# Why won't my "back" button work on the STMB **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 25, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865 "2009-11-25T02:39:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/41 "2009-11-26T18:36:27Z")
If one’s back button does not work with Firefox try this to gather more information: right click on ‘back’ and see if the proper history drops down. If the proper history drops down click on a previous item and see if the correct screen appears. The reason I suggest his is that on a large group of forums, [gardenweb.com](http://gardenweb.com), the single click on ‘back’ stopped working for Firefox only but the drop down history could be used to effect backness, as it were. It took them a long time to diagnose and fix the problem, but then they are, to put it kindly, quite slow. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/42 "2009-11-26T19:20:05Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > What’s -reasonable, Tubadiva, is for someone from the site to at least lend a hand in diagnosing the problem. A problem we didn’t create? A problem we cannot duplicate in our own experience? I told you what we had, what we knew, and I asked for more information. > [@tacoloco](#): > > So it’s your assertion that it’s “not your problem” when a bunch of people report a problem using the board? No, that’s your assertion. That’s not what I said. Why is it that any negative technical outcome you have here at this website is our responsibility and our problem, regardless of the situation? To personalize it and yell at me because I don’t have an answer or a solution to this problem is inappropriate. While we do want to help people have the best experience they can here and will facilitate as we can, moderators and administrators are not and cannot be expected to be tech support. This goes double for software with hacks in it like browsers with plug-ins – that’s what most all those things are, they’re hacks to the existing software and have no guarantees. None of us are in technical positions at any of the software companies involved. > [@tacoloco](#): > > Is it not in the board’s best interest to at least investigate the issue like Xash did? I gave you the information I had and I asked for help from those who are more experienced users of the browser originally in question. Again, we are not tech support and should not be expected to be so. I’m glad Xash was able to contribute a bit more to the situation but I note even he could not diagnose nor fix the problem. > [@tacoloco](#): > > Do you actually care about the user’s experience here? > > :rolleyes: Hyperbole much? The staff here – including myself – do our best to make this work. It’s a greatly imperfect universe, filled with buggy software and bad code, and we do what we can with what we know and have available to us. Now how about we stop hijacking this thread and get back to the issue, if indeed a solution can be found? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/43 "2009-11-26T19:25:25Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > Do you actually care about the user’s experience here? > > :rolleyes: At this point I’m guessing her answer would be “no”. **Tuba** , you have got to be the rudest and most unhelpful administrator I have ever come across. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/44 "2009-11-26T19:37:10Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > But **Tuba** , that’s just it. It’s not just my experience. You have multiple users using multiple browsers (firefox, opera, and whatever **SiamSam** is using) all experiencing the same problem at your site and your site only. Don’t just hand wave and blame the problem on the users. The problem is site specific. Turns out, it IS on your end. > > Can I be any more clear than that? No, but you’re wrong. It is browser specific. Servers don’t control things like pressing back buttons (unless they’re running dot net, which this one is not.) Browsers control things like that. That’s why there’s no problem with IE8. The back button always works because the browser is programmed to go back a page when the back button is pressed. Someone mentioned a known bug in Firefox. IE8 has its share of bugs, but that’s not one of them. As to Tuba’s dismissive tone, that’s just Tuba. She waddles into topics like these, not understanding the first thing about them, and goes on auto-pilot with the dismissals. It’s just the nature of thing. We have to learn to live with it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/45 "2009-11-27T01:16:30Z")
So if I may piggyback my problem on this, what could be causing that? Still getting an error screen much of the time, both when I press Submit for a post and just to open a thread. Back up and and repeat, then it works. This includes for posts. Sometimes I try Refresh instead of Back and get just a blank screen. I then use Back once to get to the error screen and again to get to the previous screen. I use IE. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/46 "2009-11-27T01:30:42Z")
What version of IE? And have you checked for updates? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/47 "2009-11-27T01:50:56Z")
It’s IE7. No, I haven’t. Will do that. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/48 "2009-11-27T13:14:03Z")
FWIW, it doesn’t seem to be happening anymore…at least, not right now and not for the last couple days, not on any of my home computers nor my work one. Perhaps the Gremlins are aware that I, too, have a multimeter nearby, and I’m not afraid to use it! ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/49 "2009-11-27T20:33:23Z")
