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Slashdot Mobile: Now For Tablets As Well As Phones

Posted by timothy on from the ensmallening dept.

Gaurav Kuchhal (Head of Product, Slashdot) writes "Slashdot Mobile has finally made it out of the gates for tablets as well as phones. The Mobile site for phones launched some weeks back, but now you can take advantage of the changes we've made to read Slashdot easier to read through touch-screen devices on tablets as well as phones. That includes features we've folded in to the mobile version from the desktop-browser view of the site, so you can scan user profiles, sip from the Firehose, and keep up with notifications. See this blog post for more details, and keep the feedback coming. If you see a problem, please tell us about it!"

123 comments

  1. Nice work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    FP> Glad to see you's guys finally going mobile. Keep up the good work!

  2. any chance of getting those in the reg. version? by Trepidity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Some of those features seem pretty useful, especially notification of replies. Will they be added to the regular, non-mobile/tablet version of the website as well?

    --
    10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  3. Time by serkit · · Score: 0

    What took so long?

  4. Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Serious question. Why did you create a separate web site rather than just use a different stylesheet with the "handheld" css media type?

    1. Re:Question by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Informative

      Serious question. Why did you create a separate web site rather than just use a different stylesheet with the "handheld" css media type?

      because they're realistic? name one complex forum type of site for which the different stylesheet approach works?

      this saves memory on the handheld sites - or at least makes it simpler for deciding which javascript to load to make the site function(and in which way).
      or at least should.

      (mobile browsers have different quirks and so forth.. and it's good if you can have the option of deciding which to go to. also some tablets run desktop os's and browsers..)

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Second serious question: why is this site's code so shitty that, when I browse with a desktop browser like Chrome, I sometimes get:

      a) The mobile version, without any way to switch it back to fullscreen
      b) The mobile version, with the control to switch it back to fullscreen
      c) The normal fullscreen version

      Nothing more aggravating than getting (a) above and being forced to browse at Score: 5, Full Groupthink Mode

    3. Re:Question by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      on a second note, it would be nice if the mobile site reacted to click events.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    4. Re:Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because they've been doing that for at least the last THREE YEARS with a score filter slider that DOESN'T WORK on Android.

      And just to make it worse, the "Full Screen" switch at the bottom of the page doesn't work either.

    5. Re:Question by beeudoublez · · Score: 1

      This will be cleaned up in the V1 version. Right now, the mobile sites are siloed from the full site (m.slashdot.org, mbeta.slashdot.org).

      In the future, if you're coming from a mobile device, we'll show you the mobile version. BUT you'll always be able to switch to the full site if you prefer.

      One of the upcoming features is being able to set your comment browsing level. The comment slider doesn't work too well for mobile so it needs some thought.

  5. looks good after.... by who_stole_my_kidneys · · Score: 1

    you get past the "your device\browser is not supported" page

    1. Re:looks good after.... by hobarrera · · Score: 1

      I found this pretty stupid. Instead of listing supported devices manually, make a standards compliant tablet-oriented website, and if it fails for some non-compliant browser, blame it.

    2. Re:looks good after.... by alci63 · · Score: 1

      Yes. Not supporting uncommon but probably perfectly capable device/browser is quite weird for geek oriented site ! What about the nokia N9 for example ? (with native webkit based browser, or with firefox, both work fine after you pass this stupid "Optimized for IE" style page...)

    3. Re:looks good after.... by beeudoublez · · Score: 1

      This is good feedback, thanks. It's not that the site won't work (it is standards-compliant), it's that we have a finite amount of devices to test with, and those are on the 'supported' list. Once we go live, I'll remove this screen.

  6. Here's your answer by bogaboga · · Score: 1

    They were in negotiations about being acquired by Dice.

  7. Re:any chance of getting those in the reg. version by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You want notification of replies? What's wrong with polling your profile page?

