Speed and efficiency. Why waste time downloading ad content just for it to be hidden by the browser when you can simply stop them from being downloaded in the first place?
Perhaps try making a simple web chat application. I recommend it for a myriad of reasons:
You'll get to touch upon all the layers of a web app (DB/backend/frontend) in a manageably small way.
You'll be able to make multiple choices to learn different technologies - like which database type to use (SQL/document), which message passing method to use (requests/sockets), which frontend framework to use (Solid/Svelte/HTMX/etc), and so on.
Getting a minimum working system is very fast. You can easily spend less than a day completing this, even as a novice.
Once completed, there are many extra goals you can set yourself. Try adding roles, commands, enable sending pictures, embedding metadata for links, etc. You need only look to your favourite chat app for your next idea!
I initially rejected this idea with a reason like "You seem to forget how vile certain parts of the internet can be," but the more I think about it the more I agree, given a few conditions. Namely that children should not be allowed access.
Forbidding children access to the internet would solve many problems, such as social media addiction (potentially leading to depression), the spreading of misinformation, and the general amount of child exploitation online. I don't deny that such an action may introduce other issues that I have yet to consider, but I still feel that the main points are very compelling.
I am also aware that such a system is not perfect and that people will undoubtedly circumvent it, but a much larger number of people will not (if it is made difficult to do so). Unfortunately, the only conceivable way to do such a thing is some kind of age-verification system, which I am against for various privacy-related reasons.
It's not even that. I can generally read a C-like language, but when the first line I see is a long-ass array of bytes with zero documentation it just makes me not want to even try.
I used to only use C#, and I liked the simplicity of only using one symbol to access any prop/field/method. But now I've used Rust for a while I do prefer separating the two for the same reasons you mentioned.
I’d happily pay a one-time fee to be able to use my own cloud service like Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud.
You can do that without paying. Obsidian vaults are just plaintext files on your disk. Just make a vault in your GDrive/OneDrive/iCloud sync folder and it'll be synced.
There's likely a extra hoop or two to jump through if you want mobile access, but it's not too much extra effort.
If by that you mean "I use Linux but can't stand GIMP" then Pinta is pretty good as a simple photo editor. More advanced than Paint but not as unfriendly as GIMP. If you're familiar with Paint.NET on Windows then you'll feel right at home.
Interstellar is one of my favourite movies, yet I can definitely say it's not perfect. Hell, it's got a few massive plot holes and the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Saying that, I still enjoyed it. I love the visuals, the BTS stuff is interesting, but most of all it made me feel. That's what I value in media. Other people may value a coherent plot, historical accuracy, or a myriad of other things. We all like/dislike things for different reasons, and that's okay.
Speed and efficiency. Why waste time downloading ad content just for it to be hidden by the browser when you can simply stop them from being downloaded in the first place?