# How are people feeling about Discourse? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 25, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428 "2020-11-25T16:40:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/61 "2020-12-18T21:01:06Z")
My Computer is over 6 years old and only an i3 processor. It runs dozens of tabs with no problems. I do have a lot of Ram though. 12GB. What browser do you use? That could also be part of the problem. Chrome handles discourse very well. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/62 "2020-12-18T21:10:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, this probably indicates that my computer is old and out of date. But that’s no excuse. The content here is text. An MS-DOS computer using Lynx can handle text, and so it should be able to handle this a message board. The content isn’t text, the content is a discussion of text. That implies behavior. Behavior like searching, organizing, storing, editing, navigating, and getting updates. All that behavior requires programmatic overhead. The new software puts more of that burden on your browser. The old software did a lot of it on the server side. You may recall that we reached a point of negative returns on that. I’m not crazy about all the new features, but I like that it only melts one person’s browser instead of the entire platform. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/63 "2020-12-19T04:37:14Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Sadly, names are no longer a thing, just icons. I do miss being able to see the names of posters in the forum viewinstead of those little squares that are difficult to remember who the hell that is supposed to be. I’m not sure about all the configurations, but for me, in desktop mode in SD lite skin, when I mouseover an avatar, the person’s screen name shows up. I don’t remember if it works in mobile view. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/64 "2020-12-19T04:39:25Z")
I have no idea about themes, but my display looks much like the old vBulletin version, with an icon, the name in bold, and “Charter Member” / “Guest” / “Witty Saying”. It’s the same on both desktop and my phone. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/65 "2020-12-19T04:43:59Z")
I’m guessing **eschereal** was talking about the front page or on the forum pages. On those pages, the usernames don’t show up. In the threads the usernames are in the same places. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/66 "2020-12-19T05:16:53Z")
I think Sam’s Simple skin shows names. So it’s do-able. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/67 "2020-12-19T14:07:18Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I have no idea about themes, but my display looks much like the old vBulletin version, with an icon, the name in bold, and “Charter Member” / “Guest” / “Witty Saying”. It’s the same on both desktop and my phone. If you’re inclined to experiment … Click your avatar at upper right, then click the torso & head icon, then the gear / Preferences link to to go to your user control panel. From there, click on “Interface” from the left menu. The topmost item on that page is a dropdown labeled “Theme” with 9 choices. You can switch to any of the others, then click [Save Changes] at the bottom to see how that alters the appearance. Once a new theme is set, it’s worth checking how that looks on each of: a forum page, the latest or unread or whatever other directory-like pages you use frequently, as well as a thread page. Whichever theme you end up choosing applies to both computers & phones, so depending on your usage mix you might want to see how it looks on each device before settling on your long term choice. I settled on “Straight Dope Light”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/68 "2020-12-19T14:23:41Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > The content isn’t text, the content is a discussion of text. That implies behavior. Behavior like searching, organizing, storing, editing, navigating, and getting updates. > > All that behavior requires programmatic overhead. The new software puts more of that burden on your browser. The old software did a lot of it on the server side. You may recall that we reached a point of negative returns on that. All of the things that used to be handled by the server are still handled by the server (in a different way, obviously, but all of the same tasks). The problem is in the things that used to be handled by the browser, but which aren’t any more: They’re now instead handled by an app that runs within the browser, even though the browser is capable of handling those same tasks directly. That extra layer of abstraction has its cost, and I’m not sure what benefit it provides in exchange. