Top all-time · #825
Aral Balkan
Personal blog · ar.alsecuritypoliticsphilosophy
Aral Balkan's personal blog at ar.al covers security, politics and philosophy. Since 2015, 79 different Hacker News readers have linked it 100 times, most often “What is the small web? (2020)”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2025-06-25, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (25) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link Aral Balkan's ar.al posts on the Small Web, digital sovereignty, privacy and business models (Apple vs Google), PWAs, and switching to Linux.
- Recommended for · 4 comments
- Liked a note on the self in the digital age; recommended reading on Apple vs Google privacy, the Small Web, and guidance on switching to Linux.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 25 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Aral Balkan’s personal web site. Covers small technology as an alternative to big tech and surveillance capitalism, human rights in the digital age (cyborg rights), personhood, and democracy.
Most-linked posts?
- What is the small web? (2020)13 people · 14 mentions · first linked 2020-08-07
- Is the Fediverse about to get Fryed?8 people · 8 mentions · first linked 2022-11-10
- WebKit will delete all local storage after 7 days4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2020-03-25
- Apple vs. Google on privacy: a tale of absolute competitive advantage4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2016-02-17
- The nature of the self in the digital age4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2016-03-08
- Introducing JSDB3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2020-10-21
- The Future of Internet Regulation at the European Parliament2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2020-12-15
- Encouraging individual sovereignty and a healthy commons2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2017-02-19
- Fedora has been shipping with a broken screen reader for nine years2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2024-06-23
- Build a simple chat app with Site.js2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2019-10-12
What Hacker News says?
I see a lot of people saying they're impressed, admired, etc. at Apple for doing this. It's not about giving props: Apple is not doing this out of goodwill, or because they believe in protecting privacy. Apple has a competitive advantage against Google/Facebook in that its business model does not depend on violating their customer's privacy. They are just exploiting that competitive advantage. Cfr. https://ar.al/not…
Comment linking /notes/apple-vs-google-on-privacy-a-tale-of-absolute-competitive-advantage/
on “A Message to Our Customers”Submitted WebKit will delete all local storage after 7 days as a story · 698 points
HN discussionGoogle is your friend: https://benhoyt.com/writings/the-small-web-is-beautiful/ https://ar.al/2020/08/07/what-is-the-small-web/ https://blog.kagi.com/small-web Another related term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IndieWeb see also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_(protocol) (NOT web, but similar in spirit - an extended "Gopher"-like protocol)
Comment linking /2020/08/07/what-is-the-small-web/
on “ICQ will stop working from June 26”Submitted We didn’t lose control of the Web – it was stolen as a story · 414 points
HN discussionI vaguely remember someone made a blog post about it and got piled-on. I think it's now fixed or being fixed. Edit: Found it https://ar.al/2024/06/23/fedora-has-been-shipping-with-a-bro...
Comment linking /2024/06/23/fedora-has-been-shipping-with-a-broken-screen-reader-for-nine-years-but-the-real-problem-is-me/
on “Hard numbers in the Wayland vs. X11 input latency discussion”Submitted Dear Linux, Privileged Ports Must Die as a story · 235 points
HN discussionNot well. I'm optimistic about the web in general, but I consider good, reliable clientside storage to still be an unsolved problem, at least for the moment. Some of the things we're still missing: - the ability to easily share data between domains without opening yourself up to massive security risks. - the ability to share data with native apps. - the ability to move data between browsers without syncing it to an…
Comment linking /2020/03/25/apple-just-killed-offline-web-apps-while-purporting-to-protect-your-privacy-why-thats-a-bad-thing-and-why-you-should-care/
on “Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)”Submitted Saying goodbye to an old friend as a story · 225 points
HN discussionReally like this piece: https://ar.al/notes/the-nature-of-the-self-in-the-digital-ag...
Comment linking /notes/the-nature-of-the-self-in-the-digital-age/
on “We didn’t lose control of the Web – it was stolen”Submitted Why I’m not speaking at CPDP: It’s the privacy-washing as a story · 219 points
HN discussionAral Balkan recently demonstrated running a web server from his new Pinephone using the site.js framework he developed and live-chatting with his viewers with it. Really cool. He said the phone is definitely still not ready for everyday use, but great for devs obviously. https://ar.al/2020/07/12/live-stream-a-web-site-on-your-phon...
