Cannot mark as read one of my watched threads [MERGED]

[svenmany]

I wonder how widespread the problem is. We might never know. As a software developer, I'm very much aware that users often put up with bugs without reporting them. Diagnosing the bug would expose how widespread it is (assuming that the person doing the work would have the competence to query the database properly).

Does the team that supports Arn include software developers or is it just made up of the people listed as "Staff" on the site?

The bug certainly is a bothersome one for many people and gets in the way of important site functionality. One could make an argument that the paying subscribers deserve a website that functions properly. I wonder how one would motivate Arn to let someone else on his team look at it, someone with more time to spare. The bug is not costing him money. What else would get his attention?

 

[BigBlur]

As a software developer, I'm very much aware that users often put up with bugs without reporting them.

Yep... Just last week, someone in another thread was questioning why that thread was broken. The post has a couple of likes, so I'm guessing they have the same problem too. I suggested they come over here and comment, but no one ever did.

 

[svenmany]

The situation of having a provable problem ignored leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

 

[jz0309]

The situation of having a provable problem ignored leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

100% agree. All attempts to ping the site owner have failed, it's a sad situation that they can't even simply acknowledge the problem...

 

[Paddle1]

Probably needs to be sent through a different channel if you want a response, arn hasn't logged in since the 6th according to his profile and he hasn't posted in this thread since October last year.

 

[frou]

It puts me off coming to the site, having to deal with these false-positives

 

[mollyc]

I haven't read all nine pages, but I'd just like to chime in that this affecting me also, and it's annoying. Livable. But annoying. Posting just to keep track if there are any updates to this in the future, and also to be counted among affected users.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Hah was wondering if it was just me. That watched # keeps changing and I can't get some to go away. lol It's been really bad the last week.

 

[mollyc]

I've discovered, that at least for me, the threads that get stuck are ones that were dormant for awhile then became resurrected. The most recent thread (as in recently commented on, not true age of the thread), now takes me to the first page when I click on it for new comments, and then I have to choose Jump to New to actually get to the newest post(s).

 

[svenmany]

I'm pretty sure we cannot expect this to ever be fixed unless people complain directly to Arn. It seems like he is not paying attention to this thread, is the only one allocated to work on it, and has put the issue on the back burner.

I hope he's OK.

 

[BigMcGuire]

It's really annoying...

So for example - my watched threads. I've opened this thread (several times today and yesterday) - yet it still says both the iPad mini 7 and this thread are unwatched. I can't mark them watched. And when I click on them, it takes me to the first post in the thread (so it knows I've seen the latest post).

 

[BigMcGuire]

After repeatedly opening and marking both and posting in one. lol (I posted again in the Apple Watch thread).

 

[surferfb]

It's really annoying...

View attachment 2542147

So for example - my watched threads. I've opened this thread (several times today and yesterday) - yet it still says both the iPad mini 7 and this thread are unwatched. I can't mark them watched. And when I click on them, it takes me to the first post in the thread (so it knows I've seen the latest post).

Look who posted the last post in my one unread watched thread 🤣

 

[svenmany]

I do have many questions and they all follow from the initial one - Why is this problem not being addressed? Being unable to address this bug is somewhat ominous. Getting no updates on this thread amplifies that. Tracking unread watched threads is core forum functionality and it's not working.

None of my questions are accusatory. There might be very reasonable answers and they might not be appropriate in a public forum.

Why is only Arn assigned to this problem? At https://forums.macrumors.com/members/?key=staff_members I see a number of people listed as administrators. What other problems are the administrators working on that prevent them from helping?

More generally, how are bugs triaged and managed at MacRumors? How did this bug end up on Arn's plate?

Does MacRumors self-host XenForo? Is that part of the problem, that they have no priority support from XenForo? XenForo offers a hosted solution where they would provide support. Does that company have a bad track record? Can MacRumors not afford this?

Is the site in trouble technically? Does the site have other bugs that are much more serious but invisible to users? Is there anyone who can handle serious issues? Does anyone test disaster recovery?

Is there some problem with staff?

Is the forum functionality of the website not that important to management? If almost all of the staff's attention is assigned to sales and editorial content, that would explain a lot.

 

[dwrufus53]

Seems like all is well again this morning. Hopefully it lasts this time.

Nope. It's. back again. The only solution that really works seems to be to unfollow the offending thread. That seems counter productive, as this is a discussion forum.

Sadly, rather than updates (and fixes), all we get is crickets.

 

[svenmany]

It's hard not to draw the conclusion that the forums are not a priority for this site. Are there other sites that offer good forums for the same kinds of topics? Maybe this site it fun to visit to catch up on news or watch a great "Dan" video, but there might be better forum functionality with an active community elsewhere.

 

[Bichon]

It's hard not to draw the conclusion that the forums are not a priority for this site. Are there other sites that offer good forums for the same kinds of topics? Maybe this site it fun to visit to catch up on news or watch a great "Dan" video, but there might be better forum functionality with an active community elsewhere.

I'm on these forums frequently and observed a very well run site. Spam posts are found and removed quickly. Spats between users are handled efficiently and out of the public view. The place is not littered with off-topic more-heat-than-light political discussions.

I've been on forums where the staff has gone MIA, and that certainly is not the case here.

