9 ms·

Hmm, I just checked myself, and I was able to read comment threads perfectly fine without being logged in, on both a desktop computer and a smartphone. Obvious

by CM30 7y ago

Hmm, I just checked myself, and I was able to read comment threads perfectly fine without being logged in, on both a desktop computer and a smartphone. Obviously old.reddit.com doesn't have these issues, but I'm pretty sure the session on smartphone used the new site, and that let me keep reading without any interruptions too. Either way, if Reddit does this, that's it. Not returning to the site. The internet doesn't need all these walled gardens, and it's worrying how this is going to affect how info is preserved for future generations.

Normal_gaussian 7y ago
I've been experiencing it either way on my phone this week. As I'm quite judicious about using "private" sessions for everything I suspect its been under a/b test. As you say, its not present on ud. or old.
- CM30 7y ago
  Yeah, this feature being part of an A/B test makes sense. Hopefully the results of said test show enough of a drop in traffic/conversions for the variation with the 'login requirement' that they drop the idea altogether.
  - Normal_gaussian 7y ago
    I doubt it. Users will either login or switch to old/ud There doesn't seem to be any downside to old/ud - it retains users that would otherwise leave whilst being enough of a pain that those who the wouldn't leave just login.
  - city41 7y ago
    I wonder if this type of thing is A/B testable. I feel like the real effects of a change like this will take a very long time to see.
paganel 7y ago
Unfortunately the way things are going I can see them getting rid of old.reddit.com and i.reddit.com, at which point I think I'll also stop visiting the website (the mobile website is atrocious and I'm not going to install a dedicated app in order to read a forum).
- goda90 7y ago
  For mobile, I've been using an open source app(RedReader). It's not actively developed anymore, so new "features" like silver and platinum, etc, are left out. I think the last big feature that was added was v.redd.it with sound. If Reddit ever locks down their APIs so third party apps don't work, I'll probably be done.
- iRobbery 7y ago
  ah thanks for answering that for me. I sometimes pondered if i did make an account on reddit, if it then would less horrible. :)
- johnnycab 7y ago
  >I'm not going to install a dedicated app in order to read a forum Apollo (iOS) provides a nice and clean design, as does Joey (Android) which copies the style of the former. Even on the desktop, the experience is smooth and manageable, by using uMatrix and RES, whether you are browsing old.reddit or not. I don't understand the hesitancy in using these enhancements to enrich your user experience.
  - pritambaral 7y ago
    > I don't understand your hesitancy in using these enhancements to enrich your user experience. Not your parent, but I know of no mobile app that allows me certain enhancements that are simply standard on my (mobile) web browser: tabs, ad-blocking, & accessibility. Tabs: because I multi-task, and I compartmentalise my reading. If all I have is an app, then the app either needs to re-invent tabs within it (none I've found so far) or I am forced to have at-most one post/thread I could be reading. The latter is particularly bad. Extra bad when it happens automatically: say I pause reading a post, go to a different app/website, and click on a reddit link there. Add Firefox's Containers to the mix and the 'Tabs!' benefit becomes even better. Ad-blocking: Need I say more? Well, more than blocking ads, the general ability to block annoying (highly so in the case of reddit) elements of a page using uBlock Origin or uMatrix. RES doesn't yet work on the mobile web (likely due to the lack of popularity of mobile browsers that _do_ support add-ons), but if it did, I absolutely would use it. Accessibility: I can print, copy, link to, search in, or have read aloud any page or part of any page on the web. I haven't yet seen a Ctrl+F equivalent in a reddit app, but my mobile browser has Find In Page.
kop316 7y ago
I just pulled up www.reddit.com on Firefox Klar (Android), went to a random thread, and did not encounter it either. Perhaps they are testing it with a subset of users?
- dougmwne 7y ago
  Yes, they must be testing it. I have encountered it several times. It always makes me close the tab and do something else. Hope they keep it.
AHTERIX5000 7y ago
It's ridiculous how much better old.reddit.com is for a casual reader like me. The way thread hiding works by default, "See Entire Discussion" etc, everything is designed to provoke clicks and actions instead of reading the actual discussion.
- gherkinnn 7y ago
  I recently browsed reddit after years of abstinence. The “view discussion” and “view more comments” buttons are just utter, utter shite. It is near impossible to read all of the comments. It’s clearly designed to satisfy KPIs other than actually reading a post. More like superficially bouncing from one post to the next, dropping an upboat and off you go. I sincerely hope all these sign in-only forums with great SEO like Quora and Reddit suffocate on their own rot.
  - azangru 7y ago
    > It’s clearly designed to satisfy KPIs other than actually reading a post I thought / heard from someone that the View more comments button is a technical solution for preventing overfetching or excessively deep queries. Never crossed my mind for a second to connect it to KPIs.
    - gherkinnn 7y ago
      A sound solution one might think. But then I’d expect a “load more” button to expand a new level, and fetch those comments, leaving the rest in tact. Not to go to a new page and only show a subset of the comments yo want to load and hide the comments it displayed just a click away. Instead the new page is rather short and has a completely different post at the bottom. It’s all about engagement. And more ads. But I hide em, so no idea where these are.
      - _lacroix 7y ago
        Ugh yes that UX is atrocious!!
pmlnr 7y ago
reddit.com/r/[thread/.compact is also an alternative.
baby 7y ago
I have personally been extremely bothered by the masked threads for a while now as I often browse reddit unlogged. So I can attest it is real and awful :/
neonate 7y ago
I just checked too. Am able to read comments without an account on both reddit.com and old.reddit.com, desktop and mobile. Maybe they were testing something? or did this as a trial balloon? or canceled it because of backlash?

by CM30 7y ago

Normal_gaussian 7y ago

I've been experiencing it either way on my phone this week. As I'm quite judicious about using "private" sessions for everything I suspect its been under a/b test. As you say, its not present on ud. or old.

