Web URLs with no 'file' at the end them...

[DaveJ]

This might seem like a wierd confusing question, but as a .Net developer, I find it strange lots of sites seem to use a default page for every link so that you don't see the file names.

I mean, for example, here you can see the file name duboard.php at the end. On my pages you might see at then end graphscreen.aspx or whatever I decide to name it. But lots (maybe most) sites seem to avoid this. Like this url: http://www.ted.com/speakers -- It's the name of a directory but there is no file name. All their pages are that way.

I'm wondering if this technique is used to hide the webpage names intentionally for some reason? Is it a security risk to let users see the names of the pages? Are there certain web development environments that ecourage this practice?

[Lowell]

1. It is lazy, but

if the webmaster is building a seperate folder containing graphics for each page on their website then there is no reason for them to not simply use index.html/default for the page.

[DaveJ]

2. I'm probably just overthinking it

Just wondering if there were IT department policies in place, or standard coding practices, to hide the file names, and if so what those reasons were. Myabe it's to hide what language they use, or for neatness, or for security. Just wondering. I would just use an image folder at the root of the website personally that all the subfolder would access.

[charlie]

3. Search engines, for one thing

I don't know how true it is anymore, but there was once a time when search engines limited how many URLs they'd chase from a server with generated content. To get around that, Apache servers have a module called mod_rewrite that can intercept links and reformat them. Like, from - az/post/forum/288/topic_id/704/mesg_id/704 - to - duboard.php?az=post&forum=288&topic_id=704&mesg_id=704.

Not breaking links from other sites if you rename files would be another benefit.

Memorable simplicity would be another. It's easier to remember something like ted.com/gladwell than ted.com/index.php?category=bio&subject=gladwell or even ted.com/gladwell.php .

TED doesn't look like a site that's doing this, though. Beneath the directories are explicit links to files, ex: http://www.ted.com/speakers/chris_abani.html .