Why do people fall for this?

[woe2you@beige.party]

@neil @revk @BenCotterill At this point it's safe to assume all shortening is explicitly to disguise tracking.

[raymaccarthy@mastodon.ie]

@KaraDanvers @revk
No need for a short URL (They are terrible things).
Also loads of free QR code generation SW.
Inkscape is one.

[mark@social.markiswrit.ing]

@jelte @revk And the Services, which appear as sponsored results at the top of the Google results, aren't up front about what they are offering.

[jamesholden@mas.to]

@revk Some companies use a QR code forwarder to send the user to the relevant App Store based on iPhone/Android user agent. If you check the parking companies’ TrustPilot reviews, you will find people who have been scammed by the interstitial ad, because the company is using the ad supported version instead of paying. It happed at my day job. Thanks, marketing department!

[happysteve@mas.to]

@revk
Missing (so far) in the replies is how to generate a QR code with the text or URL you want. I didn't know.

I accidentally found out that using duckduckgo to search for "qr code https://www.example.com" generates the qr code.

(Initially I searched for "qr code format" and was surprised, but delighted, to be presented with a QR code that represents the word "format")

The Wikipedia page on QR codes suggests LibreOffice can generate them too

[jelte@mastodon.nl]

@mark yeah those are almost by definition going to be predatory

[revk@toot.me.uk]

@RogerBW @neil @woe2you @BenCotterill May have to register dodgyintermediaries.com

[revk@toot.me.uk]

@raymaccarthy @KaraDanvers I did not know added to inkscape... I have https://4.gg

Yes it does short URLs but bottom of page codes any QR you want.

[revk@toot.me.uk]

@happysteve Yeh inkscape, and many other. I wrote a QR generator, see HTTPS://QR.REVK.UK

You can also generate at HTTPS://4.GG

[raymaccarthy@mastodon.ie]

@revk @KaraDanvers
Short URLS are *potentially* evil as you can't know what they are for.
My phone app to read barcodes & QR codes displays the text and offers a selection of options, which may include the default web browser.

I (and others) never click/tap a short URL. They seem to have been invented for Twitter. Here uses 23 chars no matter what length URL is and real URLs are no problem for QR codes.

[ozzelot@mstdn.social]

@pmdj @revk @KaraDanvers I really wish society was set up such that there was always a local guy, gal or nonbinary pal or a few who just Know Tech and who the local people who need tech set up turn to. But instead no, all you get is capitalism and free trials and a few companies gatekeeping email.

[slash909uk@mastodon.me.uk]

@revk I make QR codes for links in our printed parish magazine, alongside actually typing out the url. There are any number of generators available; I use yours Rev!

Can recommend Binary Eye reader; FOSS and lets you choose what to do with the text it reads.

[manualcookie@hachyderm.io]

@revk Whats that about all caps? Do they generate less complex QR codes?

[revk@toot.me.uk]

@manualcookie yes

[tripplehelix@tech.lgbt]

@revk It's all the web generators. They all go through their servers and require subscriptions.

[tripplehelix@tech.lgbt]

@revk @happysteve You should add a link to 4.gg from your codeberg page. I only ever remember qr.revk.uk.

[gra@hachyderm.io]

@neil @revk The only use of shorteners I really approve of is "shortening as apology". As in, "I'm sorry we've been forced to use this awful system which generates 128 char URLs, and until we can replace the management who outsourced it here's the workaround"

[ghostinthenet@hachyderm.io]

@revk This is what happens when everything is a service. It never occurs to folks to just generate these things ourselves (or at least vet the services we use) so we take the most convenient path. We usually don’t notice that the QR code redirects through the service we used until it’s too late.

A key concern with offloading everything to services (outside of silly things like privacy and security) is that it becomes a habit where we can produce semi-acceptable results without having to do much thinking or work. It’s easy to get out of the habit of putting in thought and effort in the first place.

Okay, that’s a lot, but it’s Saturday and I just became caffeinated.

[kim@fedi.social]

@revk@toot.me.uk Presumably a cursory web/app search will return plenty of shiny-looking QR generators that are in fact URL redirection services, and that that isn't inherent to the nature of QR codes is a subtlety that's going to be lost on most people.

[kim@fedi.social]

@revk@toot.me.uk The rot set in when browsers started hiding URLs from the user.