Jeremy wrote something special yesterday. That’s not unlike Jeremy, but this blog post in particular struck a chord with me.

A couple of weeks ago, Google Chrome has toyed with the idea of removing most of the URL because it’s a “power user” feature in favour of a simple, easy to understand signpost of where the user is. Jeremy’s point is there is a deeper warning here of ease of use.

… it really doesn’t matter what we think about Chrome removing visible URLs. What appears to be a design decision about the user interface is in fact a manifestation of a much deeper vision. It’s a vision of a future where people can have everything their heart desires without having to expend needless thought. It’s a bright future filled with seamless experiences.

I read Jeremy’s post and kept re-reading it. My instant thought was of food.

I enjoy cooking – have done for a decade – and the more I do, the more I care about ingredients. Good produce matters. Now, I’m not talking about organic artisan satsumas here, but well grown, tasty ingredients; in season, picked at the right time, prepared in the right way. The interesting thing is most people who eat the resulting dish don’t think about food in this way. They experience the dish, but not the constituent parts.The same way some people experience music – if you play an instrument, you may hear base-lines, or a particular harmony. If you enjoy cooking, you appreciate ingredients and the combination of them.

But ingredients matter.

And they do of websites, too. And the URL is an ingredient. Just because a non-power user has no particular need for a unique identifier doesn’t mean it’s any less valuable. They just experience the web in a different way than I do.

Without URLs, or ‘view source’, or seeing performance data – without access to the unique ingredients of websites – we’ll be forced into experiencing the web in the same way we eat fast food. And we’ll grow fat. And lazy. And stop caring how it’s grown.

As Jeremy says: Welcome aboard the Axiom.