# This is really fr$@%^g annoying
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [May 12, 2009, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150 "2009-05-12T11:45:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gommsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gommsn)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/1 "2009-05-12T11:45:24Z")
This has been going on for some time now but this morning it’s arsed me to finally say something.
I got up around six, got the coffee going, open the Dope and see yet another chapter in the ongoing saga that is Stoid. Get my coffee and open the thread.
My last visit is noted as 4:20 pm yesterday. This visit, 4:33 am today. (take note, it is 6:15 am).
I read the thread, scan a couple more and click to ATMB to update on brother timbicile and VOILA my last visit is now 4:33 am and nowhere is there any threads that have not been read. Well, at 4:33 am, I was sleeping the sleep of the just and not reading threads on a message board.
It happens regularly and I see no reason for it and even if there is a reason, it’s a PIA and something needs to be done about it.
I hope I’m speaking for other posters as well, this can’t be an isolated incident. That’s why I didn’t just email a mod and decided to actually post about it.
And I realize there are probably work-arounds as there are for a lot of things but I would like to see the time allowance extended, extended greatly in fact. No, even better, done away with altogether. Why is there a time limit at all?
Pissed off, I am!:smack:
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### Author:  [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/2 "2009-05-12T13:13:37Z")
Yeah, happens to me all the time (including this very visit). I opened the board this morning and opened Cafe Society. Everything looked normal, I opened two threads in new windows - both were listed as already read. From that point on, every thread on the board was read.
Very irritating. It happens on my home computer, on my work computer … you name it.
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### Author:  [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/3 "2009-05-12T16:12:15Z")
Actually, lately I have had almost no trouble with being timed out. So it’s not apparent that it’s anything board wide. Which doesn’t mean that it’s not Board involved.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/4 "2009-05-12T17:30:31Z")
Let me ask you – what browser are you using?
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### Author:  [@gommsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gommsn)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/5 "2009-05-12T18:27:27Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#):
>
> Let me ask you – what browser are you using?
Latest version of Firefox, Tuba.
Like a lot of other users, it is painstakingly slow lately, which also adds to the problem.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/6 "2009-05-12T18:44:05Z")
What seems to be in common with all the complaints is Firefox.
Can you switch to another browser? I use Chrome and it seems to work fine.
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### Author:  [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/7 "2009-05-12T18:53:23Z")
> [@gommsn](#):
>
> My last visit is noted as **4:20 pm** yesterday.
That’s what you call it, huh … “visiting the Dope”. Yeah, we all know what you really mean.
😃
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### Author:  [@gommsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gommsn)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/8 "2009-05-12T21:32:02Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#):
>
> What seems to be in common with all the complaints is Firefox.
>
> Can you switch to another browser? I use Chrome and it seems to work fine.
Well, I suppose I could but I really like The Fox. Are you saying there is no setting in vBulletin to extend the time frame? It just doesn’t seem all that long. 15 minutes maybe.
If there’s no fix at your end perhaps I’ll try Chrome but having seen it discussed here in various threads, I’m not all that convinced to switch. But, maybe.:dubious:
And **Elmwood** uuuh, I dunno. You’re one up on me. What do I really mean?🙂
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/9 "2009-05-12T21:39:49Z")
The current time frame is 20 minutes – after no action for 20 minutes, you’re reset – but I don’t think that’s the problem, as people using Firefox were getting these problems regardless of our settings. It doesn’t matter WHAT setting we have, it’s a Firefox problem. Not the Dope and not vB.
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### Author:  [@gommsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gommsn)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/10 "2009-05-12T21:57:13Z")
OK, fine. I’ll play with it here. Maybe I’ll even try your Chrome thingey.
BTW, what exactly is meant by “no action for twenty minutes”? If I’m signed on and reading threads, is that not considered “action”? What precipitates the twenty minutes?
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### Author:  [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/11 "2009-05-12T22:34:12Z")
You have to click a link.
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### Author:  [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/12 "2009-05-13T16:34:49Z")
I’m using the latest Firefox (3.0.10) and I’ve had no problems whatsoever with resets. It could be a Firefox addon that’s at the root of the problem. (I keep addons to a minimum: Adblock Plus, Tab Mix Plus, NoScript and Download Helper).