CM30 7y ago
Yeah, this feature being part of an A/B test makes sense. Hopefully the results of said test show enough of a drop in traffic/conversions for the variation with the 'login requirement' that they drop the idea altogether.
- Normal_gaussian 7y ago
  I doubt it. Users will either login or switch to old/ud There doesn't seem to be any downside to old/ud - it retains users that would otherwise leave whilst being enough of a pain that those who the wouldn't leave just login.
- city41 7y ago
  I wonder if this type of thing is A/B testable. I feel like the real effects of a change like this will take a very long time to see.

paganel 7y ago

Unfortunately the way things are going I can see them getting rid of old.reddit.com and i.reddit.com, at which point I think I'll also stop visiting the website (the mobile website is atrocious and I'm not going to install a dedicated app in order to read a forum).

goda90 7y ago
For mobile, I've been using an open source app(RedReader). It's not actively developed anymore, so new "features" like silver and platinum, etc, are left out. I think the last big feature that was added was v.redd.it with sound. If Reddit ever locks down their APIs so third party apps don't work, I'll probably be done.
iRobbery 7y ago
ah thanks for answering that for me. I sometimes pondered if i did make an account on reddit, if it then would less horrible. :)
johnnycab 7y ago
>I'm not going to install a dedicated app in order to read a forum Apollo (iOS) provides a nice and clean design, as does Joey (Android) which copies the style of the former. Even on the desktop, the experience is smooth and manageable, by using uMatrix and RES, whether you are browsing old.reddit or not. I don't understand the hesitancy in using these enhancements to enrich your user experience.
- pritambaral 7y ago
  > I don't understand your hesitancy in using these enhancements to enrich your user experience. Not your parent, but I know of no mobile app that allows me certain enhancements that are simply standard on my (mobile) web browser: tabs, ad-blocking, & accessibility. Tabs: because I multi-task, and I compartmentalise my reading. If all I have is an app, then the app either needs to re-invent tabs within it (none I've found so far) or I am forced to have at-most one post/thread I could be reading. The latter is particularly bad. Extra bad when it happens automatically: say I pause reading a post, go to a different app/website, and click on a reddit link there. Add Firefox's Containers to the mix and the 'Tabs!' benefit becomes even better. Ad-blocking: Need I say more? Well, more than blocking ads, the general ability to block annoying (highly so in the case of reddit) elements of a page using uBlock Origin or uMatrix. RES doesn't yet work on the mobile web (likely due to the lack of popularity of mobile browsers that _do_ support add-ons), but if it did, I absolutely would use it. Accessibility: I can print, copy, link to, search in, or have read aloud any page or part of any page on the web. I haven't yet seen a Ctrl+F equivalent in a reddit app, but my mobile browser has Find In Page.

kop316 7y ago

I just pulled up www.reddit.com on Firefox Klar (Android), went to a random thread, and did not encounter it either. Perhaps they are testing it with a subset of users?

dougmwne 7y ago
Yes, they must be testing it. I have encountered it several times. It always makes me close the tab and do something else. Hope they keep it.

AHTERIX5000 7y ago

It's ridiculous how much better old.reddit.com is for a casual reader like me. The way thread hiding works by default, "See Entire Discussion" etc, everything is designed to provoke clicks and actions instead of reading the actual discussion.

gherkinnn 7y ago
I recently browsed reddit after years of abstinence. The “view discussion” and “view more comments” buttons are just utter, utter shite. It is near impossible to read all of the comments. It’s clearly designed to satisfy KPIs other than actually reading a post. More like superficially bouncing from one post to the next, dropping an upboat and off you go. I sincerely hope all these sign in-only forums with great SEO like Quora and Reddit suffocate on their own rot.
- azangru 7y ago
  > It’s clearly designed to satisfy KPIs other than actually reading a post I thought / heard from someone that the View more comments button is a technical solution for preventing overfetching or excessively deep queries. Never crossed my mind for a second to connect it to KPIs.
  - gherkinnn 7y ago
    A sound solution one might think. But then I’d expect a “load more” button to expand a new level, and fetch those comments, leaving the rest in tact. Not to go to a new page and only show a subset of the comments yo want to load and hide the comments it displayed just a click away. Instead the new page is rather short and has a completely different post at the bottom. It’s all about engagement. And more ads. But I hide em, so no idea where these are.
    - _lacroix 7y ago
      Ugh yes that UX is atrocious!!

pmlnr 7y ago

reddit.com/r/[thread/.compact is also an alternative.

baby 7y ago

I have personally been extremely bothered by the masked threads for a while now as I often browse reddit unlogged. So I can attest it is real and awful :/

neonate 7y ago

I just checked too. Am able to read comments without an account on both reddit.com and old.reddit.com, desktop and mobile. Maybe they were testing something? or did this as a trial balloon? or canceled it because of backlash?