the original story was split out into 8 pages and is bombarded with ads, i guess i can see why the print version was linked instead

To be fair - the only way to have known that this was published Feb 1996 would have been to have had the regular link.

Yes, the site and magazine use ads for funding. What's your point?

I agree. There is no reason to spread a simple interview over 8 pages so that Wired can get additional ad impressions, and I upvoted the parent because I hate that crap.

The regular version is much more readable, since it sets the column size reasonably. The print version fits to the window size.

Furthermore, for those who prefer the print version, it is a single click away from the regular version. On the other hand, there is no link on the print version to go to the regular version. This alone is sufficient to make the regular version the correct version to link to.

> The regular version is much more readable, since it sets the column size reasonably.

Perhaps if you're really good at ignoring peripheral distractions, but for me, I'd rather have the column be too wide than the column be narrow and a flashing GIF in the margin!

Yeah, and this particular '96 html is so bad that the print version is all bold and unreadable after using Readability while the original looks quite good (only the first page is bold)

btw I guess I got downvoted for encouraging linking to the original, who'd know.

Use Readability.

Why was this comment downvoted?

Besides linking to it being on shaky moral ground, the print version misses in this case a very critical piece of information, the date this story was published. There is also no way of going from the print version to the normal version, the reverse, however, is easily possible. It’s just not nice to link to the print version.

It didn't occur to me that some HN readers might not know that Wired 4.02 was published in about 1996, but you could be right.

Linking, however, is not on shaky moral ground. If Wired didn't want the print version to be linked to, they wouldn't put it on the web.

Thanks for including the original Wired link there.

And my apologies guys, I usually include the date of the article on the title if it's something old and link to the original publication on my HN submissions.

I came across the link on Quora out of all places, skimmed it very quickly on a late-Friday night, and submitted it w/ no thought to seeing it get upvoted several times. Regardless, I'm glad we're getting a good discussion here on the interview; glad you guys find it interesting.

Why are you so Interested in we all going through the 8 pages of advertisement.