New comments not updating after visiting thread

March 20, 2011 10:30 AM

None of the threads that I visit get remembered, so I constantly see X new posts, even if I've just gone to the thread and come back.

I'm using Chrome 10.0.648.151 on Windows 7 64 bit, but the problem seems to also happen on Firefox and IE.

The link changes color, so it's showing up in my history that I visited the thread. I've disabled all extensions, deleted all metafilter cookies, and cleared the cache, still have the same problem. When I have the MeFi scroll tag extension enabled it also fails to keep track of what threads I've visited.

This has been going on for a while, maybe ever since I built the computer a couple of months ago.

Any suggestions of what I should try? I've probably overlooked something incredibly obvious.

posted by HSWilson to Bugs at 10:30 AM (22 comments total)

The x new comments thing is based on session rather than actually visiting the thread. In other words, it's not very accurate. It just gives you an indication of where activity is happening.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:46 AM on March 20, 2011

Here's a more detailed look at how our new comment counts are calculated. If you shut down your browser for 15 minutes or so and then come back, the counts will reset. Nothing is reset as you browse, it sounds like that's where the confusion is.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:53 AM on March 20, 2011

That kind of makes sense, I'll see if it resets after 15 minutes or so. I know it's not official MeFi code, but the fact that the comment scroll extension doesn't keep up with anything seems strange.
posted by HSWilson at 10:57 AM on March 20, 2011

Yeah, I'm sorry I can't help you with the MeFi scroll extension. Not sure why that's not working for you.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:58 AM on March 20, 2011

If it reset immediately, you'd hate it. You'd visit one thread to see what was new, and then you wouldn't be able to figure out what other threads had changed.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:16 AM on March 20, 2011

Ok, so I left for over 20 minutes, but it is still telling me that threads I visited earlier today contain X comments, all X of which are new.
posted by HSWilson at 11:25 AM on March 20, 2011

Ok, so I left for over 20 minutes, but it is still telling me that threads I visited earlier today contain X comments, all X of which are new.

You have to go outside for it to work.
posted by birdherder at 11:36 AM on March 20, 2011 [5 favorites]

New comments not updating

Don't feel bad. We're just saying the same old shit.
posted by jonmc at 11:40 AM on March 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

Did you close the browser for 20 minutes? That's the key part in the leaving, as I understand it, not just leaving mefi but looking around the internet elsewhere on the same browser.
posted by brainmouse at 12:03 PM on March 20, 2011

Ok, I got it fixed I think. I had disabled all the extensions when I was first testing everything but before I knew about the 15 minute timeout window. The extensions had been enabled again and it was one of them that was screwing everything up. Thanks everyone.

tl;dr: Extensions got re-enabled before adequate testing was done.
posted by HSWilson at 12:37 PM on March 20, 2011

Really? a tl;dr for 4 sentences?

tl;dr: Really?
posted by cashman at 1:09 PM on March 20, 2011 [8 favorites]

it does get frustrating...

Hahaha. For sociologists of technology this is like a gold mine. The "clicking on a link to look? Laaaame!" - generation finally hits Metafilter. (Actally, I love it when the (1 New) comment is mine. It's almost like I made a difference. To myself, at least).

3 New. What? Oh.
posted by Namlit at 2:00 PM on March 20, 2011

Really? a tl;dr for 4 sentences?

tl;dr: Really?

I obviously spend too much time on reddit where the attention spans are a bit shorter than here.
posted by HSWilson at 2:38 PM on March 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

In case anyone was wondering: I ended up uninstalling and reinstalling all the metafilter extensions. I think something had gone wrong with the scroll tag extension. What it looks like was happening (conjecture on my part) is scroll tag wasn't remembering anything and marking all threads as all new comments. I missed it originally because I didn't know about the 15 minute session timeout.
posted by HSWilson at 2:49 PM on March 20, 2011

That reminds me that the X new comments awesomethingy that we have now doesn't play nice with the scroll tag Greasemonkey thingy. I.e. Plutor's script doesn't recognize the newly-loaded comments. I don't know enough about anything to know if that's fixable or not.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:58 PM on March 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

If it's any consolation, none of the threads that I visit get remembered either. In fact, I might as well not have written this. I'm like that guy from that movie that's told backwards. If this paragraph goes on long enough I'll forget I've already told you this. I'll probably just retell the same story. If it's any consolation, none of the threads that I visit get remembered either. In fact, I might as well not have written this. I'm like that guy from that movie that's told backwards. If this paragraph goes on long enough I'll forget I've already told you this. I'll probably just retell the same story. If it's any consolation, none of the threads that I visit get remembered either. In fact, I might as well not have written this. I'm like that guy from that movie that's told backwards. If this paragraph goes on long enough I'll forget I've already told you this. I'll probably just retell the same story. If it's any consolation, none of the threads that I visit get remembered either. In fact, I might as well not have written this. I'm like that guy from that movie that's told backwards. If this paragraph goes on long enough I'll forget I've already told you this. I'll probably just retell the same story. If it's any consolation, none of the threads that I visit get remembered either. In fact, I might as well not have written this. I'm like that guy from that movie that's told backwards. If this paragraph goes on long enough I'll forget I've already told you this. I'll probably just retell the same story.
posted by cjorgensen at 4:32 PM on March 20, 2011

déjà groundhog
posted by Namlit at 4:40 PM on March 20, 2011

That kind of makes sense, I'll see if it resets after 15 minutes or so. I know it's not official MeFi code, but the fact that the comment scroll extension doesn't keep up with anything seems strange.

It's bugged since the new ajax show new comments. I'm not sure if it's just long threads or all of them yet though. I see a new update is out though so maybe that has fixed it.
posted by Mitheral at 5:02 PM on March 20, 2011

none of the threads that I visit get remembered
none of the stories I've heard ever get retold
the voices of friends and old lovers, they've gone silent now
my souvenirs are stolen, then resold

but there's something like hope, hope in the vanishing moment
and something that's maybe like love, in the gathering mist
a tiny little curve of remembrance, almost worth taking
the ephemeral taste of the moment the moonlight kissed
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:10 PM on March 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

It's a chrome thing, I would suggest. I have the same problem consistently with chrome, and never with other browsers on the same computer. At least for me, I see "13 comments (13 new)" even if I've read the thread.
posted by gingerbeer at 7:54 PM on March 20, 2011

Plutor also updated his script a few days ago to fix the very thing you're describing in Chrome.
posted by SpiffyRob at 5:06 AM on March 21, 2011

it is still telling me that threads I visited earlier today contain X comments, all X of which are new.

The comments... are coming... from... inside your browser!
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:44 AM on March 21, 2011