But I don't even like this post!

April 25, 2008 11:23 AM

My big clumsy thumbs keep accidentally favoriting things when reading MeFi on my iPhone.

See how I made that about my big clumsy thumbs and not about the infinitesimally small plus sign that is so impossibly close to the "x new" link? So anyway, then I have to go back in and laboriously unfavorite everything later on. Would it be possible to just move that plus sign over a little bit so I won't keep hitting it?

posted by Enroute to feature requests at 11:23 AM (47 comments total)

Sigh. Ok. Well that knocks my favorite tally down to three. Thanks for getting me excited for nothing.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 11:41 AM on April 25 [2 favorites]

This problem can be solved quite easily. Below this comment (and this comment only) and immediately to the right of the words "on April 25" you will see a small + sign embraced by square brackets. This small + sign is what is known as the "Pony Plus." Clicking on it will immediately grant all feature requests. Try it and see.
posted by dersins at 12:02 PM on April 25 [4 favorites]

Miniaturization is not a plus for some.
posted by Cranberry at 12:05 PM on April 25

We're all very happy for you that you have a new iPhone. No, we are not going to change our lives to revolve around your shiny new bobble.
posted by Pollomacho at 12:45 PM on April 25 [3 favorites]

*Holds breath and waits for Enroute to accidentally flag dersins' comment as SEXISM/RACISM*
posted by Viomeda at 12:46 PM on April 25

It seems like a design issue and one that is easily fixed. A mobile-specific CSS would help, that:

a. makes the AJAX widgets larger
b. puts them somewhere less obtrusive
c. spreads them out so that they are easier to touch without accidental presses
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:47 PM on April 25

flag dersins' comment as SEXISM/RACISM

HOW DID YOU KNOW?
posted by dersins at 12:48 PM on April 25

We're all very happy for you that you have a new iPhone.

This is the sort of response that has kept me from asking a condom question on AskMe recently.
That's right, yo, I don't wanna get my new iPhone pregnant.
posted by carsonb at 12:49 PM on April 25 [2 favorites]

Also, there's a simple fix: CLICK THE "X COMMENTS" INSTEAD OF THE "X NEW." Then you won't have this problem. "X new" doesn't work perfectly anyway.

(Or, if MeFi mobile is totally different and doesn't have that, well, who knows.)
posted by Viomeda at 12:49 PM on April 25

I have no clue how you poor iPhone users survive. Someone should set up a charity.
posted by terrapin at 12:50 PM on April 25 [3 favorites]

@terrapin: Seriously! iPhone users suck! amirite???!!!ELEVEN
posted by eyeballkid at 12:56 PM on April 25 [2 favorites]

"No, we are not going to change our lives to revolve around your shiny new bobble bauble."

If you're going to be an ass, have the sense to use the correct word.
posted by toomuchpete at 12:56 PM on April 25

If you're going to be an ass, have the sense to use the correct word.

I actually debated how to spell it and then chose this method:

Bobble - A generic term to refer to useless consumer items
posted by Pollomacho at 1:05 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

So back to the topic at hand, I agree that metafilter could use a little iphone usability updating, and am curious as to whether the metafilter design people would be prone to outright implementation, or failing that, cajoling, or failing that, seduction.
posted by felix at 1:11 PM on April 25

We're all very happy for you that you have a new iPhone. No, we are not going to change our lives to revolve around your shiny new bobble.

We're all very happy for you that you don't have a new iPhone, and proclaim loudly that you not only plan not to get one but more to the point that you identify yourself, evidently, by hating people who happen to use a product by a company you also seem to hate. No, we adults are not going to change our lives to revolve around your childish, cliquish, parochial worldview.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:13 PM on April 25

Blazecock Pileon, haven't you heard? Your specific habits and mode of consumption define who you are!
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:18 PM on April 25

iPhones make up 0.23% of the browser market in the US. How many people are actually going to benefit from iPhone usability updating?
posted by Pollomacho at 1:18 PM on April 25

I saw the blue x earlier today on my iphone. I missed the memo on that one? What is it for?
posted by pearlybob at 1:21 PM on April 25

We're all very happy for you that you don't have a new iPhone, and proclaim loudly that you not only plan not to get one but more to the point that you identify yourself, evidently, by hating people who happen to use a product by a company you also seem to hate. No, we adults are not going to change our lives to revolve around your childish, cliquish, parochial worldview.

