"Post Comment/Preview If There Are New Comments"

March 8, 2006 9:23 AM

Pony: In addition to "Post Comment" or "Preview", I'd like a "Post Comment/Preview If There Are New Comments." Live Preview is enough for slow-moving threads, but in fast-moving this would be really handy, and I imagine less server-intensive than Preview.
posted by Aknaton to Feature Requests at 9:23 AM (26 comments total)

I.e. if the last comment you see is still the actual last comment, it posts; otherwise it jumps you to the first new comment you haven't seen.
posted by Aknaton at 9:25 AM on March 8, 2006

I implemented this on a message board program I wrote a few years ago. It works really well. You just need to store the ID of the last message in the thread in a hidden form variable, and do a quick check before saving the message.
posted by cillit bang at 9:37 AM on March 8, 2006

Interesting idea.
posted by cortex at 9:59 AM on March 8, 2006

Tagging on: how about an option for "Show only threads with new comments" in "My Comments"?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 10:01 AM on March 8, 2006

That one gets a lot harder, because now you have to define 'new'.
posted by smackfu at 10:06 AM on March 8, 2006

Both excellent ideas.
posted by blag at 10:09 AM on March 8, 2006

I second Aknaton's idea, though it makes for a pretty large button:
posted by stopgap at 10:14 AM on March 8, 2006

Well, that was a button in Live Preview. I'll go hang my head in the corner now.
posted by stopgap at 10:15 AM on March 8, 2006

You could call it "Smart Preview."
posted by S.C. at 10:36 AM on March 8, 2006

That one gets a lot harder, because now you have to define 'new'.

Since last viewing of My Comments, preferably.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 10:37 AM on March 8, 2006

I second this proposal by Aknaton. Also that one about the one god.
posted by soyjoy at 10:37 AM on March 8, 2006

In long, fast-moving threads, it's possible that you would never be able to post, especially if you have a slow connection.
posted by Plutor at 10:44 AM on March 8, 2006

No, you could always post, that button would be just like now. The difference is you would also have another way to preview.
posted by SuperNova at 10:49 AM on March 8, 2006

In long, fast-moving threads, it's possible that you would never be able to post, especially if you have a slow connection.

You'd just add a checkbox to the posting form "check for new posts". And to avoid clutter, you only show after it's found new posts once.
posted by cillit bang at 10:55 AM on March 8, 2006

posted by Plutor at 11:35 AM on March 8, 2006

I would prefer an "Autocomment" feature. We could start with the following templates:

"what [random username extracted from thread] said."

"[random username extracted from thread] wins."

"[text of randomly selected comment] That just begs the question, doesn't it?"

"Hardly best of the web."
posted by brain_drain at 12:47 PM on March 8, 2006

You forgot "."
posted by cortex at 12:53 PM on March 8, 2006

In long, fast-moving threads, it's possible that you would never be able to post, especially if you have a slow connection.

Fast-moving thanks to all those people who simply hit the "Post Comment" button. (Which probably shouldn't use the dangerous word "Post" in it, by the way.)

This suggests another feature: "Only show me comments by people who cared enough to preview."
posted by Aknaton at 1:13 PM on March 8, 2006

brain_drain omitted the ever important "MetaFilter:"xxxxxx" as well.
posted by rollbiz at 1:35 PM on March 8, 2006

ummm. Why is this needed?

If I've typed something into the comment box (giving a live preview), I find if I reload the page (without posting) what I've put in the comment box is preserved.

Or does this only work with Firefox.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 2:26 PM on March 8, 2006

Plutor, that was some damn fine snarking.

P.S. You forgot "Tree View"
posted by nomad at 2:52 PM on March 8, 2006

Live Preview is enough for slow-moving threads

in reality, live preview has nothing to do with previewing - it's a mechanism to reduce server load by diverting you from using the actual preview.
posted by quonsar at 3:08 PM on March 8, 2006

in reality, live preview has nothing to do with previewing - it's a mechanism to reduce server load by diverting you from using the actual preview.

Indeed, we're on the same page here. 11441. Heh.

There are two benefits to using Preview: (1) to see how one's HTML looks, and (2) to check that one's comment is still timely. But Preview pounds the server, so we need something else. Live Preview handles (1) but not (2). My hope is that my suggestion will handle (2) without pounding the server unnecessarily.
posted by Aknaton at 7:41 PM on March 8, 2006

In busy threads it functions pretty much like 'Preview'. So the bandwidth savings would come from posts in threads that aren't busy. But by definition that's not very many posts (if it were a bunch of posts, those threads would be busy). So I don't think it's worth it.
posted by fleacircus at 11:38 PM on March 8, 2006

Well I think MeFi is fine as it is - and in fact I've written a song to thank the little lady who made it all possible.

Aw, thank you, Ma Thowie - thank you Ma!
Yer the purdiest girl what Daddy ever saw!
Yer shotgun weddin' stirred up hate,
Cos yer periods were late -
But you done went an' showed 'em all, sweet Ma!

*JUG SOLO*

TOOT-toot-TOOT-toot-TOOT-toot-TOOT!

*CHORUS*

Cos you gave birth to Metafilter, Ma!
An' it's the place where we all shout: YEE-HAW!
An' it couldn't be no finer
Cos it came outta yer vagina
So thank you, Ma Thowie, thank you Ma.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 2:30 AM on March 9, 2006

*hands quidnunc Grammy, bouquet of plastic flowers, recording contract, subpoena*
posted by languagehat at 6:19 AM on March 9, 2006