  8. I like the palm version by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I still use the palm version on my smartphone. I have tried the mbeta, but is apparently buggy. The palm version has an added benefit of showing only the top 5 comments, which saves me a lot of time.

  9. Does not work without javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nice design.. but does not work wihout javascript enabled.

    1. Re:Does not work without javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so? quit being paranoid, enable javascript, and welcome to 2012.

    2. Re:Does not work without javascript by EzInKy · · Score: 1

      Why enable it if it isn't necessary? Slashdot is a nerd site so cater to the needs of nerds.

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    3. Re:Does not work without javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      why don't nerds need javascript? TONS of sites use it to very nice effect these days, and there's no reason to disable (don't give me the security line, any nerd worth their salt knows how to avoid any problems having javascript enabled might cause, especially since browsers are pretty good at detecting scripting attacks). get over yourself and turn it on.

    4. Re:Does not work without javascript by BenoitRen · · Score: 2

      Nerds don't need JavaScript because more often than not it's used for dumb, shiny and annoying features and ads which together just slow down the loading and viewing of the website.

      Unfortunately, there's an increasing number of websites where basic features like search don't even work anymore without JavaScript. Graceful degradation seems to be a thing from the past.

    5. Re:Does not work without javascript by WillKemp · · Score: 1

      Weirdly there's a growing number of web sites that don't work on a teletype any more, too.

    6. Re:Does not work without javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Weirdly a nerd on a news for nerds site doesn't understand why a website should function with or without Javascript.

      If you want to make sites that only function properly with Javascript, you have to accept that there will be ~1% of people that won't use your site. If this bothers you or your client, I suggest you learn how to use graceful degradation.

      If you don't aim for 100% compatibility of your sites, then you ren't a web developer, or at least not a very good one.

    7. Re:Does not work without javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're wrong though. you're talking like it's still 2004 or something. with all the nice libraries out there practically every site i visit has leaned how to use javascript properly, and guess what? it's great! more superficially, ajax is great when used right. slashdot uses it well, for example, despite what the small group of detractors might say. javascript enables sites to do MANY thing that simply CAN'T be done with pure html/css, and that's a GOOD thing. how do people not realize this? what sites do you visit that are so horribly crippled by javascript like you imply?

    8. Re:Does not work without javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      uh, really? what if you just don't care about the minuscule amount of people who turn off javascript for whatever insane reason? clearly it doesn't hurt most news sites' bottom lines, so as a web developer i'm not worried either. javascript is the most supported language across computers worldwide.

      sorry, but i just don't care about a cluster of paranoid nerds who think javascript is somehow harmful to them, or ancient machines that somehow lack a browser with js support. that's just the way it goes.

    9. Re:Does not work without javascript by BenoitRen · · Score: 2

      You don't get it, do you? Graceful degradation is part of the WWW's design. Using broken HTML and using JavaScript to add the functionality that was left out is ridiculous. It's like crippling functionality that used to work and then applying a weird patch.

      • Search forms that don't work because the action attribute was left out and instead form submission is handled by XMLHttpRequest in JavaScript.
      • Using HTML elements with the JavaScript click event attached instead of anchors to link pages.
      • Or how about that floating advertisement that appears floating on top of the page and that I can't dismiss because dismissing it requires JavaScript?
    10. Re:Does not work without javascript by BenoitRen · · Score: 1

      JavaScript was designed to be a tool for some extra interactivity on websites. You're abusing it and making it mandatory. If you still think it's about harmful JavaScript or web browsers without JavaScript support, you must be blind. It's about accessibility. Do you even read the posts you reply to?

    11. Re:Does not work without javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      who cares what it was "designed" for (which, by the way, was to add *important* functionality that html couldn't provide because, you know, technology moves forward)? the fact remains that javascript is the most supported language on the planet! the .5% or whatever of browsers with it disabled either belong to corporations or paranoid slashdot nerds.

      look, nowadays the web *is* html, css, and javascript. that's a fact. my question is, why do people whine about javascript as if it's evil or something, it's powerful, EXTREMELY useful for designing sites that work well, and (in recent years) fast. what's the problem?

