The web was supposed to be a web.

Tim Berners-Lee imagined documents connected by links. No center. No hierarchy. Just ideas, linked to other ideas, in every direction.

We lost this.

Today's web is a handful of silos. Social networks, search engines, app stores. Everything flows through gatekeepers who decide what you see.

The original vision was different. Every page was a destination. Every link was a choice made by a human, not an algorithm.

I remember when websites had blogrolls—lists of other sites the author liked. You'd click through and discover someone new. Then someone newer. An afternoon could disappear in exploration.

Now we don't explore. We scroll.

The feed is the enemy of the link. Feeds keep you inside. Links let you leave.

This newsletter is a small rebellion. It exists outside the platforms. You found it through a link, or maybe a friend sent it. You can forward it, quote it, respond to it.

This is how the web was meant to work.

Small corners of the internet, connected by links, maintained by people who care.

Next week: the case against JavaScript.