Bookmarks as be aren’t a highly imaginative system – a list of URLs. This puts a number of strict limits on their use.
Most importantly, a limit in quantity. As the number of bookmarks increase, the overview of your bookmarks fails, and makes it harder to find anything. And so we end up with a mostly static list of ‘privileged’ bookmarks.
The solution is called Historious. It’s an interesting mix of Delicious and Google, and maybe the next bookmarking revolution.
Historious
The idea behind Historious is simple. Instead of storing bookmarks in folders, they’re all individually indexed; just like Google does with the whole of the internet, to create your personalized search world. This search engine, which can be used in every browser, across computers, allows you to search both by title and content of the indexed pages.
Historious might just be the future of bookmarks. It has the whole package; free, located in the cloud, and the general overview actually improves with an increase of quantity. While using this service, my bookmarks have surpassed the privileged (and static) two dozen websites, now growing with a couple of websites per day.
How it works
Historious works across browsers by bookmarklet. A bookmarklet is a (regular) bookmark that executes a bit of Javascript code. You’ll be able to add it to your bookmarks bar after you’ve completed (free) registration. Alternatively, there’s also a Google Chrome extension. This works exactly the same as the bookmarklet, and nothing keeps you from using the extension on one computer and the bookmarklet on another.
If you spot a page you’d like to historify, simply press the bookmarklet or extension button. The extension will briefly light up, where the bookmarklet will keep you informed of the indexing process (usually 2-3 seconds) with notifications, as can be seen below.
To search with Historious, simply go to
http://USERNAME.histori.us/
, after inserting your username in the link. In most browsers, you’ll also be able to add it to your in-browser search pane, making your bookmarks always readily accessible. Historious search looks a lot like a red-themed Google, complete with ‘feeling lucky’ button and cached pages. If you choose, you can publish your bookmarks, and make your search engine accesible to everyone via your URL.
If you can see yourself in need of old-fashioned bookmarks, Historious also allows you to list all of your bookmarks, again looking like a search result. This option allows you to browse your bookmarks if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for.
Importing and Exporting
It’s easy to import your existing bookmarks into Historious, although the process still has to be done manually. Simply point your browser to
http://USERNAME.historio.us/add/
, after inserting your username in the link. There, you either put in a list of site addresses, or upload a bookmarks file that’s exported from your browser, or an online service like Delicious.
Fortunately, you can also migrate your Historious bookmarks if you ever grow tired of the service by pointing your browser to
http://USERNAME.historio.us/export/
. This will list all URLs that have been added so far.
What do you think of Historious? The future of bookmarks? Let us know your two cents in the comments below.
Tagged: bookmarklets • bookmarks • browsing • browsing tools