    12. Re:Does not work without javascript by WillKemp · · Score: 1

      Yes, i do get it. I'm pretty sure i've never made a web site that wouldn't work with JavaScript turned off. But that doesn't mean i can't joke about it.

    13. Re:Does not work without javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i agree - those are all problems ... when you have javascript disabled. the solution? turn on javascript and get over yourself. it's magic!

    14. Re:Does not work without javascript by BenoitRen · · Score: 1

      I didn't get that it was a joke. My apologies.

  10. Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    My tablet has higher resolution than many laptops sold today, so I'm not interested in a different layout.

    Regardless, I'd like to choose whether the mobile or normal layout is shown.

    1. Re:Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by green1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Exactly this. I don't EVER want to see a mobile version of any website on my tablet. And yet far too many websites refuse to give me the full site no matter what I click, ignoring the flag in my browser for "request desktop version" and not having anything of their own I can click to get there.

      I have never seen a site that works better on my tablet in mobile version than full, but I have seen many sites refuse to let me even try the full version.

      Additionally, my phone is now in the same range, I only want the desktop version on it too. again, not an option on many sites.

    2. Re:Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by steveg · · Score: 1

      Yes, yes, yes.

      And even on my phone which is *not* in that range, no mobile site I've ever seen works well. There is always too much loss of funtionality. I'm willing to scroll around on the desktop site, even if I'm doing so through a tiny porthole. If you're going to force your mobile site on me, then I'll just leave. Give me a way to turn the damned thing off.

      To be fair, Slashdot hasn't forced it on us yet. When I go to http://slashdot.org/ on my phone, I get the real site, not the mobile one. Lets hope it stays that way.

      --
      Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.
    3. Re:Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by Anarki2004 · · Score: 1

      I occasionally have problems with getting the desktop version of various sites to load. Whenever my default browser can't manage it, Opera Mobile has a change user agent setting that seems to actually work.

      --
      The teachers will crack any minute, purple monkey dishwasher.
    4. Re:Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by dargaud · · Score: 2

      Android browsers normally have a settable user agent. But the setting depends on the device. On my Galaxy SII you go to about:useragent to access it. Google it up.

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
    5. Re:Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Exactly this. I don't EVER want to see a mobile version of any website on my tablet. And yet far too many websites refuse to give me the full site no matter what I click

      Amen to that.

      I can't tell you how annoying it is to follow a link that says "redirecting to our mobile site", which then dumps you at the main page without attempting to get you where you wanted and no way to get to it.

      If you can't give me the content I was looking for, and give me at least as good as what I'd have gotten from the normal page ... don't try to be a clever guy and redirect me to an un-usable mobile site. I wasn't looking for your front page, I was looking for something specific that I already have a link to.

      I have yet to be directed to a mobile site which actually works.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    6. Re:Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by Moxon · · Score: 1

      Oh, yes, I'm so tired of that. ..and the mbeta site is weirdly proportioned on my galaxy tab. Looks like I'm getting the "ancient nokia" version stretched to fill a 10 inch screen. Just gimme the desktop site already.

    7. Re:Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      God yes. Listen to this man.

    8. Re:Tablet is HIGHER resolution than many laptops by dgatwood · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The only major problems I'm aware of with the full version of Slashdot on mobile devices are the ratings slider (which could be trivially fixed by adding support for touch events or by providing an alternative set of up-down arrow controls for the two values that appear only on mobile devices via CSS trickery) and the fact that the minimum column width is too damn wide for viewing on a phone, so you end up scrolling back and forth (which again could be trivially fixed with CSS by adding the various -*-text-size-adjust CSS properties). Incidentally, that second part is a pain in the backside on high-resolution laptops, too, because of the way scaling works in most browsers.

