Trying to use the internet without an adblocker is honestly a tragic and harrowing experience.
PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
361–370 of 417 posts
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#362[dead]
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#363[dead]
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#364Earlier quoted context omitted.
Downloading 500 MB in 5 minutes in the background of a random article is really disrespectful to readers on low-end devices or metered data plans (and these two groups are often the same people!). What a waste of ressources.
I've worked with a lot of people at the bottom end of society in the USA. They are given government provided phones they can use so they have access to Google Maps, email, job search apps etc. These phones come with 3GB of regular data per month. After that they drop down to 2G speed, but not in a way that will allow anything to actually load. Three days into the month these phones are just ewaste.
this is why Firefox with uBO is basically a requirement to browse mobile internet.
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#365Earlier quoted context omitted.
This thread is about how a static text article loaded 500 megs in the background. How would someone prepare for that exactly? This is effectively malware as far as your bandwidth is concerned.
I’ve used travel SIMs that only give you about 5GB. You avoid using the web at all, unless you are on WiFi. You can use maps, train and bus apps, banking apps, messaging, AirBnB etc, but not the web. If you go to some place and they want to use a QR code to buy a ticket or use a menu you may as well forget about it.
With a pay as you go google fi plan... the trick is to use firefox + uBO. If a site opens in the default Android web view, you're fucked.
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#366Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Three days into the month these phones are just ewaste. If someone needs a phone like this for email and job searching and has no other option, 2G speeds will work. It’s not e-waste for the intended purpose. It would be great if they got higher days caps, though, because let’s be realistic in acknowledging that they’re not only going to use it for Google Maps, email, and job search apps.
If someone needs a phone like this for email and job searching and has no other option, 2G speeds will work. It’s not e-waste for the intended purpose. Guess how I know you've never actually tried this. Part of my job is testing the web sites I build in the terrible real-world conditions where our customers are. Places like machine rooms, deep basements, and small towns with only municipal or small-carrier 3G cell se…
I remember 10+ years ago I had to do my on-boarding paperwork from a research station on the Greenland ice sheet. Workday would just not work with the high latency (but otherwise, not terribly slow) connection. I had to remote desktop to a CONUS computer and use a browser there in order for it to work...
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#367Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, those are rather large for those of us not on retina displays. (Is 3150x2210 a normal resolution / aspect ratio for those, anyway?)
3150x2210 is sort of a normal resolution for retina displays. It's close to a native panel resolution on iOS, but they do this dumb fractional scaling thing because it was too hard to backport support for high DPI displays to MacOS X. Anyway, that resolution is so unreadable on current macos that they hide it behind a "show all resolutions" toggle. The default is 50% that (1/4 as many pixels), and they only let you g…
What's with the aspect ratio, though?
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#368- can we get a trend on HN here of all the websites doing this currnetly?
- i read a post of NYTimes the other day, can we get people to submit this stuff which is far more useful than half the vibe coded AI slop apps?
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#369Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think you may be a bit out of date. There was free WiFi in basically every town. Now it's frequently a vestigial, no-longer-maintained free WiFi that works like crap, because there's no maintenance, because "everyone has cellular data nowadays".
Every public library in the US has free wifi. Every Starbucks in the US has free wifi. Every public school has free wifi. I can tell you don’t actually have to use it because if you did you’d know your statement isn’t accurate.
Actually, this is based on my personal experience. I don't use a smartphone for internet. Many of the places where I've tried it, the "free wifi" doesn't work. Maybe the wifi is there, but the uplink is 2G speed, or it has a web sign-in that doesn't work any more. Or maybe an employee accidentally unplugged the router. Days/weeks ago. And "no one complained about it".
I've traveled Greyhound and Amtrak recently. They both advertise free wifi, but it's quite clear they no longer prioritize keeping it working.
Libraries are (probably/hopefully) an exception. But, seeing as Starbucks has been wanting to discourage people from hanging out in recent months, I wouldn't count on Starbucks wifi being reliable.
Re: PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading
#370I recall hating the PC Gamer web site back in the late 90’s. It was sluggish on modem because of the banner ads and the heavy use of GIF decorations on their pages. Nothing is new under the sun.
Well, they used to have some great articles…