• Slashdot on Samsung browser

    From David Higton@21:1/5 to All on Tue May 20 17:52:21 2025
    Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other browsers?

    I use a Samsung S24 and a Galaxy Tab. Until a few weeks ago, the
    Samsung browsers used to render Slashdot like other browsers do.
    Something changed; I don't know whether it's a Samsung browser update
    or a site update, but it looks radically differnet now - and rather
    harder to read, with tiny text. Pinch to zoom allows the text to be
    magnified, of course, but then the page has to be scrolled sideways
    to read entire lines of text.

    I'd just like to know why it is like it is. A solution would be
    even better!

    David

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Tue May 20 19:13:45 2025
    David,

    I don't know whether it's a Samsung browser update
    or a site update,

    A site update. The webpages you now see are thrown together in your browser using JavaScript.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From D@21:1/5 to David Higton on Tue May 20 14:00:06 2025
    On Tue, 20 May 2025 17:52:21 +0100, David Higton <[email protected]> wrote: >Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try >https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other browsers?

    clickbait . . . (maybe fun to test, but it's a jungle out there)

    (using Tor Browser 14.5.2) https://duckduckgo.com/?q=moderated+censorship+commercial+social+media
    ...
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slashdot
    ...
    The mobile interface, added after Slashdot was sold off, was never finished,
    and lacks fundamental functionality, like account settings, anonymous posting,
    choice of markup style (important because of above lack of UTF-8), etc.
    No visible changes to the site have been made since the addition of the mobile
    interface and rudimentary asynchronous functionality.
    Comment numbers have declined to a tenth compared to its golden age.[100]
    As of late Summer 2023, the registration mechanism for new users is disabled,
    and manual requests via feedback email must be made.[101]
    ...
    https://slashdot.org
    ...
    America's regional state universities are experiencing steep enrollment declines,
    triggering economic crises in the towns that depend on them, while flagship >universities continue to thrive.
    ...
    [end quoted excerpts]

    social media is moderated, whereas the majority of active usenet newsgroups
    are unmoderated . . . social media is for insiders, usenet is for outsiders

    p.s. tor browser is available here:
    https://www.torproject.org/download/
    ...
    Download for Android
    https://www.torproject.org/download/#android
    Get Tor Browser for Android.
    Protect yourself against tracking, surveillance, and censorship.
    Download .apk aarch64 >https://dist.torproject.org/torbrowser/14.5.2/tor-browser-android-aarch64-14.5.2.apk
    Download .apk arm >https://dist.torproject.org/torbrowser/14.5.2/tor-browser-android-armv7-14.5.2.apk
    Download .apk x86_64 >https://dist.torproject.org/torbrowser/14.5.2/tor-browser-android-x86_64-14.5.2.apk
    Download .apk x86 >https://dist.torproject.org/torbrowser/14.5.2/tor-browser-android-x86-14.5.2.apk
    ...

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Tue May 20 20:10:42 2025
    D,

    Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try >>https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other
    browsers?

    clickbait . . . (maybe fun to test, but it's a jungle out there)

    Not everyone "out there" is out to get you you know.

    I've been visiting it pretty much daily, and enjoyed what they offered.
    Thats stopped when they JS-i-fied their website. I dislike active content
    (and other "just run this executable") with a vengance.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to David Higton on Tue May 20 18:07:17 2025
    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other browsers?

    I use a Samsung S24 and a Galaxy Tab. Until a few weeks ago, the
    Samsung browsers used to render Slashdot like other browsers do.
    Something changed; I don't know whether it's a Samsung browser update
    or a site update, but it looks radically differnet now - and rather
    harder to read, with tiny text. Pinch to zoom allows the text to be magnified, of course, but then the page has to be scrolled sideways
    to read entire lines of text.

    I'd just like to know why it is like it is. A solution would be
    even better!

    Looks fine to me, both in (Samsung) 'Internet' and (Google) Chrome.

    Note however that <https://slashdot.org> is redirected to the mobile
    site <https://m.slashdot.org>.

    On my 6.5" Samsung Galaxy A51 screen, the text is indeed small, but I
    can easily read it. In landscape mode ('Auto rotate' is on), it's even
    easier. N.B. I have variable-focal (spelling?) glasses.

    Samsung Internet should be up-to-date (28.0.0.59), because automatic
    updates are on for Galaxy Store apps.