      It would, of course, make sense to load fewer items initially on mobile devices, for performance reasons, and there are probably a bunch of other minor behavioral tweaks, but none of those sorts of changes requires a separate site, or even anything approaching a separate site. In fact, if done correctly, those sorts of differences should be entirely transparent to the user up until the user hits the magic point where it can't scroll any further until after it loads more data.

      In short, most of the time, the only reason for needing a mobile version of a website is that the CSS and JavaScript designers/coders made poor design decisions in the first place. Thus, in most cases, the enhancements that improve usability on the mobile site would also improve usability on the full site for folks with less-than-perfect vision or too-high-resolution screens, and the enhancements that remove functionality on the mobile site just piss people off. The exceptions are few and far between, and by that, I mean that I can't think of any, but I'm willing to accept that in theory, one or two might exist somewhere in the world.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  11. Good work! by sootman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sincerely. Even though I still use this system that I banged together a few years ago (more info here), the new mbeta page looks really nice.

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  12. Missing important feature by lucm · · Score: 5, Funny

    How come there is no tiles? Give us tiles!

    --
    lucm, indeed.
    1. Re:Missing important feature by game+kid · · Score: 1

      Tiles? Tiles!? No! You will read Slashdot in full ASCII glory, and you will like it, or randomly die. Actually, you'll randomly die anyway, but you'll still like it. Or else...something.

      --
      You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
    2. Re:Missing important feature by BenoitRen · · Score: 2

      Or else you'll be eaten by a grue.

  13. slow and clumsy by godrik · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I just tried on my htc desire with cianogene mod. It is much slower than the "original" version. I need to click a link to read the summary, which completely defeat the purpose of having a homepage. If I want to click the stories I want to read, i'd use an RSS feed reader not slashdot home page.

    I won't use it.

  14. Re:any chance of getting those in the reg. version by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You want them to change the interface? Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it.

  15. Does not work on Windows Phone by ZeroSerenity · · Score: 1

    I know you guys hate Windows, but come on. The emulator app is free, this one isn't hard.

    --
    For those who seek perfection there can be no rest on this side of the grave.
    1. Re:Does not work on Windows Phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Page won't load at all... I'm a little disappointed especially since slashdot is known for preaching interoperability. Very disappointing.

    2. Re:Does not work on Windows Phone by zekica · · Score: 1

      I don't think it works on anything but webkit. I've tried in in opera mobile for android, and in mobile firefox.

    3. Re:Does not work on Windows Phone by EzInKy · · Score: 1

      Free isn't as important open.

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    4. Re:Does not work on Windows Phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not working on my HTC 8x Windows 8 device :(. Given other comments, I don't really care. The m.slashdot.org website works just fine.

    5. Re:Does not work on Windows Phone by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Free isn't as important open.

      For some people. Not everybody is as politically interested in libre software -- no matter what the great bearded one thinks.

      For many people, free is all they care about.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    6. Re:Does not work on Windows Phone by gmuslera · · Score: 1

      Don't work in my Nokia N9, and Meego is one the closest things you have right now of a full mobile linux experience. Not tried in the N900, but in that case would be even worse.

      So no, is not anti-Windows phone bias, don't attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.

    7. Re:Does not work on Windows Phone by LinuxIsGarbage · · Score: 1

      Geez, there was an article about that not that long ago
      http://developers.slashdot.org/story/12/11/18/1421204/microsoft-complains-that-webkit-breaks-web-standards

  16. tiny useless summaries by kunwon1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    give us the full summary of every article on the index page, or this is completely useless. if i have to click on and then wait for the loading of every individual story just to get summaries, there's no way i'll use the mobile site.

    --
    Specialization is for insects. -Heinlein
    1. Re:tiny useless summaries by kunwon1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      further, don't break the back button with your ajax crap. if i 'load more articles' seven times then click on one of the articles, then press the back button, i shouldn't have to press the 'load more articles' button seven more times to get back to my place.

