New term: Hotlinks

For years, we’ve been accustomed to calling links on web sites which connect to other pages or sites, ‘hyperlinks.’ Well, what’s so ‘hyper’ about ‘linking?’ The name is actually derived from HTTP, better known as Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the mechanism used to deliver data you see on web sites. Instead, I would like to see ‘hyperlinks’ become ‘hotlinks,’ because it’s ‘live’ and ‘instant’ data. Once a user clicks on a link, they’re immediately whisked away to another destination, be it a page on the same web site, or another somewhere in Japan. It is my personal belief that this term is more fitting for the billions of ‘hyperlinks’ which exist on billions of pages around the world.

What do you think?

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