More Purple Links, Please

When I am browsing the Web, one thing I always like to see is a page with purple links. Since the early days of the Web, purple has been the colour typically used to indicate visited links. While there were other conventions in use in the early days of the Web, purple has emerged as the default colour for visited links at least since the mid-90s. Here's a relevant note from the changelog of NCSA Mosaic 0.13:

Changed default anchor representations: blue and single solid underline for unvisited, dark purple and single dashed underline for visited.

Visiting a web page and finding purple links in the article brings a sense of ease. It means I'm familiar with most of the references the article makes to other content. Each purple link serves as a small marker of a prior journey, a reminder that I've explored certain paths before.

I can't help but think of my bookshelf. The books I've read, the ones I've returned to time and again, show their wear. The pages are dog-eared, the covers faded, and the spines creased. These books have lived with me and shaped my thinking. Compare that to the pristine, untouched books, still waiting to be read. They are beautiful, yes, but they have not become a part of my life yet. The same goes for links. The purple ones are like the worn-out books. They are the references I've explored, the paths I've taken. They are familiar and comfortable. The blue ones are like the shiny new books on the shelf. They represent new paths, yet to be explored.

Although I'm quite fond of purple links, I know that not everyone shares my sentiment. Modern web design trends have moved away from this tradition, favouring sleek, minimalist aesthetics where visited and unvisisted links look nearly the same, or even using custom colours for visited links. While this can be visually appealing, it subtracts from the experience of using the Web as a source of knowledge. When links look indistinguishable or unconventional, it can be hard to tell what I've already read, especially when I am revisiting a topic and want to easily spot the links that are new.

In the end, sticking with the default purple for visited links isn't just about tradition; it is about simplicity and clarity. It is a small but reliable visual cue that makes navigating the Web easier and more intuitive, for me, at least. For me, those purple links bring comfort. They are small reminders of all the digital paths I've already walked. I wish more websites would keep them that way. More purple links, please.