When you click on a link and you get this message:
Not Found
The requested object does not exist on this server.
The link you followed is either outdated, inaccurate,
or the server has been instructed not to let you have it.
it means that the link points to a file that no longer exists (or (less likely) has been protected). You are likely to run into lots of bad links because:
However, usually when one is following a link, one is more interested in the site that the link points to rather than the specific page it points to. So it's usually possible to find the information one wants anyway. The secret is in remembering that the link you followed once pointed to a file in a directory tree, and that though the file is now gone, some part of the tree probably remains.
As an example, suppose that there was once a file in this web called:
but that the file no longer exists. Thus if you click on the above URL, you'll get the Not Found error. This usually means that the file no longer exists. But the directory might! So if you think it's worth persisting try:
If you tried that, you'll see that the rocks directory doesn't exist either. So the next step is to try:
which does exist (it's the WebHints home page).
Thus, when you run into a bad link, the thing to do is to rip names off the right hand side of the link until you find a directory that exists. Then explore.
If you want to avoid out-of-date links when making your own web, the best thing to do is to avoid pointing to anything but the home pages of sites.
Another lesson is that it's worth ensuring that every
directory in your web's directory tree contains a index.html
file, even if the directory is used only to subdivide files.
By placing an index.html file in every directory, you
will catch the URL truncators like me on their way up the tree.
Webmaster: ross@ross.net