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/69 "2020-12-19T16:57:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > They’re now instead handled by an app that runs within the browser, even though the browser is capable of handling those same tasks directly. I think you’re saying that you don’t want a JavaScript-heavy site. But websites, browsers, computers, and the internet are constantly evolving. They are simply not going to remain the same. Old browsers, old machines and slow internet connections are going to cope less and less well with _all_ sites as time goes by. You don’t say which browser you are using, but you definitely need an up-to-date browser, whatever machine you are running it on. Chrome and chromium-based browsers probably have the most efficient JavaScript engine. But Chrome itself can be bloated and memory-hungry. If you have an old machine with little memory, I recommend trying Slimjet, which is chromium-based, and will handle sites like SDMB easily, but it’s slimmed down enough that it will run well on an older machine. It also has ad-blocking and privacy features built in. There’s a 32-bit version, and a portable version. > **[Fastest web browser that blocks all ads and protects your privacy - Slimjet](https://www.slimjet.com/)** > > Fed up with all the obtrusive ads and privacy intrusion? Enjoy a clean and ad-free web at blazing speed with the fastest web browser ever. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/70 "2020-12-19T17:10:48Z")
I have been fully assimilated by the Discourse borg; I now find myself impatient with other v-bullitine-like sites that I frequent. I don’t agree with all the design decisions but they do appear to be well considered. Whenever I think “Why don’t they have…” a little searching discovers that they do. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/71 "2020-12-19T17:25:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That extra layer of abstraction has its cost, and I’m not sure what benefit it provides in exchange. There is one rather major benefit: someone reads a thread that they had sitting in that one forgotten tab and they always get to the end of it. On the old site, a reply would pop up that was relevant sixty posts back but the thread had moved on and the poster had not kept up, thinking they were responding to the last post. Discourse makes it harder to make that mistake. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/72 "2020-12-19T17:44:49Z")
Huh, I’ve actually been having more trouble in Discourse. I think it’s an interaction between my employer’s ad blocker and Discourse, but where there are in-line ads, it looks to me like I’m at the end of the thread, and I have several times replied, only to realize after doing so that I was way out-of-date. (Or it might be a failure of the web page to update, I’m not entirely sure, since once I notice the problem the evidence is gone. But I do have to constantly remind myself – “that might not be the end of the thread, maybe it’s just a giant white space”.) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/73 "2020-12-19T18:07:14Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think it’s an interaction between my employer’s ad blocker and Discourse Your employer’s ad blocker can’t be very effective if you’re seeing ads. If I didn’t have the ads blocked, and had to look at flashing inline ads all the time, I wouldn’t be on the SDMB at all. I would have given up on it long ago. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/74 "2020-12-19T18:10:54Z")
I’m not seeing ads. I’m seeing giant blank spaces between posts. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/75 "2020-12-19T18:29:44Z")
I don’t even see blank spaces. I’m using Slimjet, which has a [built-in ad blocker,](https://www.slimjet.com/en/ad-blocker.php) not an extension. It’s faster and more efficient than an extension, and works pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/76 "2020-12-19T18:38:49Z")
On my employer’s computer i use whatever my employer provides. I’m delighted they seem to have added an ad blocker at all. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/77 "2020-12-20T00:18:07Z")
It would be a really nice feature if you could just go down the list of topics and mute any topic without opening it. It’s a fairly painful process to have to open something you don’t care about and don’t want to see again, scroll all the way down to the end to the most recent post, to find the spot where you can select mute. Is there some way to submit a suggestion for something like this to the developers? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/78 "2020-12-20T00:41:38Z")
Well, you don’t have to scroll. When you open the thread, there’s a button at the bottom of the OP that takes you straight to “Most Recent Reply”. Click that and you’re right at the end of the thread where you can mute. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/79 "2020-12-20T00:53:14Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Well, you don’t have to scroll. True enough. Still, muting without opening would be a whole lot more convenient. It would allow you to pare down what you want to pop up in the “most recent” page for the next couple of days in just a few clicks. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428/80 "2020-12-20T01:06:54Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Well, you don’t have to scroll. When you open the thread, there’s a button at the bottom of the OP that takes you straight to “Most Recent Reply”. Click that and you’re right at the end of the thread where you can mute Just click the little bell at the base of the discourse scroll bar off to the right. No need to go to most recent reply. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-people-feeling-about-discourse/926428.md?page=5)