    Google Chrome is 'old' (127.0.6533.103), because automatic updates
    are off for (Google) Play Store apps.

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  • From David Higton@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Tue May 20 19:50:11 2025
    In message <[email protected]>
    Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:

    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try
    https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other browsers?

    I use a Samsung S24 and a Galaxy Tab. Until a few weeks ago, the
    Samsung browsers used to render Slashdot like other browsers do.
    Something changed; I don't know whether it's a Samsung browser update
    or a site update, but it looks radically differnet now - and rather
    harder to read, with tiny text. Pinch to zoom allows the text to be
    magnified, of course, but then the page has to be scrolled sideways
    to read entire lines of text.

    I'd just like to know why it is like it is. A solution would be
    even better!

    Looks fine to me, both in (Samsung) 'Internet' and (Google) Chrome.

    Note however that <https://slashdot.org> is redirected to the mobile
    site <https://m.slashdot.org>.

    Aha - that's it, thank you, Frank. For some reason my devices had
    switched over to the mobile site. Once they're back to non-mobile,
    I can read the site on my mobiles.

    Something's fundamentally wrong there, isn't it?

    David

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to David Higton on Wed May 21 11:26:31 2025
    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:

    Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:

    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:

    Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try
    https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other browsers?

    I use a Samsung S24 and a Galaxy Tab. Until a few weeks ago, the
    Samsung browsers used to render Slashdot like other browsers do.
    Something changed; I don't know whether it's a Samsung browser update
    or a site update, but it looks radically differnet now - and rather
    harder to read, with tiny text. Pinch to zoom allows the text to be
    magnified, of course, but then the page has to be scrolled sideways
    to read entire lines of text.

    Looks fine to me, both in (Samsung) 'Internet' and (Google) Chrome.

    Note however that <https://slashdot.org> is redirected to the mobile
    site <https://m.slashdot.org>.

    Aha - that's it, thank you, Frank. For some reason my devices had
    switched over to the mobile site. Once they're back to non-mobile,
    I can read the site on my mobiles.

    Does Samsung's Internet web browser have an option to switch to or ask
    for a desktop version of a web site? In Firefox Android, a menu entry
    of "Desktop site" as a slider (to enable/disable) shows me different
    views of the same web site (if they have a desktop and mobile version).
    When a web site has different views, the mobile view is often less busy
    in that less is displayed within the confines of the phone's screen, and
    often the text is bigger. For Firefox, this option is not sticky. I
    may select desktop view, but after quitting Firefox (it has a real exit
    option, not left sitting in background), and reloading it, the "Desktop
    site" option is off, so I'd have to reenable it. I don't know if
    Samsung's Internet web browser has a similar option, but if it does then
    I'd check if it is sticky, or not, between web sessions.

    For me, and when a site offers multiple views, the mobile version is
    bigger for text, not smaller. The setting has no effect if a web site
    doesn't deliver different views of the same content.

    https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/13514529?hl=en

    Since Samsung's Internet web browser is a Chromium variant, maybe it has
    a similar setting.

    When I visit whatmyuseragent.com using Firefox on Android with its
    default mobile version, it sends a User-Agent header of:

    Mozilla/5.0 (Android 10; Mobile; rv:138.0) Gecko/138.0 Firefox/138.0

    When I switch Firefox to request a desktop version of the web site:

    Mozilla/5.0 (X11, Linux x86_64; rv:138.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/138.0

    Perhaps the web site triggers on the UA header to determine if the web
    client is on Android, Linux, Windows, iOS, etc. Although the UA header
    got deprecated long ago, it is still often used to detect which web
    client is visiting a web site. Some users will alter the UA header
    their web client sends to the site trying to pretend they have a
    different web browser.

    As I recall, Samsung's Internet web browser supports extensions. If so,
    are you using any that alter the UA header sent by that web client?

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to David Higton on Wed May 21 17:44:05 2025
    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    In message <[email protected]>
    Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:

    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try
    https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other browsers?

    I use a Samsung S24 and a Galaxy Tab. Until a few weeks ago, the
    Samsung browsers used to render Slashdot like other browsers do.
    Something changed; I don't know whether it's a Samsung browser update
    or a site update, but it looks radically differnet now - and rather
    harder to read, with tiny text. Pinch to zoom allows the text to be
    magnified, of course, but then the page has to be scrolled sideways
    to read entire lines of text.

