• _g_be@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    15 hours ago

    Infuriatingly, URL shortners are often used in QR codes because they have a character limit-ish (longer strings make for more detailed QR codes, which are harder to scan from further away so it’s a trade-off). but if the QR points to a shortened link then it’s more difficult to assess where a QR code is pointing without blindly following the link.

    • 2910000@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      14 hours ago

      My biggest bugbear relating to this is the lack of a short text alternative for QR codes, especially with long URLs.
      If the URL is too long to fit into a QR code, then it’s also too long for me to type in manually!

      • _g_be@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        13 hours ago

        I think I like an alternative that uses full words instead of a string of no sense symbols and mixed case letters.

        Something like what What 3 Words does but for short URLs. That would be easy to convey and type

        • 2910000@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          13 hours ago

          That’s a very good idea.
          Beside the number of permutations it gives, another benefit of using three words is they could form the border of the QR code, with the fourth side being the domain name