June 24, 2026
Popup rage goes mainstream
Blogging Can Just Be Stating the Obvious
The internet cheers as bloggers finally say what everyone’s been yelling at their screens
TLDR: A blogger argued that websites should simply show readers the article instead of blocking it with signup and cookie popups. In the comments, people turned that obvious point into a rallying cry, with jokes about artificial intelligence, newbie readers, and a lot of fury at “subscribe first” websites.
A delightfully obvious rant has turned into a full-on comments-section group therapy session. The spark? A complaint so basic it somehow feels revolutionary: when you open a webpage, you should actually be able to see the webpage instead of getting smacked with popups begging for your email or forcing cookie consent in your face. John Gruber said the quiet part out loud, and readers responded like someone had finally announced that the emperor has no clothes — or in this case, that the website has no article visible under all the junk.
The community reaction was basically a giant, cathartic “YES!!! THIS!!!”. One commenter celebrated the sheer meta comedy of a blog post about how blogging often works best when it simply states the obvious. Another took the conversation in a spicy direction, joking that artificial intelligence could probably mass-produce this kind of writing by summarizing what people already know — though even they admitted nobody would actually want to read that. Ouch.
Then came the more heartfelt takes. One reader argued that “obvious” ideas still matter because there’s always a new wave of people hearing them for the first time. Another compared it to growing up in math: what feels basic to experts can still be thrilling and useful to everyone else. And the most relatable fury of all came from the anti-popup crowd, with one person flatly saying they avoid Substack because they want to read first, subscribe later. The verdict from the crowd: sometimes the hottest take is just pointing out that the nonsense has gone too far.
Key Points
- •The article discusses John Gruber’s criticism of intrusive website popups, including newsletter prompts and cookie consent overlays.
- •It quotes Gruber’s argument that webpages should display their content directly and emails should contain the email content itself.
- •The author says Gruber’s comments also function as a reflection on blogging, where writers often state things that feel obvious.
- •The article describes a common writing dilemma: a point can seem too self-evident to be worth publishing until repeated examples make it necessary to say aloud.
- •The conclusion is that a key part of blogging is being willing to clearly express an obvious observation that others are not articulating.