    I'd just like to know why it is like it is. A solution would be
    even better!

    Looks fine to me, both in (Samsung) 'Internet' and (Google) Chrome.

    Note however that <https://slashdot.org> is redirected to the mobile
    site <https://m.slashdot.org>.

    Aha - that's it, thank you, Frank. For some reason my devices had
    switched over to the mobile site. Once they're back to non-mobile,
    I can read the site on my mobiles.

    Something's fundamentally wrong there, isn't it?

    Are you sure you are (now) using the non-mobile site?

    Whether I enter slashdot.org or m.slashdot.org in the address bar, the
    end result always is 'https://m.slashdot.org' (checked by tapping on the address bar). So, I *cannot* use the non-mobile site, even if I want to.

    OTOH, if (now) things for you, it's probably not worth (y)our while to
    figure out what is (not) happening.

    OTTH, we are techies who want to know/understand, aren't we!? :-)

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  • From David Higton@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Wed May 21 19:52:18 2025
    In message <33wlwrisgex1$[email protected]>
    VanguardLH <[email protected]> wrote:

    Does Samsung's Internet web browser have an option to switch to or ask
    for a desktop version of a web site?

    Yes, although I can't get it to work logically. All my alterations back
    and forth end up displaying the Desktop view now. The thing that *does*
    change the view is the "Mobile view"/"Non-mobile" link at the bottom of Slashdot's pages.

    [snip]

    As I recall, Samsung's Internet web browser supports extensions. If so,
    are you using any that alter the UA header sent by that web client?

    I'm not knowingly using any extension at all.

    David

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  • From David Higton@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Wed May 21 19:37:35 2025
    In message <[email protected]>
    Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:

    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    In message <[email protected]>
    Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:

    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try
    https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other browsers?

    I use a Samsung S24 and a Galaxy Tab. Until a few weeks ago, the
    Samsung browsers used to render Slashdot like other browsers do.
    Something changed; I don't know whether it's a Samsung browser update
    or a site update, but it looks radically differnet now - and rather
    harder to read, with tiny text. Pinch to zoom allows the text to be
    magnified, of course, but then the page has to be scrolled sideways
    to read entire lines of text.

    I'd just like to know why it is like it is. A solution would be
    even better!

    Looks fine to me, both in (Samsung) 'Internet' and (Google) Chrome.

    Note however that <https://slashdot.org> is redirected to the mobile
    site <https://m.slashdot.org>.

    Aha - that's it, thank you, Frank. For some reason my devices had
    switched over to the mobile site. Once they're back to non-mobile,
    I can read the site on my mobiles.

    Something's fundamentally wrong there, isn't it?

    Are you sure you are (now) using the non-mobile site?

    Yes. There's a link at the bottom of the page which is either "Mobile"
    (if you're *not* using the Mobile view) or "Non-mobile" (if you *are*
    using the mobile view) which switches to the other view. In Firefox
    on my Linux box I can see the URL change.

    Whether I enter slashdot.org or m.slashdot.org in the address bar, the
    end result always is 'https://m.slashdot.org' (checked by tapping on the >address bar). So, I *cannot* use the non-mobile site, even if I want to.

    See above.

    OTOH, if (now) things for you, it's probably not worth (y)our while to
    figure out what is (not) happening.

    OTTH, we are techies who want to know/understand, aren't we!? :-)

    Perhaps the default view setting is stored in a cookie. OTOH I've
    told the site I don't accept cookies. Dunno.

    David

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to David Higton on Wed May 21 19:15:04 2025
    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    In message <[email protected]>
    Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:

    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    In message <[email protected]>
    Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:

    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:
    Can some of you with access to a Samsung browser please try
    https://slashdot.org on a Samsung browser and some other browsers?

    I use a Samsung S24 and a Galaxy Tab. Until a few weeks ago, the
    Samsung browsers used to render Slashdot like other browsers do.
    Something changed; I don't know whether it's a Samsung browser update >> >> or a site update, but it looks radically differnet now - and rather
    harder to read, with tiny text. Pinch to zoom allows the text to be
    magnified, of course, but then the page has to be scrolled sideways
    to read entire lines of text.

    I'd just like to know why it is like it is. A solution would be
    even better!

    Looks fine to me, both in (Samsung) 'Internet' and (Google) Chrome.

