PONY <3 Galaxy Tab

September 11, 2014 8:08 PM

PONY : Add a preference setting that forces MeFi to always load in desktop mode on mobile devices?

I usually view MeFi on my tablet. Maybe there's some magic setting but since I got a new tablet Chrome always opens the site in mobile mode even though I've checked the "Request Desktop Site" setting every single time I've visited.

Would it be possible to bypass this insanity and add a pref to have the site only use the desktop site?

posted by fiercekitten to Feature Requests at 8:08 PM (21 comments total)

This is an interesting idea, but one I'm totally punting to Matt and pb on re: feasibility.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:10 PM on September 11, 2014

Once you switch it should set a cookie with your preference that never expires. Do you have things set so cookies aren't cleared out?
posted by pb (staff) at 8:39 PM on September 11, 2014

Typically I only have to eat the preference for which version I see when I clear the cache. Chrome should remember it, maybe try setting another preference (like Professional White) and see if that is remembered?
posted by arcticseal at 8:43 PM on September 11, 2014

I spy confusion and crossed porpoises: "Request desktop site" is a Chrome thing that lasts for as long as the tab is open. There is a link at the very bottom of the site, "Switch to Standard site", that sets a cookie.
posted by gregjones at 12:08 AM on September 12, 2014 [8 favorites]

Shouldn't the desktop site load for tablets by default anyway? I know it does on my iPads. Maybe the mobile/desktop detection code should be made aware of Android tablets.
posted by zsazsa at 12:50 AM on September 12, 2014

Maybe the cookie could do it, and then have the user setting take precedence over the cookie?
posted by oceanjesse at 7:06 AM on September 12, 2014

You people sure put a lot of trust in cookies. I don't know, I had a purportedly chocolate chip cookie once and it had a raisin in it.
posted by oulipian at 7:36 AM on September 12, 2014 [6 favorites]

I didn't realize the "Switch to standard site" was an option. That worked for me. There may still be a request as I didn't realize the site automatically used the desktop version for iPad users. There could be too many possible tablet types to code for tho.

Now if I could just get this damn thing to put a . when I double space.

And recognize curse words.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:48 AM on September 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Mefi does not currently autodetect android tablets vs android phones and serve different pages. I wasn't aware it did so for iPads.

I'm not so sure I would want it to either. Having the mobile comment box is nice on a tablet, and my fingers aren't any more precise on a 10" screen compared to a 5" one.
posted by bonehead at 7:56 AM on September 12, 2014

On the other hand, the mobile layout does look kinda crappy on a 10" screen, I suppose.
posted by bonehead at 7:57 AM on September 12, 2014

Now if I could just get this damn thing to put a . when I double space.

Swiftkey4life.
posted by bonehead at 7:58 AM on September 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yup, SwiftKey will allow you to double space for a period, if you want. Also it will allow you to have some goddamn arrow keys so that you don't have to try to achieve single-character precision wth your giant, useless troll fingers whenever you need to go back and edit something you typed. It's a revelation.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:03 AM on September 12, 2014 [4 favorites]

They took away en- and em-dashes as alternative character options in a recent update though, for no good goddamn reason. I'm still mad about that.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:05 AM on September 12, 2014

Shit you wonderful people are helpful. You've solved 3 problems for me in like 8 comments and a MeTa thread.
posted by Twain Device at 10:32 AM on September 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

Which reminds me, on my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini with mobile view and the standard browser italic text is not displayed as such, but as normal text.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:16 AM on September 12, 2014

I'ma probably want this thing once my iPhone 6 Plus arrives. Which I just mention because, hey, I ordered an iPhone 6 Plus.
posted by box at 2:12 PM on September 12, 2014

Now if I could just get this damn thing to put a . when I double space.

Android? Bring up keyboard, press settings thing, select Google Keyboard, then Advanced Settings / Double-space period (if there's no settings thing on your keyboard, long-press on space and select "set up input methods" to get there).

YMMV depending on Android version, though, but I checked three devices and all had it. It was also turned on all three, and I have no memory setting it on any of them.
posted by effbot at 4:31 PM on September 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

Which reminds me, on my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini with mobile view and the standard browser italic text is not displayed as such, but as normal text.

Hmm, interesting. For me that is what happens with Chrome on my Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 8.0, while the default browser displays correctly. It's actually the reason I don't use Chrome. Androids are weird.
posted by shelleycat at 4:45 AM on September 14, 2014

Yes, Chrome Android does not render italics properly. This has been a well-known bug for literally years and has not been fixed. It is absolutely insane.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:58 PM on September 14, 2014

Huh, interesting, Here on my desktop I see right down at the bottom amongst other things:

Links
- Home
- Search
- Archives
- Tags
- About
- MeFi Wiki

But when I grab my tablet, which is showing the mobile layout by default, then click the 'switch to standard site' link that is down the bottom, I scroll down and then I see in the same place:

Links
- Home
- Search
- Archives
- Tags
- About
- MeFi Wiki
- Mobile

Maybe that last link should always show up? I'm not sure what it does, the end URL is the same and my tablet doesn't do mouse-over-URL like my desktop (well laptop, but I use an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard so same same).

And yes, I'm often surfing the internet on my computer and a tablet at the same time. I've tried adding the phone but then I run out of hands then I feel a bit ashamed.
posted by shelleycat at 1:33 PM on September 20, 2014

It is pretty tiny to be fair.
posted by shelleycat at 1:59 AM on September 21, 2014