A little more data: A recent firefox tab with this problem (on the GQ threads page) showed 2 entries in the cache for the page (checked by right clicking the back arrow) despite the fact that I had just opened the tab, went to my SDMB Main bookmark and then clicked GQ once. I immediately opened another tab, did the same thing and no dup cache entry. When I clicked the back arrow on the bad tab, I noticed that it did appear to go back temporarily because you can see the forward arrow change from grey to green, then it would flip back to the same page and state (forward arrow back to grey). In addition, if you click back fast enough twice it makes it back, if you click back too slowly, it has moved forward again before being able to click the second time. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/50 "2009-11-27T21:48:31Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > …that’s just Tuba. She waddles into topics like these… \ \*\*MODERATOR WARNING Lib\*\*, you were fine stating your opinion until the above crack. Anyone else said this about you, you would be screaming for their head on a platter. The moderators deserve the same. Sorry if you’re offended, but I can’t sit back and let this one slide any longer. \ ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/51 "2009-11-27T21:48:33Z")
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**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/52 "2009-11-27T21:53:37Z")
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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/53 "2009-11-27T22:14:29Z")
**Monkey With a Gun** : I have issued you a warning for personal insults for the following: > [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > **Tuba** , you have got to be the rudest and most unhelpful administrator I have ever come across. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/54 "2009-11-27T22:40:03Z")
Calling someone rude and unhelpful is now a personal insult? Oh, boy, this isn’t going to be pretty. Can’t we just be honest and say that there is a different standard for moderators? I think people would appreciate the candor. By the way, is anyone on the SDMB staff paid besides Ed? Because I really hope this is volunteer work, not professional. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/55 "2009-11-28T00:11:00Z")
@Rico I understand. I should not have been so insulting. @Siam Sam I heartily recommend that you download and install IE8, along with its patches. There are far more security enhancements, including the ability to “browse privately”, such that cookie co-ops can’t follow you around from site to site. It is also more stable than IE7. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/56 "2009-11-28T01:30:36Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Can’t we just be honest and say that there is a different standard for moderators? I think people would appreciate the candor. Confirmed. My infraction was the use of the term “waddle”, which upon a search reveals more than 300 posts (the number our search engine would allow to be returned) that use the term. Admittedly, it was interpretable in the way Rico did. But I probably should have phrased it more like this: “TubaDiva drops into threads like this knowing nothing about the topic, and responding with dismissal.” ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/57 "2009-11-28T03:39:38Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Calling someone rude and unhelpful is now a personal insult? Oh, boy, this isn’t going to be pretty. Yes, calling someone rude and unhelpful is a personal insult – now and always in the past. This is nothing different or new. ACCEPTABLE: What you said was rude and unhelpful. NOT ACCEPTABLE: You are rude and unhelpful. The first is about the moderation decision or the post. The second is about the person. This distinction has ALWAYS been our standard. The discussion should be about the what the poster says, not about the poster her/himself. In the same way, the discussion should be about what the moderator says/does and not about the moderator him/herself. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/58 "2009-11-28T03:40:45Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > My infraction was the use of the term “waddle”, which upon a search reveals more than 300 posts (the number our search engine would allow to be returned) that use the term. What could possibly be the significance of such a search? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/59 "2009-11-28T04:05:46Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > What could possibly be the significance of such a search? :dubious: I assume there was an implication that the term has been used many times in the past, but not warned. I did look at usage over last two months (we do take every accusation seriously), and the term has been used (1) by a poster, referring to himself/family after Thanksgiving dinner, (2) to refer to pregnant women in general, (3) to compare people who wear their pants lwo to penguins, (4) to describe sumo wrestlers. So, the fact that a word has been used often on the boards doesn’t mean it’s not an insult when applied to another poster. And, of course, the context here is more than just the walking motion. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865/60 "2009-11-28T04:18:38Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > … and the term has been used (1) by a poster, referring to himself/family after Thanksgiving dinner … That was ME! 😃 And it was almost 24 hours before I felt like eating again too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-back-button-work-on-the-stmb/518865.md?page=4)