mobile version is junk

[noob2222]

Im redoing some things on my computer and in the meantime I am using my note 3. Im tired of these stupid mobile websites that dont allow normal versions.

The forum section of toms is one such website. Anandtech is another. These websites are getting worse and don't even allow you to choose a desktop version, even forcing it through the browser no longer works.

Anyone know how to work around this?

Half of these mobile websites look like they were designed for a 10 year old blackberry.

This forum doesn't have the option to reply, preview, or quick edit to name a few annoying "features" for mobile junk. I hate mobile websites and will never buy a tablet to view mobile pages.

 

[houldendub]

While on the site, press the "Menu" button (bottom left touch button on the device" and find "Display desktop version of this site" (or something along those lines, different for each browser).

Failing that, go into the URL of the page, the URL should be "m.tomshardware.com" which forces it to use the mobile version of the site. Remove the "m." from the start and voila.

 

[noob2222]

Im not really a noob on this. I have done that with 6 different browsers.

Anandtech's mobile version isnt even a m.junk.

this is the current address right here.

http/www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1936741/mobile-version-junk.html

These annoying mobile websites are getting smarter at blocking desktop view.

http/www.tomsguide.com/us/chrome-android-mobile-site,news-14869.html

Even this article is no longer valid.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Most browsers allow you to force it to send a desktop user agent string. That's how they detect it's a smartphone, and spoofing that tends to work fine.

 

[noob2222]

Firefox phony doesnt even work. Im pretty sure these websites are detecting the os now instead of just the browser.

This is how I feel about mobile versions.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

The only way they can tell what browser or OS you're using is from the UA string. That's set by your browser. There's no other way. The only option is that the browser's desktop UA string isn't the same as an actual desktop one.

The desktop mode in Opera Classic seems to work quite well.

 

[noob2222]

I dont know if its something verison did to the phone or if no one else has this problem.

Opera,chrome, dolphin, default, firefox, Ect. None of them gets away from this crappy mobile junk.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Did you actually set the browser to display the desktop page in each case?

 

[noob2222]

I can tell this is going nowhere. Ill email samsung instead.

I figured maybe someone on here might have some ideas.

 

[Zetor895]

Even tomshardware.com has an awful mobile version, and I dont want to use it, but even the "removing 'm' from the URL" method doesnt help, it always come back the useless mobile version. I am from a tablet. I already tried to bookmark particular version of the homepage like: tomshardware.com/news,... but it also doesnt help. Any idea to fix it?
I cant even imagine it why they invent useless mobile versions in the 21th century... maybe when we used Nokia3210 they were better than nothing but now?!

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Using the Android Browser built into CM11 on a Nexus 10. The page sent with the tablet UA string looks almost identical to this page on Opera 12 on my laptop. Same reply buttons, everything. Interestingly, the 'Top Experts' and 'Latest Reports' sections are missing. They're present on the desktop version, though.

I'll have to try on a phone though.

EDIT:

Nasty. It can somehow tell the difference between Opera Classic and a spoofed UA on Opera 12 (desktop). That shouldn't be possible. Both on the same external IP. CM11.

EDIT2:

Seriously strange. Not javascript; it displays as mobile on the phone even when JS is disabled. Sometime I've got to learn how to set up Wireshark. Somehow the server can tell the difference, but all the HTTP header reading tools I've found say my spoofed desktop looks exactly the same, except that I haven't bothered to disable do not track.

I think I'll go ask in the about site section.

 

[Zetor895]

Oh c'mon.... maybe it just checks the resolution.... if its low the mobile version will be set by the webpage.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Yeah, except that a note 3 is 1080p. Most laptops are only 1366x768 (but mine is 1080p).

EDIT: Resolution testing is in JS, too.

 

[MasterHiFi]

This is an old thread, but I had to revive it - this is seriously awful, and accurate. And I remember that it wasn't long ago when this wasn't a problem on this site. Now, there is absolutely nothing I can do to get to the desktop version.

I went to Firefox's settings and selected "request a desktop version of this site" and this is literally what happened:

It changed the COLOR SCHEME! Nothing else changed. Same lack of menus, lack of options, exact same layout.

How can this be fixed?

Can't reply, can't quote a post in the middle of the thread, can't even get to the Profile page. It's horrible - please FIX THIS!

Sigh...

 

[MasterHiFi]

Can't the WM's just define the mobile site as "my.tomsharwarecom" and allow users to sub in "www" at their discretion? Why the big push to FORCE users to the mobile version? Is someone getting a kickback?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

The 'mobile version' is done by window width (and there's more than just desktop/mobile), not by device type or anything. The servers don't send anything different; it's all done with CSS/JS in the browser.

If you narrow down a desktop version far enough, you'll see the mobile version. I kind of like this; it lets me stack several windows side by side.

Force is a bit of a strong word. No kick-backs that I know of, and given it's developed in house I don't see where they'd come from.

Not having the pretty buttons for quoting or showing BBCode is about the only functional difference I can see between the wide and narrow versions. Don't know why you're so up-in-arms about this.

 

[MasterHiFi]

The 'mobile version' is done by window width (and there's more than just desktop/mobile), not by device type or anything. The servers don't send anything different; it's all done with CSS/JS in the browser.

If you narrow down a desktop version far enough, you'll see the mobile version. I kind of like this; it lets me stack several windows side by side.

Force is a bit of a strong word. No kick-backs that I know of, and given it's developed in house I don't see where they'd come from.

Not having the pretty buttons for quoting or showing BBCode is about the only functional difference I can see between the wide and narrow versions. Don't know why you're so up-in-arms about this.

Hey,

Thanks for teaching me the reason for this - obviously it makes sense to serve out what the user can see, particularly since the site has to conform to so many different devices.

Interesting that you can narrow a desktop window enough to get the mobile version - wish it worked both ways...

On many other sites if you scroll down to the very bottom, there will be a link for the "Desktop Version", and the server will feed the entire CSS, regardless of device.

Not up in arms, exactly. Maybe a bit cranky... I miss the users' avatars, system configurations, etc. and just wish that we had the option, as is the case elsewhere, but I'm a New Yorker, so I ALWAYS want what I want, when I want it

 

[MasterHiFi]

To clarify, I know that I AM technically getting the entire CSS, and it is then being conformed to my screen, I guess some sites have a way to display the full window despite the browser's handling of the code.