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<div style="">Making proper hashing algorithms is actually really hard to do. You have to worry about collisions and reversing (in most cases).<br>
<br>
For URL shorteners, it's often more efficient to implement an incrementer and just keep a database around.<br>
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<div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13px;"><font style="font-family: Courier New;" color="#888888" size="1">-Josh More, CISSP, GIAC-GSLC, GIAC-GCIH, RHCE, NCLP<br>
<a href="mailto:morej@alliancetechnologies.net" target="_blank"><span class="il">morej@alliancetechnologies.net</span></a>
<br>
515-245-7701 </font>
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<div style="direction: ltr;" id="divRpF102749"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Tahoma"><b>From:</b> cialug-bounces@cialug.org [cialug-bounces@cialug.org] on behalf of j.bengtson@mchsi.com [j.bengtson@mchsi.com]<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, July 15, 2010 14:41<br>
<b>To:</b> Central Iowa Linux Users Group<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Cialug] TinyURL<br>
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<div>I wonder why no one has made a way to take any URL and automatically shorten it. Consider an MD5 hash...you can take virtually any text, no matter how long, and the MD5 algorithm will return a 32-digit hex number. How hard is it to make something similar,
that can take a URL of any length and return an 8-character string that can then be decoded back to the original URL? Make that algorithm public open-source, and you've got a tinyURL mechanism that isn't dependent upon any vendor, can be checked against a
blacklist, and yet is short enough for mere humans to handle.<br>
<br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: Adam Shannon <br>
To: Central Iowa Linux Users Group <br>
Sent: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:54:01 -0500 (CDT)<br>
Subject: Re: [Cialug] TinyURL<br>
<br>
Having a service (or services) to shorten a url that breaks in use<br>
(email, webpages...) is perfectly fine, but that service should only<br>
be giving the user the actual link, not directing them to the link<br>
they wanted.<br>
<br>
What happens when that short link provider goes out of business or is<br>
hacked, then I lose the ability to control where I will end up<br>
(negating anything on the link I'm trying to reach does) because I<br>
can't see where I'm going. If the service is hacked and spreads<br>
malware than anyone with javascript or cookies allowed on that domain<br>
will be infected or tracked.<br>
<br>
In my view, short url providers should only be presenting a page for<br>
the user as to what the short link represents, the short link is not<br>
the same link and therefore shouldn't act the same. It's a<br>
representation for another url.<br>
<br>
Thoughts?<br>
<br>
On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 17:26, Scott Prader wrote:<br>
> Sometimes a URL that takes up multiple lines can get cut off with a carriage<br>
> return inserted by some program, at some point. When I see a link, I like<br>
> to think that I can click on it and not get a 404. TinyURL fixed this.<br>
> What they don't do is auto-forward a 404 to archive.org, which tends to<br>
> cover what a downed URL can't, whether it's complete or not.<br>
><br>
> -Scott<br>
><br>
> On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 4:58 PM, Barry Von Ahsen wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> 7 ff addons tagged 'unshort url', probably more under other tags<br>
>><br>
>> https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/tag/unshort%20url<br>
>><br>
>> -barry<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Nathan C. Smith wrote:<br>
>> > Seems to me there could be a whole industry for a technology for<br>
>> > converting the various short-URLs back to long ones, particularly if the<br>
>> > tools and technology provide a means to mitigate potential risks.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > Don't bit.ly and others use a hash that stays the same for each<br>
>> > shortening of a reference? So that if you shorten cialug.org and send it to<br>
>> > me I will get the same shortened url if I do it?<br>
>> ><br>
>> > -Nate<br>
>> ><br>
>> >> -----Original Message-----<br>
>> >> From: cialug-bounces@cialug.org<br>
>> >> [mailto:cialug-bounces@cialug.org] On Behalf Of Ed Meacham (@work)<br>
>> >> Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 3:12 PM<br>
>> >> To: 'Central Iowa Linux Users Group'<br>
>> >> Subject: Re: [Cialug] TinyURL<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> I love the idea of URL shortening services. Though, they<br>
>> >> definitely have instances where the use of one is more<br>
>> >> appropriate than others... I don't see the need to shorten a<br>
>> >> URL in an email, unless you're spreading "infectious-love."<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Rather than write off TinyURL/Bit.ly, I would blame improper<br>
>> >> organization and/or the sender not qualifying the details of<br>
>> >> the URL in the message.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> I see there is a plug-in for Thunderbird for converting a URL<br>
>> >> into a TinyURL... wonder if it has a reversal option? (I<br>
>> >> don't have Thunderbird installed on this machine to check) If<br>
>> >> not, a lookup plug-in might be a good project for someone. :P<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> -emeacham (@work)<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> -----Original Message-----<br>
>> >> From: cialug-bounces@cialug.org<br>
>> >> [mailto:cialug-bounces@cialug.org] On Behalf Of Todd Walton<br>
>> >> Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 6:27 AM<br>
>> >> To: Central Iowa Linux Users Group<br>
>> >> Subject: [Cialug] TinyURL<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> And another reason I hate this tinyurl thing... I know<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> _______________________________________________<br>
>> Cialug mailing list<br>
>> Cialug@cialug.org<br>
>> http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug<br>
><br>
><br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> Cialug mailing list<br>
> Cialug@cialug.org<br>
> http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug<br>
><br>
><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-- <br>
Adam Shannon<br>
Web Developer<br>
http://ashannon.us<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Cialug mailing list<br>
Cialug@cialug.org<br>
http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug<br>
<br>
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