In previous posts I talked about the issues with the modern Web, how Web 1.1 (Static Web) can solve them, and how easy it is to publish existing websites on this new Web. But will people actually do that?
In this post I will talk about incentives. I believe, in the end of the day, everybody has an incentive to use Web 1.1.
Saving documents is a big deal
Saving doesn’t work well on the modern Web. When you try to save a page, it often appears broken. Even if it isn’t, where do you save it? In the cluttered Downloads folder, where you’ll never find it again? Or in some manually created folder structure that still isn’t much better? The reality is that people don’t save web pages—not because they don’t need to, but because it’s inconvenient.
With Continuous Space Interface (CSI) and new static data formats, saving web pages becomes a seamless experience. You can store pages you like directly on your zoomable desktop or even in a 3D environment, making them easy to find and interact with later.
Imagine browsing the Web and effortlessly collecting your favorite pieces of content, arranging them visually, and accessing them whenever you want. Many people, myself included, would love this ability.
The Role of Continuous Space Interface
Looking at demos of LZ Desktop you may think that this new interface is too exotic and won’t be very popular. I agree that CSI probably won’t become the primary interface for most people. It’s not well-suited for small-screen devices like mobile phones, and many users don’t own desktop computers. But that’s fine. As I mentioned in another post, CSI doesn’t need to be mainstream to have a significant impact on the Web.
Website owners want you to save their content
If you run a business, create content, or influence an audience, you want people to engage with your material. You want them to return to your website repeatedly.
Think about offline businesses. They hand out business cards, flyers, and brochures to stay on customers’ minds. Why? Because having a physical object increases the likelihood that a customer will remember them and return.
Now, imagine if every page on your website could serve the same purpose. People could download an article, place it on their desktop, and revisit it whenever they want. You wouldn’t know how often they engage with your saved content, but when they do, they might click a link and return to your site.
By supporting Web 1.1, website owners can boost engagement and retention. Instead of relying on users to remember and navigate back, they can let users save content in a meaningful way that encourages repeated interaction.
Backend Support Matters More Than Frontend Adoption: The RSS Example
Web technologies gain traction in two ways: frontend popularity and backend support. Frontend popularity is about how many people actively use the technology. Backend support is about how many websites implement it.
Take RSS, for example. It allows users to subscribe to website updates, yet in terms of direct usage, RSS is relatively unpopular. But if you look at website adoption, it’s widespread—almost every blog or news site supports it.
Why? Because RSS was implemented at the platform level long ago. If you run a WordPress site, RSS support is built-in by default. Most site owners don’t bother disabling it, so the technology persists, even if its user base is niche.
This same principle applies to Web 1.1. If backend support becomes widespread—through simple implementations like a WordPress plugin—it doesn’t matter how many users actively seek it out at first. As new data formats gain traction, mainstream browsers like Chrome and Safari will have more reason to support them. For most users, their first encounter with Web 1.1 will be through these browsers rather than dedicated apps.
One is bigger than zero
In the example of RSS, if even one person wants to subscribe to your website, why not let them? Saying “one is too low a number, so I’ll have zero instead” makes no sense.
The same logic applies to Web 1.1. Implementing support for it is often as easy as installing a WordPress plugin. And there’s no reason not to. If even one person wants to download your content, why deny them that option?
Chicken-and-egg problems
What if Web 1.1, despite all its benefits, never becomes popular? Many good ideas have failed due to chicken-and-egg problems.
You might ask: Why would someone install an app for a new kind of Web that doesn’t really exist yet? Or why would a website owner publish their site on the new Web that seemingly nobody uses?
Come for the tool, stay for the network
There is a concept called “Come for the tool, stay for the network”. Here is a blog post about it. Take Instagram, for example. Initially, it was promoted as a tool for adding filters to photos. People installed it because they wanted the filters, not because their friends were already on the platform.
Likewise, when we are talking about initial stages of Web 1.1 adoption, we shouldn’t worry about how popular this new Web is.
The only app that can use Web 1.1 data formats currently is LZ Desktop. As a tool this app is useful even if we never create the new Web. It is just a big desktop, where you can collect all the things that matter to you, like text notes, web links, images. Web pages of the new kind (HDOC), that you can use in this app, come as a bonus. Xanadu-inspired visible connections between texts from different web pages come as another bonus.
Bring Your Own Network (BYON)
If you’re a website owner, you don’t need to wait for Web 1.1 to become mainstream. Assume no one has heard of it. Simply add a download link to your website, allowing visitors to save pages in the new format. Next to it, provide a link explaining how they can install the software to use Web 1.1 (for WordPress all of that is done by installing a plugin). In other words, promote Web 1.1 yourself. I call this approach BYON—Bring Your Own Network. Your network is whoever visits your website. Some of those people will start using Web 1.1 because of you.
Another scenario: Imagine you’re a teacher creating learning materials with features unavailable on the modern Web—such as visible connections between pages. You publish these materials on your website and instruct your students to download LZ Desktop to access them. Once again, Web 1.1 serves as a tool first. Your students are your network that you bring to Web 1.1.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you can now see that there is no insurmountable barrier to the widespread adoption of Web 1.1. There is no unsolvable chicken-and-egg problem—Web 1.1 simply needs to be used as a tool for saving web pages, and adoption will follow naturally.
In the early days of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee—the man who invented it—maintained a website where he listed newly created websites. Back then, the addition of each new site was an event worth noting.
I plan to do something similar for Web 1.1. Anyone who installs my plugin or provides static content in any other way can send me a link, and I will maintain a directory of such websites. This list will be accessible from the LZ Desktop client app via the ‘Explore Static Web’ button.
As the list grows, I may eventually develop a simple search engine to help users navigate it more easily.
This is yet another reason not to worry about the initial size of the Web 1.1 network. Even though it starts small, it will be highly navigable from the beginning, making it easy for early adopters to explore and contribute. As more websites join, discovery tools will improve, and organic growth will follow naturally.