Comment linking /2020/07/12/live-stream-a-web-site-on-your-phone-with-site.js/
on “Pinephone – “Community Edition: PostmarketOS” Linux smartphone”Submitted Apple wants to redefine what it means to violate your privacy. We mustn’t let it as a story · 162 points
HN discussion> Most of the noise comes from Web technologists don't want to learn anything beyond JavaScript. I agree with a lot of what you wrote, but not this. PWAs are the only path for allowing open publishing of apps that is not gated by a large tech firm. While I completely understand the value proposition of app stores, there are tons of app scenarios held back by them. Two instances are small web[0] and situated software…
Comment linking /2020/08/07/what-is-the-small-web/
on “Push Notifications, WebXR, and better PWA support coming to iOS”Submitted Decrypting Amber Rudd as a story · 159 points
HN discussionWhat does the EU instance have to do with any of this? The instance started before there was any talk of anyone buying Twitter. edit: HN won't let me reply, so: -- I had a whole comment written, but you deleted and remade before I posted, and I lost what I wrote. But the gist is, no, the existence of the instance alone has nothing to do with Musk. It could possibly have nudged them to speed up existing plans, but th…
Comment linking /2019/11/29/the-future-of-internet-regulation-at-the-european-parliament/
on “We've hit 1M monthly active users”Submitted How to liberate a Chromebook as a story · 150 points
HN discussionAny change requires some hardship. Look here for how to effect that change from a designer/social activist to use linux. https://ar.al/2018/07/16/changes/
Comment linking /2018/07/16/changes/
on “ThinkPad X220 MacOS High Sierra Installation”Submitted What is the small web? (2020) as a story · 146 points
HN discussionhttps://ar.al/2020/03/25/apple-just-killed-offline-web-apps-... He is interested in the protection of user privacy. Author of "Better Blocker", an ad bocker for iOS/macOS.^1 Apple's decisions are making user privacy increasingly more difficult if not impossible when using an Apple computer. 1. https://web.archive.org/web/20211219053624if_/https://better...
Comment linking /2020/03/25/apple-just-killed-offline-web-apps-while-purporting-to-protect-your-privacy-why-thats-a-bad-thing-and-why-you-should-care/
on “Saying goodbye to an old friend”Submitted Encouraging individual sovereignty and a healthy commons as a story · 132 points
HN discussionHas Aral left the UK yet? https://ar.al/notes/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish/
Comment linking /notes/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish/
on “Why I’m not speaking at CPDP: It’s the privacy-washing”Submitted What Is the Small Web? as a story · 89 points
HN discussionFor the rationale behind building site.js, refer to the post "What is the Small Web?" [0] by Aral Balkan. [0] https://ar.al/2020/08/07/what-is-the-small-web/
Comment linking /2020/08/07/what-is-the-small-web/
on “Site.js: Small Web construction set”Submitted Pop_OS 18.04: the state of the art in GNU/Linux on desktop as a story · 83 points
HN discussionApple has their own problems, but their business is to sell products, not to track you. Google tracks you aggressively and that is their business model. Suggest reading Aral Balkan on this topic [1] [1] - https://ar.al/notes/apple-vs-google-on-privacy-a-tale-of-abs...
Comment linking /notes/apple-vs-google-on-privacy-a-tale-of-absolute-competitive-advantage/
on “100 days of postmarketOS”Submitted Fedora has been shipping with a broken screen reader for nine years as a story · 66 points
HN discussionYour coworker gets it :) It’s simply a matter of business models – you don’t even have to like Apple or think they’re lovely people (everyone I’ve met there has been). Google’s business model is to digitise you and own that digital copy. They use this proxy of you to manipulate and exploit your behaviour for profit and to indirectly rent access to aspects of you to their customers (currently, advertisers). Apple’s b…
Comment linking /notes/towards-an-internet-of-people-with-diem25/
on “Apple Announces macOS High Sierra”Submitted Out of the frying pan and into the fire as a story · 59 points
HN discussion> I am on the side of Neopets forums and Geocities and uploading mp3s of shitty songs onto your iWeb website. I’m on the side of blogging and learning about ARIA roles and finding a small circle of nerds Worth reading 'What is the Small Web?'[0] It's worth having your own little corner of the Internet that isn't social media, but a site you own and maintain with care, a labor of love, so to speak. And you have full…
Comment linking /2020/08/07/what-is-the-small-web/
on “The Other Internet”Submitted How hard can it be to move our developer account to our new not-for-profit? as a story · 51 points
HN discussion