Ah, see, I don't hate people because they buy consumer products. I just don't want other people's consumer product choices to negatively impact on my ability to make choices. Take it as you like, I just don't think that the site needs an overhaul because .23% of potential users might have trouble waiting till they get home to favorite a comment.
posted by Pollomacho at 1:22 PM on April 25

I imagine that it would be easy to get someone to optimize MeFi for iPhones. I'm kind of surprised it hasn't happened yet, considering the fact that it's not too tough, and the fact that the owner of the site uses one extensively when he's looking at MeFi.
posted by Viomeda at 1:25 PM on April 25

I agree that metafilter could use a little iphone usability updating

There are other, more popular smartphones out there yet...And previously when mobile.metafilter.com was updated for the iPhone, it was unusable for a WM phone browser. iPhone-specific does not always rock.
posted by jmd82 at 1:25 PM on April 25

iPhones make up 0.23% of the browser market in the US. How many people are actually going to benefit from iPhone usability updating?

That's interesting reasoning. Metafilter should drop Firefox support, too. Only a tiny minority of the browser market in the US actually uses Firefox. Microsoft Ueber Alles!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:28 PM on April 25

Pollomacho: Take it as you like, I just don't think that the site needs an overhaul because .23% of potential users might have trouble waiting till they get home to favorite a comment.

Sticking in a stylesheet that's mobile and enlarging Ajax buttons != site overhaul. (Not to belittle the work it'll take or what pb and mathowie do around here, but I don't know if doing this means what you think it means. Hell, here I thought we already had a mobile stylesheet; but then, I don't do the mobile browsing thing, so who knows.)
posted by Viomeda at 1:30 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

Ah. See, we do.

So it's even easier.

Pollomacho: this is really more akin to a "can this button be bigger?" question, not a "can you tear it down and rebuild the whole thing for me?" question.
posted by Viomeda at 1:31 PM on April 25

Pollomacho: Take it as you like, I just don't think that the site needs an overhaul because .23% of potential users might have trouble waiting till they get home to favorite a comment.

Regardless, it seems like you might be on the losing side of this battle, given that mobile.metafilter.com is actually designed to be used on an iPhone anyhow.
posted by Viomeda at 1:36 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

Pollomacho seems to really have a thing against iPhone users.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:43 PM on April 25

mobile.metafilter.com contains only a small subset of functionality. If it's not going to have 1:1 functionality with the main site, I think it's reasonable to pander to mobile users with grotesque giant thumbs.
posted by blue_beetle at 1:47 PM on April 25

God I hate those fucking iPhone users!

*flames out*

(Actually, I think I just didn't exactly understand the request. Thought it was more of a unicorn than an ordinary little carrot chomping pony. I was a little indignant that a select few users would dictate what we all see and do. Nothing to see here, please move along.)
posted by Pollomacho at 1:48 PM on April 25

I'm readinng this on a commodore64 in my car. I onley see curse words on white backgroun. Send help.
posted by mattbucher at 2:18 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

That's interesting reasoning. Metafilter should drop Firefox support, too. Only a tiny minority of the browser market in the US actually uses Firefox. Microsoft Ueber Alles!