      --
      Specialization is for insects. -Heinlein
    2. Re:tiny useless summaries by dargaud · · Score: 1

      Who reads the summaries anyway ? It's /. 2.0, so jump into the fray and start commenting after not only having not read the article, but neither the summary !

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
  17. Good experience by screwgoth · · Score: 1

    Just trying out the new mobile site and am loving the experience

  18. Make the back button work by Sowelu · · Score: 1

    The 'load more articles' is hideously slow on phones, especially when low bandwidth is available. Using the web standard back button, the 'more articles' disappear. Also, a LOT of mobile devices like to de-cache tabs when they haven't been touched in as little as half a minute depending on other activity. This also wrecks the 'more articles'. All I ask for is a way to load each clump of articles on its own page, instead of cramming them all onto one page and making me click a button...wait...click a button...wait...wonder if my phone is even loading it...

  19. FIX YOUR SITE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ever since you've implemented the mobile site, I've been randomly getting shown to the mobile version of article pages.
    It takes anywhere from 1 to 50 reloads to make it go back to normal.

    Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.20 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/25.0.1335.0 Safari/537.20

  20. Bad placement by mcspoo · · Score: 1

    Hugely annoying ad "The HTML 5 Center" across the top looks more like a header or a mistake in the template than an ad...

  21. Select Comment Score Threshold by jeffy210 · · Score: 2

    I like the new mobile site it is very clean, but the biggest problem I have is you can't select your comment score threshold. I like to browse from 2 to 4 depending on the number of comments I get back, but the "Top Rated" link doesn't give me as good of control over what I want to see at the time and quite often I'll get 1's in there.

    My only other issue is that it is *very* touchy and sometimes trying to grab the screen to scroll gets interpreted as a tap and it loads up the article.

    Other than that, great job guys!

    --
    ------
    "And may your days be long upon the earth."
  22. Re:The food is terrible and the portions are small by andrewa · · Score: 1

    Read a story you'd like to contribute your voice to? I hope you're logged in, because if you're logged out you may not be able to find the story again once you log in.

    I think you just described Reddit, and perhaps most other forum sites too...

    --
    :(){ :|:& };:
  23. Please by Redmancometh · · Score: 1

    Fix commenting in the mobile environment before releasing new stuff. If you have to edit something it's unadulterated pure frustration.

  24. Now this page is stuck in mobile view on my deskto by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I lied earlier, most of the time it switches to the mobile version and doesn't change back.
    After posting my previous comment, I reloaded this page and am now stuck on the mobile version. I view other articles and they are the desktop version. I view this page in Firefox instead of Chromium and I still get the mobile version. WTF?

  25. Many mobile browsers not supported? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Opera Mobile and Firefox Mobile (and Firefox Mobile Beta) are not supported? Really? I thought it was a generic warning, but that fucking abortion of a mobile site actually does not work with these browsers. The main page loads, but tapping on a story or the comments icon (assuming it is clickable) does nothing . Stock Android browsers seems to work well, so yay?

    I submitted feedback re: this 2-3 weeks ago.

  26. Bad Detection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone else having a problem with the Mobile view here you get put into it for no reason? Also, it looks like they remove the option to LEAVE mobile mode so the only way to get to Fullscreen is to refresh the page repeatedly until you get the view you want?

  27. It's Official, Slashdot is now a "Product" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We miss you, Taco.

  28. Re:Now this page is stuck in mobile view on my des by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now it is back to normal...

    To add, there are no proxies caching anything on my internet connection and this is the only device using it.

  29. scroll lag. by plebeian · · Score: 1

    The beta looks decent but on the nexus 10 there is a noticeable lag when scrolling which is not there on the full site. I would think that a mobile optimized site would be more responsive and not less.

    --
    "I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions."
  30. a mobile site should support "mobile devices"... by golem100 · · Score: 1

    Basically non-functional on either my phone or the Android Tablet I am current developing on:

    Android 2.3 & 4.0 w/ current Opera for Android.

