• Activity
  • Votes
  • Comments
  • New
  • All activity
    1. You can now set a default theme for your account (and still override on individual devices if you want)

      This is another feature that's been requested a number of times, and was implemented as an open-source contribution by @Celeo. If you're not aware (since apparently a fair number of people haven't...

      This is another feature that's been requested a number of times, and was implemented as an open-source contribution by @Celeo.

      If you're not aware (since apparently a fair number of people haven't noticed them), there are currently 4 different color themes for the site that you can choose from on the settings page. Until now, this choice has always only applied to the specific device that you're on, and is stored in a cookie, so people that switch devices often or clear their cookies were a bit annoyed by needing to re-select their theme every time they log in.

      Now you can set a default theme for your account, so when you log into your account it will automatically change to that theme (but you can still override it if you want to use a different theme on that device). To do this, just change to the theme that you want to use as your default on the settings page, and a button to set as default should show up next to the dropdown. The behavior of it's still a little bit weird in some cases, so you may need to change the dropdown away and back if it's already set to the one you want to use.

      68 votes
    2. Suggestion: Filter by Domain

      One of the issues I had with HackerNews was that the front page was dominated by articles from major publications that imo were often written by journalists out of their depth. I think having a...

      One of the issues I had with HackerNews was that the front page was dominated by articles from major publications that imo were often written by journalists out of their depth. I think having a filter by domain feature would help users avoid certain publications that they know they won't enjoy reading.

      9 votes
    3. Are there any thoughts for a notification system or a mobile app?

      While browsing through the Tildes documentation, I stumbled across this in the Technical Goals section: Tildes is a website. Your phone already has an app for using it—it's your browser. Tildes...

      While browsing through the Tildes documentation, I stumbled across this in the Technical Goals section:

      Tildes is a website. Your phone already has an app for using it—it's your browser.

      Tildes will have a full-featured API, so I definitely don't want to discourage mobile apps overall, but the primary interface for using the site on mobile should remain as the website. That means that mobile users will get access to updates at exactly the same time as desktop ones, and full functionality should always be available on both.

      This got me thinking. Despite Tildes preferring mobile browsers over an app, is there still a chance for one? I usually avoid using websites on mobile unless I must, as mobile websites generally don't have the full functionality of the website. Labelling comments 'Exemplary' and 'Malice' on mobile is an example of what doesn't work (there's more), and it's usually very unresponsive for some of the things that still do work. Also, there aren't any notifications on mobile websites and some people, me included, have cumbersome browsers that make the feel of using the website slow and laborious.

      Another thing is, if the app has no chance of happening, could Tildes get desktop notifications? I usually like to respond to replies to my topics and comments as quickly as possible and I'm not a fan of the whole 'constant login to check my notifications' thing. Email notifications aren't possible because of Tildes' privacy belief.

      33 votes
    4. What are some good short novels?

      I've read a few novels, I think an excellent short novel is Elevation by Stephen King. It's not what you'd expect from a Stephen King novel (no horror elements), but it's a great read. I can't say...

      I've read a few novels, I think an excellent short novel is Elevation by Stephen King. It's not what you'd expect from a Stephen King novel (no horror elements), but it's a great read. I can't say too much without spoiling it, but here's the blurb:

      The latest from legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting, extraordinarily eerie, and moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together—a timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences.

      It starts off a little slow, but give it a little bit of time. It's readable in an afternoon, I think I spent 5 or so hours reading it.

      7 votes
    5. What non-fiction books have had lasting explanatory power?

      I was telling someone about a psychology book I'm reading at the moment. Intending to read it themselves they messaged me later to ask for the title. And I felt a bit unsettled at sharing it!...

      I was telling someone about a psychology book I'm reading at the moment. Intending to read it themselves they messaged me later to ask for the title. And I felt a bit unsettled at sharing it!

      Whilst it's interesting and I'm enjoying it, I doubt I'll remember its lessons or claims in a year or two. Which got me thinking about books that I read years ago which still help me understand the world.

      So I thought I'd make a post asking which books other users still found helpful year(s) later.

      tldr; share books that are:

      • Non-fiction (or at least serious fiction).
      • First read over a year ago.
      • Have been helpful to you multiple times since.
      18 votes
    6. What's the (aimed) lifetime of a discussion on Tildes?

      It's somewhat of an unspoken rule on Reddit that replying to a comment that's more than a day old is a faux pas. The conversation naturally settles within that period – or, less often, within two...

      It's somewhat of an unspoken rule on Reddit that replying to a comment that's more than a day old is a faux pas. The conversation naturally settles within that period – or, less often, within two days. After that, the only appropriate thing is to either reference the conversation, or quote parts of the comments in relation to a similar issue in another post.

      On Hubski, conversations could go on for days. It's explicitly stated in the guidelines that it's completely okay to reply to a comment of any age. I've never seen a year-old "revival" do any good, but the fact that it isn't prohibited or frowned upon adds no burden to the user.

      How does Tildes handle this? Is there an unwritten rule already? Should there be a written one? What would be the factors?

      Today's Feb 13. I've found a post from Feb 2 that was on a subject of interest of mine, where comments were insightful, but I feel like not all questions that need to be asked have been. Surely I won't go about creating another topic just to revive the conversation against only my own commentary to show for it.

      There's also the matter of important, (semi)official topics on Tildes. Suppose a new issue arises that concerns an earlier public discussion held, say, half a year ago. It's a minor issue, but one that requires a discussion to settle. Does one comment on the old official topic, or does one create a new topic for this purpose?

      35 votes