Yes, I've run into the bug where the software loses track of the read status of some of my threads. Yes, it's frustrating. Yes, it would be great if the site owners or the system administrator(s) responsible maintaining the software stack would update us on status of getting it fixed.

But to take that one complaint, likely one that the vast majority of the (mostly volunteer) staff have no ability to address, and use it to suggest that the forum is not a priority and that members should take their discussions elsewhere is more than a little hyperbolic.

 

[svenmany]

I'm on these forums frequently and observed a very well run site. Spam posts are found and removed quickly. Spats between users are handled efficiently and out of the public view. The place is not littered with off-topic more-heat-than-light political discussions.

I've been on forums where the staff has gone MIA, and that certainly is not the case here.

Yes, I've run into the bug where the software loses track of the read status of some of my threads. Yes, it's frustrating. Yes, it would be great if the site owners or the system administrator(s) responsible maintaining the software stack would update us on status of getting it fixed.

But to take that one complaint, likely one that the vast majority of the (mostly volunteer) staff have no ability to address, and use it to suggest that the forum is not a priority and that members should take their discussions elsewhere is more than a little hyperbolic.

My post was dispassionate. Your response seems more emotional and a misreading of my intentions.

suggest that the forum is not a priority

I meant that the forum is not a priority to the owners of the site - the people who decide what work should be done and where money should be spent. A professional developer would have solved this issue already. But, the forums are certainly a priority to the posters and moderators. I definitely should have been clearer on that point. I want to apologize to anyone who might have been offended by my vague comment.

to suggest that ... members should take their discussions elsewhere

I didn't suggest that. It's always good to look around and see if there are better things available. If part of the way a person uses a forum is to track threads and figure out what posts they haven't read yet, then other forums might serve them better. Asking if there are better alternatives is not suggesting members should go elsewhere. Your loyalty to this site (a good attribute) caused you to be hyperbolic.

 

[Paddle1]

My post was dispassionate. Your response seems more emotional and a misreading of my intentions.



I meant that the forum is not a priority to the owners of the site - the people who decide what work should be done and where money should be spent. A professional developer would have solved this issue already. But, the forums are certainly a priority to the posters and moderators. I definitely should have been clearer on that point. I want to apologize to anyone who might have been offended by my vague comment.



I didn't suggest that. It's always good to look around and see if there are better things available. If part of the way a person uses a forum is to track threads and figure out what posts they haven't read yet, then other forums might serve them better. Asking if there are better alternatives is not suggesting members should go elsewhere. Your loyalty to this site (a good attribute) caused you to be hyperbolic.

Reality is it's an easy to ignore or not notice issue for most users so not a priority. If it wasn't this thread would be much more active. The forums are functional otherwise.

 

[BigMcGuire]

It's annoying and it is noticeable - I take svenmany's side here (imo no need to apologize) - it makes the site look unprofessional. My watched count constantly changes and about 3-4 threads consistently say they are unread when they were read - requiring me to click them, then go to the last post repeatedly.

However, I can see why the owner(s) don't see this as a high priority to fix. As a manager of a software development team - there are always bugs and some bugs take a lot of effort for little return. Whatever.

 

[jz0309]

It's annoying and it is noticeable - I take svenmany's side here (imo no need to apologize) - it makes the site look unprofessional. My watched count constantly changes and about 3-4 threads consistently say they are unread when they were read - requiring me to click them, then go to the last post repeatedly.

However, I can see why the owner(s) don't see this as a high priority to fix. As a manager of a software development team - there are always bugs and some bugs take a lot of effort for little return. Whatever.

Totally agree, and it keeps getting worse for me.
I understand priorities but the lack of even acknowledging this issue despite being pinged multiple times incl some staff members is disturbing

 

[Sital]

I also agree with @svenmany. If there was a good alternative, I'd dropped MacRumors. The fact that they don't have a properly functioning forum is pathetic.

 

[svenmany]

This site comes with no warranty for its users, even for paid members like me. The forums section called "Site Comments" is often visited by staff who respond to issues. I have a feeling this is just a voluntary effort, since the current issue has been handed off to someone who doesn't visit the thread or provide updates to staff who do. Since there's no commitment to follow through, it's reasonable to conclude there is no official support for user problems.

Emailing Arn as the only recourse feels so wrong. He's the founder of the site and clearly has more significant interests than working on a forum bug. He would have done something by now if he was willing or able to address the issue.

So why consider looking elsewhere for forums? If we come to the site tomorrow and 50% of all forum posts are missing, I worry it wouldn't be fixed. There is no recourse for a user whose posted content is gone. That might be true for all forum sites, but this site has on record not solving a long-standing bug involving basic forum functionality. I think many people value their own posted content; should they be investing it here? Also, I think people feel their contributions add value to this site. Properly functioning forums seem fair compensation for that.

The mystery is why this is happening. If you see smoke coming from under a closed door, you shouldn't be comforted by not seeing any fire. While it is a problem that the counts are wrong (minor to some people), the bigger problem is the reason it's not being fixed.

 

[dwrufus53]

This is getting beyond ridiculous. I'm up to about 6 threads that continue to show new posts when there are none. I've had to begin UNWATCHing them. It may be a nit to @arn, but it's seriously screwing with my workflow around here.

 

[WildCowboy]

We're looking at it, but haven't found a solution. Latest effort at rebuilding some caches didn't help.