No more 404 - Not Found
Status Quo
Probably every browser user has already experienced that a http(s) link stored in the favorites will point 'into space' (http status code: 404 Not Found). Be it that the corresponding web service no longer exists or that it has been restructured. A web application developer can leave a new address in the old link- which is costly and often not implemented consistently.
Sometimes, as a browser user, you are not interested in the data of a specific web-page, but in a service, e. g. on the best webcam for a particular location.
UNITED-PAGES
UNITED-PAGES specifies for (most) UNITs the variable _href that is intended to store a https-link e.g.
| Variables (ref-UNIT) |
Example unit://ref/service@webcam.com?id=woerthsee |
| details | the best lake view in Wörthsee |
| author | adr/bernd-werner@gmx.net |
| _subject | Wörthsee |
| _href | www.foto-webcam.net/webcam/woerthsee |
| _updated | 2020-12-12T19:16:14+00:00 |
Every Internet-Browser evaluates the scheme of a URI. By default 'https' is added, but also further schemes e.g. file, ftp, mailto, ldap, ... are supported.
A support of UNITED-PAGES would only require an evaluation of the scheme 'unit', i. e. to send a GET-request to the corresponding URL and then call the link stored in _href.
| Example | |
| URI (favorite) | unit:ref/service@webcam.com?id=woerthsee |
| GET-Request | https://.../ref/service/webcam?id=woerthsee |
| GET-Response | { "_href":"www.foto-webcam.net/webcam/woerthsee", ...} |
With this indirection, favorites can be re-linked with little effort without the browser user having to be involved. The new possibility of navigating users to certain websites results in very specific business models for service companies (e. g. a service that always looks for the best webcams on the net for its customers and makes them available as favorites).
The market potential for browser applications is exorbitant. UNITED-PAGES sees itself here as an addition to the existing functionality.