    This is a rough crowd--would be nice if a "Mobile Site" would work with a pair of pretty vanilla "Mobile Devices".

    Maybe Slashdot needs a QA department?

  31. I hope that does not mean by DrXym · · Score: 1

    That if I load Slashdot on a phone / tablet that it'll helpfully ask if I want to download the app instead. Every single time, or even at random. I wonder if sites know how fucking annoying it is to be asked this question repeatedly.

  32. How quaint by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh, you use a sub-domain for your mobile site? And your "tablet" interface is the same as your mobile interface? And it's styled like an iOS app?

    Isn't that cute. It's like I just woke up in 2009.

    Ah well, Slashdot has never been known for being state-of-the-art.

    1. Re:How quaint by Sowelu · · Score: 2

      Ah well, Slashdot has never been known for being state-of-the-art.

      God, I wish it would stop trying. Plain old HTML works on every device.

  33. Ummm by EGSonikku · · Score: 1

    Does it load a different interface dependent on device! Or doesn't look the same across all? If so, it's a very very iOS looking design, at leas the top menus. Just strange for a site that Rae's against Apple so much...

    --
    - "Scientia non habet inimicum nisp ignorantem"
  34. Thank you. Feeling like 1999 again by anynicknameavailable · · Score: 1

    Opera mini doesn't work. Standard browser is slow on reasonably new phone (dual core 1.2Ghz with Android 4). But with hours of tweaking, I am sure I can find a solution to read text somewhat comfortably on a screen (yes LCD, not CRT, modern stuff). A site for nerds with time on their hands. Feeling young again... I am underwhelmed.

  35. Already got the spam ... by gstoddart · · Score: 2

    Already got the email from Slashdot ... and getting email from Slashdot is kinda new, especially since it's coming from a 3rd party (elabs10.com).

    And I'm not sure I especially like a Slashdot which emails me such things through a mass-mail host. Especially one which has apparently been blacklisted as a spammer. I'm pretty sure I never told Slashdot they could do that.

    Maybe "Dice Holdings" are becoming asshats?

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  36. Ugh. by Fnkmaster · · Score: 1

    Why would you post this today? Sometime last week you updated the mobile code and broke scrolling. Seriously. On the Android 4 browser you can now basically no longer properly scroll the mbeta.slashdot.org site. It's like it's eating touch and/or scroll events for lunch. You clearly tried to fix this, because you can now fling again, but if you are in contact with the touchscreen, the site stops scrolling within a second or so. This problem was not present a week or two ago. Very, horrifically annoying. Showstopper bug. Go fix it, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.

    The other annoying thing - the horrifically slow and error prone paging between stories. And stop trying to intercept swipe events on comments - I'm not trying to switch stories, I'm generally trying to click something to expand/reply/etc. But it's even worse because the story switching is so horribly slow, and has no "loading..." or other user feedback.

    Basically, go work on this for another month or so then let us know when it's fixed.

  37. Blank page by EzInKy · · Score: 1

    Going to mbeta.slashdot.org on my Nokia N900 results in a blank page. The regular site works well when browsing with Midori and Firefox. What am I missing here?

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    1. Re:Blank page by kiddailey · · Score: 1

      Blank for me on my iPhone as well. And can't click anything but the ads when I try to load this in Chrome. Doesn't seem to be beta quality yet.

  38. PROTIP: You're not a geek, if you use a tablet. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    End of story.
    Doubly so, if it has an "i" at the beginning of its name.
    And if you dare mentioning Windows Phone/8, you shall be sacrificed on a VAX, and your blood be drained for your sins, to be used as cooling liquid.

  39. Nothing different on my iPad by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

    nothing different on iPad compared to the regular site... except, the OBNOXIOUS pop-up banner ad thing at the bottom.

    Seriously? Thanks for that.