    Note however that <https://slashdot.org> is redirected to the mobile
    site <https://m.slashdot.org>.

    Aha - that's it, thank you, Frank. For some reason my devices had
    switched over to the mobile site. Once they're back to non-mobile,
    I can read the site on my mobiles.

    Something's fundamentally wrong there, isn't it?

    Are you sure you are (now) using the non-mobile site?

    Yes. There's a link at the bottom of the page which is either "Mobile"
    (if you're *not* using the Mobile view) or "Non-mobile" (if you *are*
    using the mobile view) which switches to the other view. In Firefox
    on my Linux box I can see the URL change.

    Yes, I saw you mention the "Non-mobile" switch your response to
    VanguardLH. I couldn't find the reverse, because in "Non-mobile" view, I couldn't read the part at the bottom! :-) But switching to landscape
    mode fixed that.

    Whether I enter slashdot.org or m.slashdot.org in the address bar, the
    end result always is 'https://m.slashdot.org' (checked by tapping on the >address bar). So, I *cannot* use the non-mobile site, even if I want to.

    See above.

    OTOH, if (now) things for you, it's probably not worth (y)our while to
    figure out what is (not) happening.

    OTTH, we are techies who want to know/understand, aren't we!? :-)

    Perhaps the default view setting is stored in a cookie. OTOH I've
    told the site I don't accept cookies. Dunno.

    Yes, it's stored somewhere, because if I set it to "Non-mobile" and
    then exit Samsung Internet, it's back in "Non-mobile" mode when I start
    Samsung Internet again.

    FWIW, my curiosity is satisfied, but by all means carry on if you
    want.

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  • From AJL@21:1/5 to All on Wed May 21 13:30:49 2025
    This will be of no help for the Slashdot browser problems of the thread.

    But for those reading the mail and thinking of trying Slashdot I
    recommend the Slashdot Android app. It works great on all my Android
    toys and no browser needed...

    <https://play.google.com/store/search?q=slashdot+app&c=apps>

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to David Higton on Thu May 22 00:23:43 2025
    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:

    VanguardLH <[email protected]> wrote:

    Does Samsung's Internet web browser have an option to switch to or ask
    for a desktop version of a web site?

    Yes, although I can't get it to work logically. All my alterations back
    and forth end up displaying the Desktop view now. The thing that *does* change the view is the "Mobile view"/"Non-mobile" link at the bottom of Slashdot's pages.

    Did you visit whatmyuseragent.com to see what UA string your web browser
    is sending to the server?

    In Firefox Desktop, I can go into about:config to change what UA string
    it sends, so an extension is not needed to lie about what web client is visiting a site. Firefox Android had about:config removed, so I'd have
    to use an extension in that one to send a different UA string.

    I'd first check what UA string your web browser is sending to the
    server. That's the starting point to know what the server sees as your
    web client, and why it may make a decision to show a different view of
    their web site.

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  • From David Higton@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Thu May 22 22:23:17 2025
    In message <[email protected]>
    VanguardLH <[email protected]> wrote:

    David Higton <[email protected]> wrote:

    VanguardLH <[email protected]> wrote:

    Does Samsung's Internet web browser have an option to switch to or ask for a desktop version of a web site?

    Yes, although I can't get it to work logically. All my alterations back and forth end up displaying the Desktop view now. The thing that *does* change the view is the "Mobile view"/"Non-mobile" link at the bottom of Slashdot's pages.

    Did you visit whatmyuseragent.com to see what UA string your web browser is sending to the server?

    I did just now. It includes the word "Mobile", unsurprisingly.

    In Firefox Desktop, I can go into about:config to change what UA string it sends, so an extension is not needed to lie about what web client is
    visiting a site. Firefox Android had about:config removed, so I'd have to use an extension in that one to send a different UA string.

    I'd first check what UA string your web browser is sending to the server. That's the starting point to know what the server sees as your web client, and why it may make a decision to show a different view of their web site.

    I can't go back to previous versions, of course, but I'd expect they all
    had "Mobile" in the UA string. That doesn't explain why the view of the Slashdot site, and *only* that site, changed for me recently. Nor does
    it explain why I see the non-mobile view of Slashdot despite the UA string including "Mobile".

    There's more to this than just the UA string.

    Anyway, it doesn't matter to me any more, as I've got the view I want,
    and I know what to do if the view changes again. Thanks for all the suggestions.

    David

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