Tech: Why can't I open long threads?

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Jul 10 - 04:54 PM

It's quite obvious that the ads slow down loading, but if you allow them, as I generally do, they shouldn't have a significantly different impact whether you load a short thread, a 50 post segment of a long thread, or an entire reasonably long thread, since the ads only open ONCE for each new opening, regardless of the length of the download. Loading the ads once, and adding a couple of hundred posts to the actual thread length shouldn't be a really major hit on total loading time.

I use Internet Explorer, with "some Java" functions allowed, on a bottom tier (slow) AT&T DSL connection, and have generally had no problem with loading threads as long as I want.

I don't generally do a full thread load for anything with more than about 200 posts shown in the thread list for reading, and will click on the "first 50" number of posts to open longer threads, but if I post anything I usually open the whole thread to verify that the comment was posted and to save "my copy" of the thread.

The longest threads generally remind me of a night at the tavern, where eventually the conversation reaches a stage of "silliness" where nothing very interesting is likely to be said, so I generally go find another group that's still coherent (sober?). I don't recall posting (and wanting to save a record of) anything in a thread with more than about 800 posts, so that's about the largest I've attempted ever to open in full, and in any attempts I've made, a thread of up to 800 posts doesn't take more than about two or three times as long as a thread of 50.

Results would be a little different with a really slow (POTS?) connection, and also if you're in a location that requires your connection to pass through an unusually large number of relay servers. Any single relay point that's "queued full" could drop your download, or delay it long enough for another relay point to "time out" on the download.

Your AntiVirus program and/or any popup blockers or AntiPhishing utilities that you've added on could be blocking something in the content of the page you're trying to load. Done properly, only the "offending item" should be blocked, and the remainder of the download should continue, but mix-and-match conglomerates of programs sometimes just drop the whole download. I use Norton Internet Security in order to get all the functions I want in a single package without my need to worry about a bunch of randomly chosen add-ons being compatible with each other. (There are a number of good "integrated protection suites," so my use of Norton isn't necessarily a product recommendation.)

Even if you have a good protection setup, with previously compatible components, a recent "update" may have changed your system's response to a particular kind of "suspicious content," or may have affected compatibility between plug-ins you've added.

If you have a slow connection, instead of clicking on the thread name to open the entire thread, just click on the numper of posts (if the thread has more than 50 posts so that it shows as a "blue clicky") to get the first 50 posts. Click on the little "d" to get the last 50 posts in reverse order. Once you're in the thread, you'll find links to all the "50 post segments" of a long thread, and you shouldn't have a problem with any of them if you can download threads of up to 50 posts.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Jul 10 - 06:23 AM

You can kill the ads by disabling Javascript. On the browser I'm using now, Mudcat is completely unusable with Javascript on.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Wolfhound person
Date: 29 Jul 10 - 04:54 AM

Yes, it does work Joe, thanks very much

Paws

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jul 10 - 02:13 AM

Joe, I had the same trouble, just tried your suggestion and BINGO! it works, thanks.

whb

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Jul 10 - 01:26 AM

Paws, did you read my suggestion above (click), about reading long threads in segments of 50 messages?
Does it work for you?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Wolfhound person
Date: 28 Jul 10 - 03:38 AM

I'm on Firefox and can't open anything longer than 100 messages. (Yes, I've installed Adblock - it's made things worse). Doesn't just slow it down, crashes Firefox completely, all the windows I've got open. Then when I restart it, it tries to restore all the tabs and the same thing happens again.

So I just don't read long threads now....

Paws

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: GUEST,Tootler on BB
Date: 28 Jul 10 - 03:21 AM

Cable's fine if it's available in your area. Not everyone has access to cable though - at least not here in the UK. I have a good broadband connection but even so adding Ad Block to Firefox made a significant difference to load times.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: kendall
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 09:29 PM

I cured that problem by getting cable and dumping dial up.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Tootler
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 06:51 PM

Yes, that's what I had noticed, though sometimes Google ads will cause a slowdown.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Bill D
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:54 PM

It is usually the Amazon ads which bog things down...they sometimes crowd 15-20 links into one ad, and even on a fast connection it takes extra leading time.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Tootler
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:44 PM

Has to be the ads. I have just installed Ad Block Plus and the speed up in load times, especially for long threads is amazing.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Cool Beans
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:42 PM

Yeeha! Thanks, Joe! That worked.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Tootler
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:37 PM

I think much of the problem lies with the ads. I have noticed that the load often hangs for some time while a connection to an ad site is established and during that time the "stop loading the page" X is greyed out which is a nuisance as you can't stop the page loading and refresh which will sometimes move things along.

I use Firefox, so I will have to investigate ad block plus.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:22 PM

That was a cross-post with about three others!

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:21 PM

It does take ages to open long threads here, and even longer to then get to the end of them. On TheSession website, even long threads open much more quickly than here and I can scroll to the bottom of them almost instantly, in spite of all that grungy orange colour.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Rapparee
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:21 PM

If it is the Google ads AND you are using Firefox, download Ad Block Plus and follow the directions. It works fine.

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Rapparee
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:19 PM

What browser are you using, and how fast is your ISP's connection?

Subject: RE: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:18 PM

Hi, Cool Beans-
I'm guessing that it may be the Google ads,. which seem to slow down loading time.
I think I'd suggest that whenever you open a long thread, you open it in segments. Look at the "messages" column on the Forum Menu. You'll notice that if a thread has more than 50 messages, the number turns into a clickable line, and there will be another little "d" (descending) link next to the number. Both of these links will load threads in lots of 50 messages, and that may do the trick for you.
You may still not be able to load the MOAB, but it should work on most long threads that are of reasonable length, like this one.

Let me know how this suggestion works for you.

-Joe-

Subject: Tech: Why can't I open long threads?
From: Cool Beans
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 05:12 PM

Any thread with more than 200 postings makes my computer freeze and I can never open the thread. This didn't use to happen with my computer at work. At first I thought it was a problem with AOL but I can circumvent AOL and it still happens. Any ideas for how to fix this?