I took "abusing the HTML5 History" to the next level. (opens in new tab)

Feels like we're back in the days of the Apple ][, only with a much, much smaller monitor. Things I'd like to see done in the URL bar using the History API:

  • Rogue-like text adventure game
  • Hitchhiker's Guide
  • A reading app with page-turning animation
  • Color

Whoever cracks that last one, mega kudos. Woz, you around? Feel like doing some magic?

It's also tempting to ask for a text-editor, but then, we sort of already have that!

After playing for 10 minutes I thought "this is EXACTLY the kind of insane time-waster that I would like to read more content from..." So I tried to remove the # from the title bar as to navigate to your home page.

Turns out that that's harder than the actual game. I won in the end though.

Around the launch of IE9 beta I asked Dean Hachamovitch (IE honcho at MSFT) what he thought about people typing random things (besides URLs) into the navigation bar. I'd noticed not entirely tech-savvy people in my life using the navigation bar as sort of a launch bar for their whole browsing experience, using it for new searches, history exploration, etc.

Hachamovitch reminded me that this was not really a new thing, as people have been using the command line since the dawn of time. Never did this really sink in until I saw this demo: The URL bar is a command line for the people. Behold its power.

I look forward to dealing with this on shady sites that want to disable the back button.

Cool concept, just make sure you open it in a new window or you'll never make it back to HN!

Took me a while to come back here to comment. :)

Very fun, very creative. Abuse is most definitely the correct word.

Thanks to your work my browser history in firefox have hundreds - if not thousands - of lines more just for your site.

Wish I'd thought of this. And that I'd made it.

And that it doesn't catch on.

I like the game.

I also played with browser history to create something more useful http://bsearch.heroku.com/ i.e. access other search engines by clicking back button while on Google.

So now we can play games in both the address bar and the favicon: http://www.p01.org/releases/DEFENDER_of_the_favicon/

Well, after viewing my history from going to this page, I think that browsers are going to have to come up with a way to group history into collapsible groups. Most likely by a combination of tab and host.

Definitely not looking for to companies using the URL page as the new scrolling status bar...

Thanks for completely fucking up my browsing history. Kudos.

(Horrible hack though, how is that possible without the browser saying no?)

Ouch, my history! Seriously, this was an experience. I might go as far as calling it art.

That's pretty clever. I could see using location.hash for posting scrolling banner messages in the URL bar, ads ... all kinds of stuff that I'm really not looking forward to.

Is it possible in javascript to make a customisable auto-complete for the address bar? Similar to the way browsers use auto-complete based on your history, this would use auto-complete based on the site's hierarchy. It's different to this site because the input events (user controls) are not triggered when typing in the address bar.

For example, a user wanting to find the elephants page on this web site would be typing http://coolstuff.com/things/elep (and it would suggest) hants by having hants appear after elep as selected text.

Or is there a good reason why address bar events are not part of the dom?

30 seconds later, my laptop fan is full throttle. I think you win the watts-per-byte medal.

Fun bug: press escape tons and watch the animals move faster and your browser freeze.

<Khhaaannn!!!> My back button! MY HISTORY!!!! </Khhaaannn!!!>

similar to this via twitter: by @paulrouget

http://grack.com/blog/

I killed 4 in 23 seconds. Getting back to this post wasn't easy, though I can't say I wasn't warned!

One of the most creative things I've seen in a while. This wrinkles my brain and the best way.

What, no 8-bit sound effects?

"Look up at the url bar!"

I'm using Conkeror, so I had to look down.

Very creative. Actually a somewhat addicting game as well!

Does anyone else think this could be used as a captcha?

This game is even better on firefox with vimperator.

Wow, so much for back-nav'ing on that tab.

It seems to work in IE6 too.

probably interactive is in my history hundreds of times now :)

"Points 4"

No fun on the iPad :(

Nice idea.