HN Explorer

Tell HN: Please link to the full page article (print version) when available.

98 points by Loic ↗ HN
Just a short reminder that linking to the print version of multipage articles is way better to read, to keep as reference later but also to download over a poor quality GPRS connection. Thank you!

24 comments

[ 4.9 ms ] story [ 65.2 ms ] thread
mdaniel
I have seen a lot of friction about this over on some other news syndication sites, so in anticipation of that argument here, I offer the following compromise:

If not linked to, perhaps as the first comment following submission?

I long for the day that I can set a preference in my browser and it automatically views articles in Readability mode, or rolls-up paginated articles.

jswinghammer
Sometimes when you do that the site redirects you to the home page. I've seen this quite a few times. I sent my mom an article report about my startup and she asked me if it had to do with a hunt for accused rapist. I was a little confused until I figured out what was going on there.
corin_
Linking to full page version is good, print version I disagree with. One click from the non-print version gives you the print version, it doesn't (often) work the same backwards.
WarDekar
There are sites that don't offer a full page version but do offer print versions- WashPo comes to mind though I know some other sites do it as well.

I think in cases such as these linking the print page is fine- you can argue we should support the originator with ad views, but then I'd argue they should fix their site and offer a single page option.

queensnake
No, not the print version - you want to keep the source alive don't you? They need revenue. I say post the version with the ads, not that I like ads. It's only fair.
kmfrk
I don't know when this stupid trend of linking to the print versions by default started. Was it the advent of Instapaper? Sometimes, the print version is - sadly - the best version, but it should never be the default option.

The print versions' typography are often inferior to the regular versions, multi-page or ad-ridden or not. I recently installed Ad Muncher for Windows which blocks all ads by default, and most of the websites I visit look amazing now. Of course, I need to find out how to whitelist ads like The Deck Network and Fusion Ads.

tzs
No to linking to the print version. Following such a link often brings up a print dialog.
mcknz
Client: "Can you make it so that print box thingy pops up automatically?"

Developer: "That may annoy some users. I think most people already know how to print a document."

Client: "So can you make it so that print box thingy pops up automatically?"

StavrosK
So, wait, why did you click "print" if you didn't want to, you know, print the page?
FluidDjango
Because i know enough to "game" the system - and that "print" for many sites will give me a cleaner (flash-free, animated-gif-free) window.

OTOH: I've no problem with the print dialogue that opens along with the cleaner page. My "esc" key works just fine.

mooism2
Link to the article as a single page instead of multiple pages, yes, but not the print versions please: they often try to print themselves. It is irritating to be opening a bunch of articles in tabs and get interrupted by one of them asking if it can print itself.
Loic
I was not aware of this until right now. I suppose the script filters I have are preventing these pages to try to print themselves. I am sorry to request something which is bad for most of the users, my fault :-/
mooism2
Perhaps, in the same way that HN adds a link to Scribd for pdf submissions, it should add a link to the print version if one exists. (Web pages can indicate a print version with the <link> tag, but I don't know how widely it's used.)
jpwagner
just use http://viewtext.org/
kmfrk
No, really, don't. Might as well throw in a short url when submitting to add to the obfuscation.
jpwagner
huh?

*edit: oh, i get it. i meant the reader should use viewtext, not everyone should submit viewtext links...duh

molecule
This corner case should not dictate all HN submissions.
thesethings
Just wanted to say this post does not represent my preference. I'm one of those people who likes comments and context. I do get the appeal of the print version. But it doesn't represent my workflow.
smoody
I also disagree with this convention. I find that print versions lack many images, diagrams, and additional media that add to the depth of a story. Also, whenever I read a print-version, I end-up having to resize my browser window to make it narrower so the content is actually readable.

I feel for you having to download content over a GPRS connection, but whenever I see a printer version of an article, I try to find the original.