Post here every time you notice something got shittier for no good reason

The Something Awful Forums > Main > General Bullshit > Post here every time you notice something got shittier for no good reason

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Canine Blues Arooo posted:

There are parts of SA that are undeniably dated or whatever, but might actually be the most functional and snappiest website I visit. It's utterly insane how pathetic the business of web design (and app design) is.

The android app is also really nice, presumably because it's not made by some late-stage capitalist company trying to extract maximum value for minimum effort.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2023 18:07

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 14, 2024 18:58

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

AARD VARKMAN posted:

Oh yeah, Webp files! Which places like imgur refuse to allow upload of years after they started showing up.

The worst part is that technically speaking, they're quite good - nicer than jpeg at the same size, smaller at equal quality, and an open standard without patent problems that's easy to support. It's just a shame that some crucial links in the chain have dragged their feet for years and years on supporting them.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2023 00:51

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Deep Glove Bruno posted:

So what do we learn from this? With everything online being slowly degraded.

Will there, or can there, be a regression to less profit-seeking domination of internet functionality? Like eventually the whole internet will be hosed, right, and people won't want to wade into the sewer of AI SEO hell anymore. What comes up instead?

I think the one kind of good thing that still happens online is when there IS a good thing, people can all start using it if they want. Or is that me mistaking "good things on the internet" for "addictive, habit-forming things on the internet"?

Like couldn't some old fuckers or idealistic nerds create some workable alternatives to this stuff that focuses entirely on giving the people what they want, meaning human interaction and human-made content?

There are absolutely people idealistically trying to do that, though with varying luck. Consider Mastodon, which is basically "Twitter, but with the openness and interoperability of email". Does it suck? Absolutely, both because it's run by people and as a side effect of some fundamental choices. Is it being destroyed by a group of MBA C-suiters who want to pump up the value before cashing out? No, there are a couple of different implementations that can talk to each other and they're all being written by small groups of people. Who hate each other, but that's a separate issue.

The problem is that most people want a streamlined "register here and you're ready to find most other people on earth" experience, and you can't blame them for that.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2023 01:53

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

It's a small thing, but why is the actual video element in a twitter post 41 nested divs deep?

# ¿ Jun 17, 2023 02:53

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Hammerite posted:

youtube and suchlike never provide a button to turn off autoplay any more

i want to listen to that song again NO YOU MAY NOT, YOU MUST WATCH THE NEXT VIDEO

Yes they do? It's the little slider to the left of the subtitle button, under the progress bar.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2023 00:49

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

BAGS FLY AT NOON posted:

I�ve found Sony TVs to be the least intrusive. The OS is just an overlay over Android so yeah Google but you can shut off ads and tracking. The closest thing to an ad I�ve seen is just a �you might like� ribbon that�s at the bottom and completely ignorable.

Yeah, same. We have a Sony TV that we use a fair bit, and the only part of the interface I ever see is the HDMI input selector. There are apps and things, but you can just entirely ignore all that.

We do sporadically try the chromecast functionality, but the last half year or so it loads the correct youtube video but never starts playing. Oh well. :shrug:

# ¿ Jun 21, 2023 22:42

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Mistle posted:

They sell projectors. Bulbs are damned expensive, but once it's properly aligned, it does some drat good ultra-large displays.

Had a rare occasion to "borrow" a projector for some gaming a long while ago, 8/10 sharp display, minimal noise from the fan, but I have to take a point off because the bulb price alone is enough to discourage usage, even if it's on someone else's dime.

Having used projectors for many years, they do also struggle a bit in bright rooms, and you do grow tired of having to pull the blackout curtains to watch youtube. The fan noise isn't horrible, but it is another mild annoyance.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2023 10:14

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

You Are A Elf posted:

Speaking of YouTube, shorts.

gently caress YouTube shorts.

Short videos in a vertical phone-optimized form? Eh whatever. But why must they use a different player interface that's so much worse?

# ¿ Jun 23, 2023 00:27

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Deep Glove Bruno posted:

Here's one related to Amazon being a loving BLDG 19 rummage sale - Amazon wishlists have clamped down like Twitter banning people sharing their mastodons or whatever.

I can't add freetext ideas anymore, and I can't use some weird browser plugin to add external links, and god damnit is there some other place I can put a wishlist that will work like that? Just a bunch of shopping links that somebody can check off if they buy it?

Almost none of what I put on that goddam thing was from Amazon for obvious reasons, and it's how a lot of far-flung family from across the world see what I'm into these days. What are my options?

A google docs spreadsheet could work, I guess?

It's also funny to me that ebay now feels like a more trustworthy place to buy from than amazon - and I feel like their search and filtering is better, too.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2023 21:42

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

caleb posted:

Sure. Just do whatever you want.

That makes sense to me and I've had use for both alternatives, but I have probably worked too long with biology people.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2023 23:52

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Trashbag talk: You mean you all don't just use the plastic bags you bring home your food in?

# ¿ Jan 12, 2024 20:58

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

I have wondered if one of the reasons live soccer isn't as commercially successfully in the US is that the 45 minute long halves with no natural breaks don't fit into the ad schedule.

In a similar vein: Cross-country skiing can be a long slog of a race. The rights to show it have moved between channels and I don't know who has it now, but a few years ago they started doing splitscreen ads to fit some ad revenue in without interrupting the live stream. It's never popular, though of course it really matters when they time it. A couple of years ago they got in so much trouble they got a warning (and possibly a fine, I can't find the conclusion) from the media authorities - you can apparently only do splitscreen ads during long live broadcasts and in a way that does not significantly impact the viewer experience. (Which basically means "not when there's something exciting happening, dummies")

This sort of poo poo:

Computer viking fucked around with this message at 12:05 on Jan 15, 2024

# ¿ Jan 15, 2024 12:00

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 14, 2024 18:58

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Cerekk posted:

NASCAR did fine for a while and has the same issue. Live soccer isn't commercially successful because the top leagues all play at like at 9am on a Thursday, and Americans have absolutely zero interest in anything they're not the best at.

This is also why your typical American sports fan is familiar with some women soccer players but can't name a single American men's soccer player.

If the USMNT ever wins a world cup you'll suddenly have 50 million Americans claiming to have been watching soccer for years.

That's a reasonable counterargument, true.

On the other hand, some number of people watch Norwegian championship soccer, and I'm sure there are Brazilian high schools with better teams than most of those. Having a US league system with matches on a more reasonable schedule would probably get some views?

Then again, I find it mostly boring with some exceptions.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2024 13:13

The Something Awful Forums > Main > General Bullshit > Post here every time you notice something got shittier for no good reason