# Wikipedia's Mobile version **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 18, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509 "2021-06-18T02:04:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2023, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/21 "2023-01-20T06:08:38Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > BTW, you can actually go back to the old version. I did so immediately. I was going to say, Wikipedia has multiple skins that completely change the look of the site and the UI, so you have a lot of choices if you don’t like the default, ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/22 "2023-01-23T22:59:53Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I was going to say, Wikipedia has multiple skins that completely change the look of the site and the UI, so you have a lot of choices if you don’t like the default, Looks like that only works if you sign up for an account. First world problems, I guess. I think I’ll manage to stumble along with the new version. Can’t see the point in signing up for an account after umpteen years without one just to get the older version back. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/23 "2023-01-23T23:04:48Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Looks like that only works if you sign up for an account. Yes, the skin is applied to your account. If you visit the site anonymously that is one perk you don’t enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/24 "2023-01-26T05:56:00Z")
The new Wikipedia skin is [irritating a lot of users](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Rollback_of_Vector_2022). But regarding the mobile vs. desktop view, if you have an account, you can install a script which will force all Wikipedia pages to display in desktop view. Go to your common.js page ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:YOURNAME/common.js](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:YOURNAME/common.js)), enter this text and save it. Presto, you’ll never see the mobile site again: ```auto mw.loader.load( "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:%C3%9Ejarkur/NeverUseMobileVersion.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript" ); ``` ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/25 "2023-01-26T19:09:15Z")
Seems like that hack depends on having an account at Wikipedia. (Can’t tell if it also requires being logged into that account.) If so, no help to anonymous Wikipedia readers. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/26 "2023-01-26T22:27:33Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Seems like that hack depends on having an account at Wikipedia. (Can’t tell if it also requires being logged into that account.) Yes and yes. > [@gnoitall](#): > > If so, no help to anonymous Wikipedia readers. Nope, if you browse Wikipedia without an account you are going to inevitably miss out on some features. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/27 "2023-01-26T22:51:59Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Nope, if you browse Wikipedia without an account you are going to inevitably miss out on some features. It’s _really_ bad UI design to waste 40% of the screen on completely pointless empty space on the left and right side of the page. Not wasting this much space isn’t something that should be a ‘feature’ that they decided to introduce and foist upon what I imagine is the vast majority of their user base. If it sticks around, I suppose I’ll have to make an account for the sole purpose of getting rid of it. I really hope their smart enough to dump it on their own. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/28 "2023-01-26T23:13:28Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > It’s _really_ bad UI design to waste 40% of the screen on completely pointless empty space on the left and right side of the page. Not wasting this much space isn’t something that should be a ‘feature’ that they decided to introduce and foist upon what I imagine is the vast majority of their user base. From what I’ve read, it’s wasted space the way that the bare dirt on a construction site is wasted space. There are UI elements that are going to populate it, but they aren’t ready yet, so in their place it’s blank. It’s true that it looks awful in the meantime. Someone pointed out that the Vietnamese Wikipedia has the skin but not the blank spots, because they have already populated it. It just hasn’t happened to the English version yet. Does that mean that people just have to wait, and then it will be awesome? Honestly, I doubt it. There are a lot of gripes about it and one change isn’t going to make it all better. > [@Dissonance](#): > > I really hope their smart enough to dump it on their own. The [discussion on it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Rollback_of_Vector_2022) is pretty extensive. A lot of users aren’t happy. But it looks like there is no going back, it is likely here to stay. And much of the attitude about the complaints is that “people just don’t like change”. As far as giving anonymous users the ability to use skins, that can’t work technically. It’s explained [here](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Frequently_asked_questions#Why_are_there_no_preferences_for_anonymous_users?). That discussion gives me a headache and reminds me of why I don’t have the energy to be an administrator on Wikipedia anymore. My mop muscles are too tired. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/29 "2023-01-26T23:35:47Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > As far as giving anonymous users the ability to use skins, that can’t work technically. It’s explained [here](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Frequently_asked_questions#Why_are_there_no_preferences_for_anonymous_users?). Seems like a bad implementation. The pages themselves should be served as raw data, say as a JSON object. The skin should be on the client side, generating the page based on the user preference. That would require less data overall, not to mention avoiding the duplication from logged-in users (especially those with unusual skins set). ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509/30 "2023-01-27T00:11:45Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Seems like a bad implementation. Could be. Wikipedia runs on [MediaWiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki), an open source collaborative project that was first fully implemented in November 2001 to replace the old wiki software that Wikipedia originally ran on. It was created specifically as a platform for Wikipedia, and it’s now used on tens of thousands of web sites and private intranet sites. Including Fandom (which hosts wikis for countless niche projects; I use it all the time for video games I play). The interesting thing is that Fandom, running on the same software, _does_ allow anonymous users to do things like decide between a “dark” and “light” view. Which was pointed out in the request for comments about the UI change. The discussion is still ongoing, I guess, but they were asked to take it out of the RFC because it was veering off-topic. I don’t know where that went to, or if it is happening. (Presumably someone would have linked to it from there, maybe it just hasn’t happened yet.) I am encouraged that people from WMF (Wikimedia Foundation) engaged in the discussion. WMF officially runs Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. I used to interact with a couple of WMF people regularly when I was one of the main conflict of interest folks at Wikipedia (I used to help manage concerns when celebrities and other subjects of articles objected to what was in articles, it was pretty fun). If they get involved and are sympathetic, that’s how things can change. But I only see them talking about tweaks to the UI, not anything dramatic, so, meh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedias-mobile-version/944509.md?page=1)