h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've sometimes used the h2g2.com domain to speed up typing to get to hootoo pages. For example, I tried to get here by typing http://h2g2.com/feedback-technical. It always used to work, but this time it didn't. What's happened?

http://h2g2.com/feedback should be expected to redirect to http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/feedback. Always did, but not now. I assume the domain is now owned by the BBC.

TRiG.

You're right.

I often just typed www.h2g2.com as a 'shortcut' - do I really have to type all of the bbc etc stuff now?

That'll result in more than a few dead links.

Traveller in Time innocent
"I did not do it "

bbc.com/dna/h2g2 works.

Slightly shorter to type than bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2.

Very slightly.

I want h2g2.com back!

TRiG.

Aye, plenty of dead links, Jordan, including internal ones. In the old days, all links were written out in full (the URLs were nice and short in those days, so that wasn't a problem). The dna server doesn't now recognise these as internal links, so you're directed offsite (through the BBC's /go/ server) and then redirected back (or not, from now on).

TRiG.

I didn't know about it.. So I couldn't have possibly have broken it..

It's working again!

bbc.com/h2g2 and bbc.co.uk/h2g2 also work, but only for the front page. bbc.co.uk/h2g2/MP612575 won't work. You need the /dna/ bit.

TRiG.

The only time I know where you need the www.hg2g.com link is to force a page into a particular skin. If you put a normal link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/

which should be displayed in Alabaster, something in the site decides you probably didn't mean it and displays it in your default skin.

On the other hand, if you do:

http://www.h2g2.com/alabaster/

then the system doesn't mess about, it goes into alabaster.

For other links within h2g2, you should never need to use anything in front of the last slash.

Traveller in Time not closing all windows
"Try to read that again ?
>>For other links within h2g2, you should never need to use anything in front of the last slash.

So < <./>/</.> > should be enough to link you to HooToo ?

Interesting. Links beginning with www.h2g2.com are not external. The DNA software recognises the URL and produces an internal link. Links beginning with h2g2.com, though, are external, and are then redirected back.

TRiG.

TiT, I meant the any links you put inside a conversation or Guide Entry do not need the http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2 in front of them. If you want to link to a conversation, you can just put or whatever. Similarly in a conversation you can use the < . / > and < / . > to convert F47996?thread=4909632 into <./>F47996?thread=4909632</.> without any need for all the bbc stuff.

I go on search on google
Ten seconds

<./>FrontPage?skin=alabaster</.>

That's interesting: at the top left, it says:




Welcome back, B'Elana [©] ACE- ...
(Click here if this isn't you)

It doesn't say that in brunel.

No. Brunel gives you an existentialist crisis: "Hello TRiG_Ireland I'm not TRiG_Ireland"

TRiG.

Sorry. The crisis, with your login name, is on every page in all the skins. The message you're talking about is only on the front page in alabaster, and uses the beginning of your display name.

Interesting.

TRiG.

That's what I meant. The one you thought of is more in the centre of the page (at least in brunel).