# It's an internet message board, not a freaking book!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [July 16, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507 "2004-07-16T23:36:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/1 "2004-07-16T23:36:21Z")
This new fad\* is really annoying.
- Writing footnotes at the end of the post, in letters so small that I have to gouge my eyes out to read them. It is acceptable when found in printed form, but not on text that is displayed on a computer screen.
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### Author:  [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/2 "2004-07-16T23:40:58Z")
Quick tip, whenever I see that, I hold down the CTRL button and scroll down with the middle mouse button.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/3 "2004-07-16T23:43:01Z")
Buy a bigger monitor.
Peon.
[sub]Kidding![/sub]
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### Author:  [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/4 "2004-07-16T23:49:06Z")
New fad?! I’ve been doing that since I started posting here. And since I do it, it is therefore hilarious by definition. Dumbass.
[sub]I don’t really think you’re a dumbass. But, since you can’t read text this small, you’ll never know that, will you? Ha![/sub]
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### Author:  [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/5 "2004-07-16T23:51:05Z")
> [@Miller](#):
>
> Buy a bigger monitor.
>
> Peon.
>
> [sub]Kidding![/sub]
I have a 19" monitor and the resolution is set to 1024x768.
And no, I am not going to increase the text size from the web browser, because this totaly screws some web pages.
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### Author:  [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/6 "2004-07-17T00:00:39Z")
> [@Dog80](#):
>
> I have a 19" monitor and the resolution is set to 1024x768.
>
> And no, I am not going to increase the text size from the web browser, because this totaly screws some web pages.
They’re endnotes, not footnotes.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/7 "2004-07-17T00:06:26Z")
> [@stpauler](#):
>
> Quick tip, whenever I see that, I hold down the CTRL button and scroll down with the middle mouse button.
I just tried that, and it only changed the size of the small test in the first post. It had no effect on “normal” size test or any other small test on the page. Same result here on the reply page - just the OP’s small text changes.
> [@Dog80](#):
>
> I have a 19" monitor and the resolution is set to 1024x768.
22" monitor here, and I agree, the tiny type is a pain!
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### Author:  [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/8 "2004-07-17T02:35:59Z")
> [@stpauler](#):
>
> Quick tip, whenever I see that, I hold down the CTRL button and scroll down with the middle mouse button.
Kickass! With only 2.5 hours left in the day I finally learned something!
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/9 "2004-07-17T02:43:14Z")
> [@stpauler](#):
>
> Quick tip, whenever I see that, I hold down the CTRL button and scroll down with the middle mouse button.
It only works on IE.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/10 "2004-07-17T02:54:46Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#):
>
> They’re endnotes, not footnotes.
I’d call 'em footnotes. If all our notes were collected at the very end of the thread, then you might call 'em endnotes.
At least that’s my rationale.
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### Author:  [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/11 "2004-07-17T02:57:56Z")
> [@Reeder](#):
>
> It only works on IE.
Works in Firefox too.
[sub]Cool! I learned something new![/sub]
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/12 "2004-07-17T03:05:29Z")
Why would it worj on firefox and not on Mozilla?
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### Author:  [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/13 "2004-07-17T03:24:03Z")
> [@Reeder](#):
>
> It only works on IE.
It’s working for me in Firefox\*. Of course, that may be related to some of the extensions I installed the other day, thanks to [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=265728&highlight=extensions) thread
I say Firefox, but it’s really Moonemu, courtesy of yet another amusing extension. Oh, me!
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### Author:  [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/14 "2004-07-17T03:46:44Z")
Um, it’s not really new, or a fad. It’s been going on since I’ve been here.
And it’s not really done, in most cases to be a “footnote” in the sense that footnotes are added to books, but as just another style of “emoticon” type writing.
Sort of the written form of an aside, or to soften a joke that might otherwise look mean, and so on.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/15 "2004-07-17T09:49:33Z")
> [@Reeder](#):
>
> Why would it worj on firefox and not on Mozilla?
Go to Edit - Preferences - Advanced - Mousewheel. Lot of options to choose from 🙂
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### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/16 "2004-07-17T11:50:13Z")
Perhaps you need glasses, I can read it easily enough from a couple of metres away. (17" Monitor)
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### Author:  [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/17 "2004-07-17T12:28:56Z")
> [@Giraffe](#):
>
> New fad?! I’ve been doing that since I started posting here. And since I do it, it is therefore hilarious by definition. Dumbass.[/sub]
_points and laughs at Giraffe_ Happy?
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### Author:  [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/18 "2004-07-17T12:33:48Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#):
>
> I just tried that, and it only changed the size of the small test in the first post. It had no effect on “normal” size test(sic) or any other small test(sic) on the page. Same result here on the reply page - just the OP’s small text changes.
I think it only works for the text you can see on the screen that’s small. If you scroll down, then hold your mouse and do it over other small text, it works on that text, well at least for me.
I don’t believe it is supposed to change the “normal” size text, that’s what’s great about it.
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### Author:  [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/19 "2004-07-17T17:43:09Z")
> [@Shade](#):
>
> _points and laughs at Giraffe_ Happy?
No.
[sub]OK, yes.[/sub]
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-internet-message-board-not-a-freaking-book/255507/20 "2004-07-17T18:03:54Z")
[sub]
Read _this_ you weasels. Oh that’s right you can’t becuase it’s just too tiny. Far, far too tiny for your limited eyes, so essentially I can say _anything_ I want. Yeah baby, I’m looking at _you_. That’s a big pair you’re smuggling in that blouse. [/sub]
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