Normally, when I reach the end of a thread, I will be shown a count of unread messages in threads that I am following. If there were no unread messages, I would be given an option to browse new topics, or Suggested Topics.
Today, however, I am presented only with a list of ‘Related Topics’, some of which go back 20+ years. What happened, and how do I get rid of the Related Topics option?
There used to be a choice between “Suggested” and “Related”. They were side by side clickable links above the list of threads. They didn’t look like choosing between two “tabs” but that’s what they were. They were also a sticky option where every page either showed you Suggested or Related, depending on which one you had last clicked on some page in the past.
I now see, like you, that “related” is the only choice. Suggested has evaporated.
As to theme, …
Click your avatar at upper right to bring down the menu, then click the person icon at lower right to bring up your profile menu, then click Preferences. On that page, select “Interface” from near the right end of the second row of menu options. On the interface page the topmost item is your choice of theme. Of which there are now 9. I use Discourse-Classic as it seems to hide the fewest Discourse features in the name of simplicity or of quasi-similarity to SDMB’s look under vBulletin. Which latter choices are a forgotten memory of Anciente Dayes of Yore.
ETA: and just now, three pageviews later on other tabs, Suggested is back. Color me very confused.
This phenomena happens only on my Lenovo laptop. On my desktop, the appearance is as it always has been: ‘Suggested’ and ‘Related’. And it also tells me how many new and unread topics are available…which it does not when only ‘Related’ is the option on my laptop.
If I had to guess, I’d say it was a bad site download into your browser cache and it was being stubborn about refreshing it. I’ve seen that sort of thing happen on many sites causing all kinds of mayhem before.
“Suggested” is really “Suggested from your list of unread threads”. When you have no unread threads, the Suggested tab simply disappears. Leaving Related as the only choice.
Now maybe at some time in the past “Suggested” used to be “Suggested from all threads”. But maybe not. I know I don’t know.