# Problem children / punch list for fixes / TIPS AND TRICKS **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044 "2020-06-22T01:21:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/263 "2020-06-23T15:34:52Z")
Yeah, I noticed that just after my exchange with @GreysonCarlisle. That should work fine. My only objection to it is that the blockquote markup doesn’t use tags, per se, but indenting marks at the start of paragraphs and between paragraphs. If you add a blockquote, and then want to edit it down, you’ll have to be careful not to disturb the indenting marks. I realize that all of this is largely the product of a new board, and that I’ll probably get used to it, but I consider myself a pretty tech-savvy person, and what’s annoying me about this new format is that so much of its functionality seems counterintuitive even if (perhaps especially if) you’re used to technology, and some aspects also seem designed to reduce user control over their own browser, like the fact that hitting CTRL-F no longer opens the page search bar at the bottom of my Firefox browser, but opens the thread search function of Discourse. This sort of keyboard functionality can be great, but it should be user-controlled, so I can choose to retain control over my own keyboard shortcuts for my browser, rather than have them hijacked by this website. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/264 "2020-06-23T15:37:56Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > what’s annoying me about this new format is that so much of its functionality seems counterintuitive even if (perhaps especially if) you’re used to technology, and some aspects also seem designed to reduce user control over their own browser Yup. I don’t need a nanny, especially not an electronic one. > [@](#): > > , like the fact that hitting CTRL-F no longer opens the page search bar at the bottom of my Firefox browser, but opens the thread search function of Discourse. Try hitting CTRL-F twice. That sometimes works. ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/265 "2020-06-23T20:12:16Z")
Is there a way to remove “suggested topics” at the end of posts? I googled it and other people on discourse have asked this question before but it seems some coding is involved. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/266 "2020-06-23T20:26:00Z")
> [@by-tor](#): > > Is there a way to remove “suggested topics” at the end of posts? Not though a setting. I block the element in my ad-blocker. ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/267 "2020-06-23T20:28:24Z")
Wow, that worked! Thanks GreysonCarlisle! ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/268 "2020-06-23T20:38:05Z")
Stupid question: How do I start a new thread? I can’t find what’s probably perfectly obvious. And why is it when I click on a thread, the top of the page says, “Oops! That page doesn’t exist or is private,” but the page is there and functioning? ---
**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:** [June 23, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/269 "2020-06-23T20:40:28Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > And why is it when I click on a thread, the top of the page says, “Oops! That page doesn’t exist or is private,” but the page is there and functioning? I believe they’re still working on fixing the links here. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/270 "2020-06-23T20:54:37Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Not though a setting. I block the element in my ad-blocker. I just stop scrolling. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/271 "2020-06-23T20:54:44Z")
someone just bumped a very old [Cosby thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/102) in the Pit (there was news on his case today). Before the current post, the last post was from Feb 2005. The current post says “13m”; how long ago **madriscool** posted in it; however, the previous post (& all of the other ones) have “Feb '05”. I know someone posted a screenshot of a “15 yr” ago entry but it looks like we are able to have when it was posted (June 23 @ 4:35PM) as opposed to how long ago it was posted (13m). Please, please, _please_ put it on the punchlist to make all posts show the date/time of the post as the old vBulliten board did rather than how long ago like Discourse is doing right now. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/272 "2020-06-23T21:36:10Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > How do I start a new thread? I can’t find what’s probably perfectly obvious. I had the same problem. Go into the main page for that forum, and hunt around that page for a ‘new topic’ button. Or maybe a box. It’ll be somewhere on the page, I’m pretty sure; but it may be an elongated box, or it may be a round button, and it might be any of various colors, and it may be at the bottom right, or maybe at the top right, or for all I know on the left side or somewhere off in Australia (I’m in New York State, so that would be fairly far off.) Where it is, and what it looks like, seems to depend on the theme you’re using. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/273 "2020-06-24T00:41:46Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > someone just bumped a very old [Cosby thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/102) in the Pit (there was news on his case today). Before the current post, the last post was from Feb 2005. The current post says “13m”; how long ago **madriscool** posted in it; however, the previous post (& all of the other ones) have “Feb '05”. I know someone posted a screenshot of a “15 yr” ago entry but it looks like we are able to have when it was posted (June 23 @ 4:35PM) as opposed to how long ago it was posted (13m). > Please, please, _please_ put it on the punchlist to make all posts show the date/time of the post as the old vBulliten board did rather than how long ago like Discourse is doing right now. Yes, please do this if at all possible. Do this EVERY place a post time stamp appears! In the meantime, if you hover your mouse over a time stamp (any place you see such a time stamp), you will see the actual date-and-time. (If you are using a mobile device with no mouse, somebody somewhere posted another equivalent way to accomplish the same thing.) ETA: What’s this “15 yr ago” screen shot you’re talking about? Are you referring to that one line, just before the new post, that says “15 YEARS LATER”? That’s injected there by our friendly Discourse nanny-bot when zombie threads are resurrected! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/274 "2020-06-24T01:20:21Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > … and some aspects also seem designed to reduce user control over their own browser, like the fact that hitting CTRL-F no longer opens the page search bar at the bottom of my Firefox browser, but opens the thread search function of Discourse. > > This sort of keyboard functionality can be great, but it should be user-controlled, so I can choose to retain control over my own keyboard shortcuts for my browser, rather than have them hijacked by this website. I would disagree with this. You have no real control over Firefox shortcuts anyway, which is notorious for doing weird things when you accidentally hit a shortcut key (such as popping up a diagnostic screen at bottom of the page) and there’s no way to turn them off! Ctrl-F is fairly universal across many different apps for “Find” and bringing up the app’s search facility, like in Word. One could have a philosophical argument about whether a browser like Firefox is an app, or whether in the case of Discourse it’s merely a platform for an app, Discourse being the actual app. In this case, you have the flexibility of either approach: hit Ctrl-F, and you get the Discourse search popup; hit it again, and you get the Firefox search. The latter may not work as expected, though, because of infinite-scroll which may not have cached the entire thread. So really, I don’t see much of a basis for complaint. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/275 "2020-06-24T02:27:30Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > One could have a philosophical argument about whether a browser like Firefox is an app, or whether in the case of Discourse it’s merely a platform for an app, Discourse being the actual app. This is idiotic. Firefox is the program installed on my computer that I use to display web pages. For every other website I’ve ever viewed on the internet using Firefox, CTRL-F opens the Firefox page search, so that’s what it should do for this website too. Period. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/276 "2020-06-24T02:50:18Z")
My browser just starts searching when I start typing - on every other site. Here I get some random popup depending what letter happens to be in my query. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/277 "2020-06-24T03:07:06Z")
How can you delete your entire post (within the 5 min limit) ? I’ve just seen where someone’s post says > this post will be deleted in 24 hours or something like that. When I try, it makes me keep 5 characters. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/278 "2020-06-24T03:11:01Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > This is idiotic. Firefox is the program installed on my computer that I use to display web pages. For every other website I’ve ever viewed on the internet using Firefox, CTRL-F opens the Firefox page search, so that’s what it should do for this website too. Period. No, that can’t be right, not as long as infinite-scroll remains. The browser’s search function and infinite-scroll are fundamentally incompatible with each other and mutually exclusive, because the browser’s search only searches what’s in the current page, and with infinite scroll, only part of the thread is there at any one time (for a long thread). To make search work at all (beyond the limits of the current post you are looking at, plus and minus a few), the Discourse app must necessarily hijack the search function and implement its own. You could argue, perhaps, that Discourse should use a different keyboard shortcut for its search (and in fact it does, just type / to start a Discourse search), but the browser’s Ctrl-F search still won’t work right. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/279 "2020-06-24T03:13:09Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > How can you delete your entire post (within the 5 min limit) ? I’ve just seen where someone’s post says > > > this post will be deleted in 24 hours > > or something like that. When I try, it makes me keep 5 characters. Note the icon at the bottom of each post that looks like three dots. Click on that. Then several additional icons magically appear. One of those looks suspiciously like a trash can. ETA: I saw where someone mentioned that deleting your post is NOT subject to the 5-minute time limit. I haven’t tried it myself. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2020, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/281 "2020-06-24T03:15:51Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > How can you delete your entire post (within the 5 min limit) ? I’ve just seen where someone’s post says > > > > > this post will be deleted in 24 hours > > > > or something like that. When I try, it makes me keep 5 characters. > > Note the icon at the bottom of each post that looks like three dots. Click on that. Then several additional icons magically appear. One of those looks suspiciously like a trash can. > > ETA: I saw where someone mentioned that deleting your post is NOT subject to the 5-minute time limit. I haven’t tried it myself.  Cool! I’m trying it now. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/282 "2020-06-24T03:24:44Z")
I was able to delete my post after 9 minutes. I wonder what the limit is? ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/283 "2020-06-24T04:31:00Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I was able to delete my post after 9 minutes. I wonder what the limit is?  Probably not one. If it’s the OP, it usually can’t be deleted after someone replies, but I haven’t tested that here yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044.md?page=15)