    --
    Beware of the Leopard.
    1. Re:Nothing different on my iPad by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

      hate to reply to self, but just found out that you have to click the mbeta link to see it on iPad... I assumed it would pick up the agent and redirect since the summary says "launched."

      I probably don't understand what "launched" means, though.

      --
      Beware of the Leopard.
  40. Re:any chance of getting those in the reg. version by kelemvor4 · · Score: 2

    Some of those features seem pretty useful, especially notification of replies. Will they be added to the regular, non-mobile/tablet version of the website as well?

    It's already there and has been for quite a long time. Go turn it on in your settings.

  41. Re:The food is terrible and the portions are small by darjen · · Score: 1

    So why not just log in under a new tab? Your browser session will then transfer over to the other tab. Or am I missing something?

  42. Device not supported by thePowerOfGrayskull · · Score: 1

    Please add blackberry playbook to the devices that are supported. It's the same webkit browser everyone else is using (though with better compliance scores in many cases), and it works just fine when I click 'let me in anyway'.

  43. Re:any chance of getting those in the reg. version by balbus000 · · Score: 1

    Parent is spam, copying comments and adding a link: original comment

  44. One minor issue... by jimicus · · Score: 1

    There really is no need to replace the perfectly functional "back" button on mobile Safari with your own version that takes up 20% of the screen.

    1. Re:One minor issue... by kiddailey · · Score: 1

      ... and doesn't always work.

  45. Why doesn't it look like Slashdot? by Paul+Slocum · · Score: 2

    The mobile site has a dramatically different style than the Slashdot website. It doesn't have the same color scheme, fonts, layout, or any stylistic element in common that I can find. I realize this is a beta and this is Slashdot, but I thought it was pretty standard to start working on the look of a website before beta stage?

    1. Re:Why doesn't it look like Slashdot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where you expecting ponies?

  46. Scroll gets interpreted as a click by harmic · · Score: 1

    In most respects the mobile interface is great, but one thing kills it for me. I simply cannot scroll on the front (story list) page. Every attempt to scroll gets interpreted as a click. Very annoying, almost unusable. I'm using a Samsung S3, Android 4.1.1.

    1. Re:Scroll gets interpreted as a click by Tooke · · Score: 1

      Yeah, same for me on my samsung galaxy exhibit with android 2.3.6. I can't stand it; it makes the whole site completely unusable for me. They better keep the old mobile site around, or at least until this gets fixed.

      --
      Anybody want a peanut?
  47. Why? by pbjones · · Score: 1

    I haven no trouble with the main site on my tablet, so you must be pandering to those people who bought sub standard tablets with low resolution screens who think that all tablets are the 'same'. /sarcasm

    --
    There was an unknown error in the submission.
  48. Looks good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Looks good, and a definite step in the right direction.

    Only comment would be it needs to look more like the main slashdot site theme / colour scheme wise to really blend in as part of the site family here.

    DT

  49. Next Up: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Slashdot Mobile: Now for Desktop!

  50. Finally by jameshofo · · Score: 1

    Everything I ever needed to do can be done on a tablet!

    --
    Good leaders run toward problems, bad leaders hide from them.
    1. Re:Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If that's true, you clearly don't do jack shit

  51. Why not create a dedicated Site App by h2okies · · Score: 1

    The mobile site is god awful slow and laggy where by a dedicated app would probably solve this much like XDA's portal application to access their forums. /. could have or should have had one by now....

    --
    Beware the Lollipop of Mediocrity, Lick it once and you suck forever.
    1. Re:Why not create a dedicated Site App by Spy+Handler · · Score: 1

      slashdot can barely make a functioning AJAX and CSS for desktop PCs (and it's still slow and css breaks in some browsers)... you want them to make an iOS app that works in different resolutions for iphone5, iphone 4, ipad 1/2/mini, ipad 3/4, and then an Android app that works for the umpteen hordes of different Android versions and devices, and a third one for Windows 8 RT and Windows Surface Pro, and Windows Phone 8, all without sucking balls?

