No, infinite scrolling can work. The problem is Facebook and other sites aren't doing it right. As you scroll the URL should update with corresponding hash tags for how far down the page you went (eg /#20 /#40 /#50). Then if you go forward and back the correct block can be loaded. Facebook is the best example of a poorly implemented infinite scroll.
I still don't think that's quite right, since you're presumably numbering the newest item as "0" and then counting up from there. Which means after 20 new posts come in, my link to /#20 no longer takes me where I want it to.
Similarly, with history.pushState and history.replaceState, why use hashtags instead of actual URLs?
I have been thinking about what the url space for infinite scrolling should look like, and I think that if you have meaningful titles you should probably use those as your indicators instead of numbers. Still having paging links makes sense to jump groups of posts.
As for the hashtag, it is a worthwhile thought and you could probably go either way on that one. If you think of the original purpose of the hashtag it was to jump to a specific anchor on the page.
Do the other blocks have to load before it when I come back from having clicked on a link? Has anyone implemented an inf scrolling in such a way that doesn't violate these things or at least force me to experience a very displeasurable leerching around the page as it loads?
Thank you for this. I've been toying with trying to make a really respectable inf scrolling to validate wavephorm's comments and my concerns. This is a nice starting place.
