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Change to "TODAY" listings

N

Netopia

Diamond Member
Hello Everyone!

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question or whether the request can be passed along but...

I have a suggestion about the "TODAY" area. I use it constantly to see if people have posted to a thread since I last read it. It works GREAT for that but it could be more efficient and if many people use it, it may even result in a measurable decrease in bandwitch usage for AnandTech.

Here's the thing... Let's say that I'm following a hot topic and it's up to 100+ posts. I've got my settings so that thread display 100 posts per page. If I go into the TODAY page and see that the posts are now at 105, I click on the link to the thread and then AFTER the first 100 posts are loaded, I can then click on the 1, 2, LAST selections at the top of the page. If I check 10 threads 10 times in one day, that's an extra 1000 database lookups and and extra 10 100-post long pages that have to begenerated and then transmitted. If many people are doing anything close to that, it has to add up at least somewhat over the course of a day/week/month.

I would propose that on the TODAY page, in addition to the current number of posts being listed, that there be at least a link to the LAST page of the thread. It would be better if it were 1, 2, LAST or something like that, but even having JUST "LAST PAGE" would be an improvement. This way, when someone is tracking a thread and the only thing they care about are new posts (which is what people would use the "TODAY" page for) then they only have to hit the database for the last page of the thread and that's all that gets transmitted.

Just an idea, and I'm sure it could be fine tuned. With the subscriptions service gone and I know that it COSTS Anand to keep the forums going, I thought something to save horsepower and bandwidth would be a worthy endevour.

What say ye?

Joe
 
Agreed, this could be used on ALL threads. I see "go to last unread post" on several other sites. It sure comes in handy when viewing multi-page threads, especially if you up your posts per page.
 
An excellent idea from a member who should post more. 😉

Speaking for myself, it would save many unnecessary page views.
 
Agreed.
I think this should apply to general searches as well.
I pretty much never use the "Today" page, but I often search for my own username just to see if anything's happened in a thread I posted in.
 
An excellent idea from a member who should post more.
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kranky, thank you for the kind compliment. I remember when I started here in (I think) Oct 97. I had almost 2500 posts by January.... and then the server did one of the crashes we all saw happen so many times. It was during a time when I had VERY little to do at work, so I was posting like crazy. Now I'm busier, but I still probably spend one to two hours per day on the Forums... it's just more diverse and I tend to read more than write... but I'm still alive and kicking.



I pretty much never use the "Today" page, but I often search for my own username just to see if anything's happened in a thread I posted in.
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Sunner, that's exactly what I use the "Today" page for! On the right are links to your last 20 posts... so I use that as sort of an automatic personal search.... which remindes me of another suggestion I have... so I'm off to start another thread in this forum.

Joe
 
I like that idea very much. I haven't participated too much until recently, but trying to follow some of the larger threads, especially in Off Topic can be very time consuming. Of course, I don't know how easily this could be implemented.

-Josh
 
Well... I've got one idea, but I'm not sure if it will work and I don't know the horsepower required.

When I go to PHPBB boards, I notice that it doesn't matter what machien I log on from, they (the bulletin boards) always seem to know EXACTLY what is new since my last log on. With FuseTalk (at least here on AT), when I log on from another machine, what I'm shown is what's new SINCE I LOGGED ON AT THAT MACHINE, as opposed to what's new since I logged on.

What I "think" is happening here is that Fusetalk must use some sort of client based cookie to track what you've seen/done and PHPBB must use something on the server side. That's the only reason I can think of that would make FuseTalks "new" posts based on what machine you are loggin on from and PHPBB's not caring but always showing you the "literal" new posts, regardless of what machine you're using.

IF I'm right, then it would seem to me that if FuseTalk would use some sort of server side tracking of where you've been and what you've seen... then it would know the LAST post in each thread that you've read and would be able to send you (via a link) to the correct page in the thread and even to scroll you down to the first NEW post.

Of course, I'm not a programmer, so most of what I just wrote was guessing... but there's a possibility that it could be done like that.

Joe
 
What I "think" is happening here is that Fusetalk must use some sort of client based cookie to track what you've seen/done and PHPBB must use something on the server side.
Click to expand...
i like the idea , but you'll need to tell it here i belive.
 
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