length and rambling nature of it was a clear AI indicator.
This is unfortunately the problem with the Boring Internet. It's subject to the common denominator which is shite. And LLMs generate a lot of that.
CSS always counters the conceptual and philosophical use of hypertext.
Color contrast in the text version isn’t great either
Yeah, scroll fade might be useful sometimes but most of the time it's just annoying.
https://dbushell.com/2026/01/09/death-to-scroll-fade/
Fortunately my "defenses" worked on this one, though CSS only doesn't seem to have been enough. I don't care if they want to make the user feel like they're living in a blingee gif by default, I just desperately want pages to respect prefers-reduced-motion
What are the times in which it is useful?
If those are referenced in the linked article, I'll be honest I didn't read it. That website succeeds whole handedly in its job of being too annoying to read.
Some news articles work well with a long scroll. Usually to progress through the "time" of the article. But yeah most of the time it's just annoying.
To be honest I don't know of any, I just didn't want to be outright dismissive of it. If you just use it for a header to have some kind of small animation that grabs the reader's attention I guess it's fine. Just don't use it for the main text body.
im sure theres a class of people who gauge their willingness to read based on the length of scroll.
I am reaching for “reader mode” in my browsers all the time as they cut through these design choices that don’t agree within my eyes
It really helps to focus in the content rather than the fluff.
I should probably be doing this instead of fruitlessly expanding my blocklist. I'm frustrated that extensions don't work in reader view though.