4 ms·

You’re getting downvoted, but this is a totally legitimate comment. A sizable minority of people prefer the mobile WP interface and find it cleaner even on a no

You’re getting downvoted, but this is a totally legitimate comment. A sizable minority of people prefer the mobile WP interface and find it cleaner even on a non-mobile device. m.wikipedia isn’t the default, so it’s different from regular wikipedia.com redirecting a mobile user to the mobile version. It’s easier for them to go to m.wikipedia.com than to change their user agent, especially if they aren’t that technical.

cubefox 3y ago
There are plenty of websites where you can switch between mobile and desktop websites without using multiple URLs.
- jlund-molfese 3y ago
  The point is that the user can go to `m.wikipedia.com` and not do anything else. They don't have to hunt around for a footer option, they don't have to do multiple page loads (which can cost some people money!), they don't have to keep some cookies around or use the same device for their preference to be maintained. Note also that WP isn't alone in their choice. Facebook, another website with a large non-Western user base, also maintains the same behavior. Go to https://m.facebook.com https://m.facebook.com, you won't be redirected to https://facebook.com https://facebook.com . There are tradeoffs either way, and no matter what WP does, they'll be making some users unhappy. Not all of these users fit the same profile, either. Wikipedia has a global user base, so what's best for most American sites isn't necessarily what's best for Wikipedia. Ultimately, it's not the case that one option is right, and the other is wrong.
  - cubefox 3y ago
    I think the right option is to use whatever is best for most users. Most users (by far) will be fine with being served the mobile/desktop website automatically, depending on whether they use a mobile/desktop browser.
fbdab103 3y ago
m.wikipedia also requires less network bandwidth which may be exactly what you want in some situations. - Desktop: 388kB (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling) - Mobile: 221kB (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling)
munk-a 3y ago
Modern browsers all have buttons to toggle user agent preferences in their dev tools. This is a highly technical request and the solution really only needs to be accessible to highly technical users... it's much _much_ more likely that less technical users with strong style preferences will use one of the dozens of pre-configured alternative CSS extensions or just write up their own stylesheet. I love user customization but this is extremely niche.

cubefox 3y ago

There are plenty of websites where you can switch between mobile and desktop websites without using multiple URLs.

jlund-molfese 3y ago
The point is that the user can go to `m.wikipedia.com` and not do anything else. They don't have to hunt around for a footer option, they don't have to do multiple page loads (which can cost some people money!), they don't have to keep some cookies around or use the same device for their preference to be maintained. Note also that WP isn't alone in their choice. Facebook, another website with a large non-Western user base, also maintains the same behavior. Go to https://m.facebook.com https://m.facebook.com, you won't be redirected to https://facebook.com https://facebook.com . There are tradeoffs either way, and no matter what WP does, they'll be making some users unhappy. Not all of these users fit the same profile, either. Wikipedia has a global user base, so what's best for most American sites isn't necessarily what's best for Wikipedia. Ultimately, it's not the case that one option is right, and the other is wrong.
- cubefox 3y ago
  I think the right option is to use whatever is best for most users. Most users (by far) will be fine with being served the mobile/desktop website automatically, depending on whether they use a mobile/desktop browser.

fbdab103 3y ago

m.wikipedia also requires less network bandwidth which may be exactly what you want in some situations. - Desktop: 388kB (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling) - Mobile: 221kB (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling)

munk-a 3y ago

Modern browsers all have buttons to toggle user agent preferences in their dev tools. This is a highly technical request and the solution really only needs to be accessible to highly technical users... it's much _much_ more likely that less technical users with strong style preferences will use one of the dozens of pre-configured alternative CSS extensions or just write up their own stylesheet. I love user customization but this is extremely niche.