> "Before I go on, it's worth mentioning that many websites are already moving towards practically URL-free navigation in the form of Java- and Flash-based input and navigation."
That's simply bad design. I would say opposite – the trend is towards friendly URLs. And seriously, I don't remember seeing Java-based (applet) navigations since 1999.
While I love the URLs in string form, I agree that they could have less cryptic syntax, e.g. "web:com.google/path/to/resource". (Yes, I'm aware of the historical reasons for the current syntax.)
That's simply bad design. I would say opposite – the trend is towards friendly URLs. And seriously, I don't remember seeing Java-based (applet) navigations since 1999.
While I love the URLs in string form, I agree that they could have less cryptic syntax, e.g. "web:com.google/path/to/resource". (Yes, I'm aware of the historical reasons for the current syntax.)