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/13 "2009-05-13T18:30:35Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#):
>
> The current time frame is 20 minutes – after no action for 20 minutes, you’re reset – but I don’t think that’s the problem, as people using Firefox were getting these problems regardless of our settings. It doesn’t matter WHAT setting we have, it’s a Firefox problem. Not the Dope and not vB.
You may be right. I use Firefox and some of my occasional resets may have been premature and due to Firefox (it hasn’t happened often enough for me to pay close attention), but nonetheless would it be possible to make that reset time a lot longer than 20 minutes? SDMB is rather humongous and that reset time makes taking a break from poring through all the messages risky, especially if I neglect to do something (i.e. click a link) to make it notice me just before taking a break.
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### Author:  [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/14 "2009-05-13T19:41:19Z")
I’ll go in the other direction. I’m using IE8. And I still get logged out. Given that I often rewrite my posts before hitting ‘Submit Reply’, 20 minutes seems rather short to me.
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/15 "2009-05-13T19:45:37Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#):
>
> I’m using the latest Firefox (3.0.10) and I’ve had no problems whatsoever with resets. It could be a Firefox addon that’s at the root of the problem. (I keep addons to a minimum: Adblock Plus, Tab Mix Plus, NoScript and Download Helper).
Me too. I used to get that problem a lot on here, but I haven’t in ages. Right now everything’s fine.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/16 "2009-05-13T20:32:14Z")
I’ll add a little more time and see if that helps. On the other hand we don’t want people taking up space if they’re truly not doing anything, so it can’t be like a week or anything like that. 🙂
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### Author:  [@gommsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gommsn)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/17 "2009-05-13T21:24:50Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#):
>
> You have to click a link.
Say What???
You mean any old link? Even if there’s no link in what I’m reading? If I click a link I get another twenty minutes? If so, how fascinatingly odd!
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### Author:  [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/18 "2009-05-15T05:27:08Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#):
>
> What seems to be in common with all the complaints is Firefox.
>
> Can you switch to another browser? I use Chrome and it seems to work fine.
I’ve had this happen plenty of times in Google Chrome and the post I made earlier in this thread was in Internet Explorer. And like I said, it wasn’t inactivity - one second it was normal, next second everything was “read”.
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### Author:  [@gommsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gommsn)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2009, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/19 "2009-05-15T11:37:01Z")
> [@interface2x](#):
>
> I’ve had this happen plenty of times in Google Chrome and the post I made earlier in this thread was in Internet Explorer. And like I said, it wasn’t inactivity - one second it was normal, next second everything was “read”.
As per Tuba’s suggestion, I tried Chrome, frankly wasn’t impressed. It was just as slow, a bit awkward (to be expected, being new to me) but I was also seeing ads. Firefox presently, is exceedingly slow but I don’t thing that has anything to do with anything other than firefox is slow.
Could someone explain what “clicking on a link” has to do with this problem. Does it reset the time? And why, for Og’s sake.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-really-fr-g-annoying/496150/20 "2009-05-15T13:14:10Z")
You have cleared your cookies, right?
Sometimes the problem is that the original cookie has become corrupted. Clearing cookies and allowing the system to place a fresh one often solves this problem (and others, it’s a multipurpose error thing).
It’s like the vB version of Mr. Magic Reboot that fixes so many individual computer problems. 🙂
I’m not finding anything here on the board itself that would cause this problem – intermittent problems are the worst and something that can’t be duplicated here on the board or that is not affecting all users more often than not is a local situation unique to that user, their computer, their internet connection, or any combination thereof.
I’m sorry you’re having problems with this – the system timeout is plenty long enough that you should be able to move around the board and not be logged out right away. In fact the system should currently kick in only after 30 minutes of inactivity – you can’t just open a page and leave it open and not do anything for a hour and come back and pick back up again, sorry.
Why not, you ask? Because logging on and not doing anything ties up the server. Multiple you times other people doing that and the resources quickly become strained, even on the biggest server.
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