Well, I wouldn’t worry about that yet. 
Good thinking because I’ve just seen the red line again. Yay.
It is back! 
Many thanks to whoever put it back.
Back for the OP.
I’ve got it back too!
Agreeing: Thanks, whoever fixed that.
— waaaiiit a minute. It’s gone again. 
This is weird.
This is really strange because I can see it.
– wait a minute. It is there. But it isn’t there since I last refreshed the page, or since I last went away from the computer. It’s still where it was when I put the computer to sleep last night; which is a little help, but not much.
And I’m about 97% sure I put it to sleep while I ate breakfast this morning, too; but that didn’t reset it.
the “last visit” red line is back for me !!
Happy days.
Can someone explain to me what this red line is, exactly? I have never seen it (using Straight Dope Dark). I usually browse via the “Latest” list of threads - should I expect to see it there? What does it signify?
The red line separates the threads/topics with new activity (above the line) from the ones with no new activity from your last visit in a certain forum/category (below the line). The words ‘last visit’ can be seen on the line.
What is the definition of a “last visit”? My last visit to what, exactly? On the “Latest” list of threads, I have now found the line way down the page at around 4 hours ago. But I have been browsing for the last half hour, so what is the significance of 4 hours ago? When does the red line move?
Imagine you viewed threads at 1:00 PM, then spent 2 hours doing useful things, and came back at 3:00 to view the Latest. If you scroll down until the right column reads 2 hours (or so) you’ll see a red line separating the topics; above the line they have changed since you were last viewing the site, below the line they haven’t changed since you were last viewing the site.
I’m seeing it again, and I’m very happy about it.
I get the general concept, but that doesn’t answer my question. What prompts the red line to move? I was browsing about 5 hours ago, then went to the dentist, then over the last couple of hours I have been home again - browsed a bit, went off to do something else, come back again. So I have closed the browser page, certainly refreshed “Latest” numerous times over the last couple of hours, but the line is still at 5 hours ago.
So what triggers the red line to move, what’s the definition of “last visit”?
Except that mine is now sitting way down there at 17 hours ago, despite the fact that I’ve refreshed the page multiple times in the last 8 hours, and several times left the computer and put it to sleep.
So it isn’t doing me much good, because it doesn’t reset its position. Maybe all those days I thought it wasn’t there at all it was there, but I never scrolled down far enough past the point at which I was sure I’d left off before to see it.
– I just closed the “latest” page and reopened it. Nope; still at 17 hours ago.
Yup, I think that’s probably why this thread is littered with people thinking it’s gone completely, then come back, then gone again. How it’s determining what it thinks is the “last visit” time is the problem.
I just saw it (in this thread) for the first time since before this thread was started. Found it in another forum, too; it’s set at six hours ago.
Came back from vacation and it appears to be back, thank god.
For the past few days I’ve been seeing the line in some threads topics but not in others. Of those I visit regularly, this seems to be the pattern:
Does appear
- Site Feedback
- Mundane Pointless Stuff …
- Cafe Society
- Great Debates
Does not appear
- In My Humble Opinion
- Politics & Elections
- General Questions
About This Message Board is hit and miss.
For the record: SD Light, Firefox, Win10.
It’s been showing up for me fairly consistently, in as near as I can tell about the right place, for several days now, in the “latest” list for “all categories” which is what I usually check.
If somebody fixed this – thanks!