Why aren't my preferences saved globally?

April 26, 2008 6:37 AM

Are preferences saved per machine only? I have the plain background at my work computer and on my laptop, but my home desktop is the default colors even though "plain" is chosen on the preferences page for all 3 computers.
posted by desjardins to bugs at 6:37 AM (13 comments total)

Yes, preferences are saved in cookies like THEME and UNDERLINES. But these are really stored globally, so you can get your local preferences to match the true preferences by deleting the cookies and logging in again at which point the cookies are set, based on your actual (database) preferences.
posted by matthewr at 7:15 AM on April 26

I kind of like it this way.
posted by Artw at 7:23 AM on April 26

Cookies are also set when you save your preferences. So if you don't feel like logging in again, just click "Preferences" above and then the "Save your Preferences" button at the bottom of the page.
posted by pb at 7:24 AM on April 26

Cookies are also set when you save your preferences.

Can we choose chocolate chip?
posted by amyms at 7:28 AM on April 26

Many theosophers have made the argument than chocolate chip chooses you.
posted by cortex at 7:40 AM on April 26

I thought only Soviet Russian chocolate chips did that, cortex.
posted by amyms at 7:55 AM on April 26

It's like a mullet. Bizniss up front (plan theme for work), party 'round back (colors at home).
posted by BeerFilter at 8:08 AM on April 26 [1 favorite]

I thought only Soviet Russian chocolate chips did that, cortex.
Of course, for reasons a mere prole like you doesn't need to know, those weren't chocolate chips but lard dyed brown, yet still superior to the filthy capitalist version in every way.
posted by Abiezer at 8:09 AM on April 26 [2 favorites]

Like pb said, it's the low-tech way to save resources by saving it locally with cookies, with a minimal server check only when saving your prefs. Also, I like it because I can have the plain theme on other devices like a Wii browser or a iPhone and keep the regular one on my own browser.
posted by mathowie at 8:41 AM on April 26

Don't get me wrong, I like the default theme at home, and only use the plain at work so as to not attract unwanted attention. (I don't know why I use it on my laptop.) This was just one of those head-scratching moments that for some reason seemed to merit a Metatalk question.
posted by desjardins at 9:48 AM on April 26

I still eat Soviet-era cookies. They sell them at the Russian grocery store in St. Louis Park, and I presume they have been there for a very long time.

Why do I eat them? Well, most people don't remember this, but for a while Soviet Jews were escaping Mother Russia by hiding in cookies. So far I have discovered 13 different families, most from around Moscow, including one chess Grandmaster. All had been sitting inside their respective cookies, working on math equations and studying English and reading Samizdat publications. All have been shocked to discover that the Cold War is long over.

Have you been to that tailor shop on Excelsior and Grand? The owner is one of the Jews I found in a cookie. Also, that dealer in Turkish rugs? Also a Jew I rescued from a cookie.

I'm glad to be continuing the good work the rest of the Jewish community has forgotten about. Although, I must say, those cookies are terrible.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:25 PM on April 26 [6 favorites]

And such small portions.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:48 PM on April 26 [1 favorite]

This background is even plainer.
posted by lukemeister at 8:18 AM on April 27