      You ask too much.

  52. Doesn't work on windows phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It just gives me a message saying it's not supported. Browser agent sniffing is a terrible practice. Instead, you should check what features are available. There's a bajillion articles out there that will tell you the same thing.

  53. Yay... WAP all over again by MouseR · · Score: 1

    Great. Another web site dumbing down the internet.

    Please make it optional. My iOS client can view regular web site just fine thank you. And I can zoom into it as required.

    Geez.

    Might as well go back to the WAP days...

  54. Not designed for Phablets? by abhikhurana · · Score: 1

    Posting from Nexus 7 and here is what it looks like in portrait mode. Basically more than half the screen stays empty. What tablets did you test it with, besides iPad?
    Screenshot

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    What's under yellowstone?
    1. Re:Not designed for Phablets? by sootman · · Score: 1

      > What tablets did you test it with, besides iPad?

      A: None.

      PS: We didn't test on the iPad, either. :D

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  55. Re:The food is terrible and the portions are small by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    Slashdot is by far the most difficult website to read and comment on.

    You need to go look at the Gawker Media sites. Those are designed by retorted baboons with a penchant for pain.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  56. Obligatory... by closer2it · · Score: 2

    But does it have support for UTF-8? :)

  57. Re:Does not work on N900 by RoccamOccam · · Score: 1

    No go on my Nokia N900.

  58. Why exclude the iPhone 3G? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know it's old, but only allowing a small whitelist of types of devices is ridiculous:

    "Our mobile site is currently in beta, and it looks like your device/browser is not yet supported."

  59. Really good work by duggi · · Score: 1

    I am still on the old commenting style, with none of the JS crap, and /. was a pain on mobile till now. This is a fantastic effort guys. Really love the UI and as a product manager, impressed by the placement of ads. Really good.

    --
    http://monkeynesianeconomics.blogspot.com/
  60. Pace of change is exhausting by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

    First I used the normal slashdot from my PC.

    Then I wanted to be cool and modern and shit like everyone else so I upgraded my AMPS brick phone to one of those new models with a retardedly high resolution...

    Now whenever I go to a site that dares give me a paired down mobile version automatically without asking it makes me sad..sometimes I even want to frown.

    Occasionally it is nice to just sit fads out and wait for technology to go full circle instead of wasting time caring about useless short term problems like WAP and HTML browsers with ridiculously underpowered hardware and low res displays.

    At least I have solace in the fact when it comes to necessary long term technology changes slashdot has got my back with its fully IPv4 enabled website.

  61. Firefox + Phony does the trick by rklrkl · · Score: 1

    On my Nexus 7 tablet, I *never* want the mobile version of a Web site. Best solution to this is to use Firefox and the Phony extension (set to be the desktop Firefox agent string) and your surfing will be exactly like your desktop browsing is.

  62. rss by Faux_Pseudo · · Score: 1

    I browse topics through Google reader on my phone and on my pc. Is there a way for the site to detect the browser and launch the right version? I dint want to have to have two feeds for the same site.

    --
    Ascii artist &
  63. Thanks.... by gbkersey · · Score: 1

    Now I can read ./ on the toilet...

  64. WebOS by SCHecklerX · · Score: 1

    It doesn't detect my Palm Pre or Touchpad properly. Those both use the same webkit rendering engine as everyone else. Looks great, though! Please add WebOS to your detection.

    1. Re:WebOS by SCHecklerX · · Score: 1

      Also, what will the actual URL be? Don't really want to bookmark mbeta and then not know about things going live.

  65. Re:The food is terrible and the portions are small by beeudoublez · · Score: 1

    Hey there. The mobile flow is designed so that anything you interact with that requires sign in - will return you back to you where you started. Are you seeing an area where you're performing a signed-in action, and after you sign in, you're not being returned to the starting point?