Are you serious? FF/IE is a completely different issue than the smartphone browsers. Most websites work perfectly fine under both browsers (including mefi!), and if need-be, I have IE right there. The cellphone browser situation is a completely different landscape, where some stuff written for iPhones are gimped for other users (I imagine the same is true the other way around, but I have no experience with another phone browser). Plus, I believe FF has a >1% market share.
posted by jmd82 at 2:20 PM on April 25

It's not either or. That's the beauty of the web. We could have razr.metafilter.com, iphone.metafilter.com, hitlerphone.metafilter.com, it doesn't matter, apart from time investment it doesn't cost anything extra and none of it need affect any other part of it.
posted by felix at 2:57 PM on April 25

Yeah, but only 1.9612% of Idaho uses a HitlerPhone. Won't someone think of the 0.2497% of children in Kentucky?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:14 PM on April 25

Blazecock Pileon writes "That's interesting reasoning. Metafilter should drop Firefox support, too. Only a tiny minority of the browser market in the US actually uses Firefox. Microsoft Ueber Alles!"

I think FF actually is actually in the lead, percentage wise, at metafilter. I vaguely remember Matt posting a meta when FF beat out IE for the first time.
posted by Mitheral at 3:16 PM on April 25

Mitheral, I was being sarcastic about Pollomacho's notion that we should have things a certain way because x does. I'd suspect that iPhone users browse Metafilter as equally with other mobile clients, if not more so, thus there's not a rational reason to discriminate (unless you're listening to the usual mindless Apple hatebots at Metafilter) and in fact a compelling reason to design the mobile site to take its presence into account -- but I don't have the data, so it could well be true that only 0.000001% of all mobile users of Metafilter have iPhones.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:23 PM on April 25

See, really, I misunderstood, I thought this was a request to make everything iPhone specific because some people use iPhones and have mishapen thumbs like the woman Uma Thurmon played in the movie adaptation of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Can't we all just get along?
posted by Pollomacho at 3:31 PM on April 25

Fixed the wikipedia entry. Try using a dictionary next time.
posted by BeerFilter at 4:43 PM on April 25

My big clumsy thumbs keep accidentally favoriting things when reading MeFi on my iPhone.

Of course, you know what the doctor would say:

"Don't do that.
posted by Rafaelloello at 5:27 PM on April 25

BTW, best mobile platform for Metafilter:

Opera Mini on a Blackberry 8703e (you even get a real mouse and zoom in/out capability)

Order now and receive as an added bonus:

real keys you can actually press!
posted by Rafaelloello at 5:35 PM on April 25

Browser stats, get 'em while their hot!

FireFox 21.0%
iPhone 0.4%
posted by Rafaelloello at 5:46 PM on April 25

Where can i get a hitlerphone?
posted by puke & cry at 5:49 PM on April 25

Browser stats, get 'em while their hot!


Well, browser stats for boston.com, anyway.

From the link:

Netscape Navigator 4.0 0.08%

Makes sense. My mom does live in Boston.
posted by dersins at 5:50 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

Netscape Navigator 4.0 0.08%

Makes sense. My mom does live in Boston.

Be a good son and get your mom in from the bleeding edge ledge. Netscape 3.01 Gold is much more stable.
posted by Rafaelloello at 6:02 PM on April 25

Acquire sleek new iThumbs.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 6:35 PM on April 25

I have been intarwebbing on my iPhone almost exclusively due to my move, but I can live with zooming way the fuck in as a solution to this because the two point touchscreen feature makes me feeeeel soooooo gooooood. Aaaaaaaaah. Mmmmmmm. Zooooooooomy.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 8:03 PM on April 25

Apple hatebots on metafilter? Seriously? Apple has a hard time on metafilter like Christians have a hard time on Fox News.
posted by The Monkey at 8:18 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

Apple hatebots on metafilter? Seriously? Apple has a hard time on metafilter like Christians have a hard time on Fox News.

Give me a break. With the exception of a small minority, nearly everyone on this site thinks Steve Jobs is the devil and that people who own Apple products are retarded narcissists. This thread is just another example of that.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:33 PM on April 26

This thread is just another example of that.

See, I though we cleared that up. My septegenarian parents have an Apple. So I either need some serious therapy time because of some sort of irrational parental hate complex, or I need serious therapy because of something unrelated to Apple products.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:04 AM on April 29