A Conversation for h2g2 Feedback - Bug Reports
Alabastered.
Orcus Started conversation Sep 6, 2004
The site is defaulting to alabaster for me whenever I log on today.
I've always had it defaulting to classic goo and this has not changed in my preferences.
I can switch it to goo by altering the URL line and it stays that way but if I close my browser window and reload h2g2 it goes back to alablaster.
I've using Windows Explorer (latest edition) on both a Mac powerbook and a PC today and it was the same in both.
Confuzzled 
Alabastered.
Traveller in Time Reporting Bugs -o-o- Broken the chain of Pliny -o-o- Hired Posted Sep 6, 2004
Traveller in Time 
on a brunel scale
"Have not met any alabastered page jet (of the say 2000 I have seen today 
?)"
Alabastered.
Traveller in Time Reporting Bugs -o-o- Broken the chain of Pliny -o-o- Hired Posted Sep 6, 2004
Traveller in Time imagining real life turning Goo
"Nope, probably not.
Whatever happens to your skin it is not happening to mine."
He looks at his arms (still nice brown, coloured by the sun)
"It is not happening with me, like I suggested, I have been browsing the site for the whole day, nothing like that happened.
Can it be you accidentally started your conversations popup from an alabastered page? (I run it in brunel on one system and in hub on another)"
Alabastered.
SEF Posted Sep 6, 2004
Alabaster is the default skin for errors when a page goes wrong or doesn't exist. I'm not sure how that could happen for just one person logging on and not others though. If h2g2 appeared to be absent at the critical moment I would expect others to be affected occasionally too. For just one person to be affected suggests something in the personal settings. Since you say you haven't changed those and they still show up as classic when you check, have you done anything to your personal page recently or the method you use to login?
NB I haven't used the normal route since the SSO fiasco - I just sneak in with a mangled URL. So I would be less likely to notice anything with logins being broken (again!). However, someone else has been complaining of a different sort of login difficulty to do with not being recognised. Alabasterisation could possibly be just another form of not quite being recognised in time (ie to pick up preferences).
F154071?thread=479036
Alabastered.
Orcus Posted Sep 6, 2004
Nope, I've done nothing to my page nor logged in an unusual way. Nothing I have done is different to any other day.
I've even tried updating my preferences twice yet now I'm typing in alabaster once more.
Really strange one this. I though the servers might be playing up again but I've not seen anyone else complaining
Alabastered.
Traveller in Time Reporting Bugs -o-o- Broken the chain of Pliny -o-o- Hired Posted Sep 6, 2004
Traveller in Time on his head
"Actually I have had some server glitches this afeternoon
< <./>F94020?thread=418287&latest=1</.> >.
I have not been alabastered however. "
Alabastered.
SEF Posted Sep 6, 2004
It is definitely just today then and not at the last announced software update. There have been a few changes causing other problems - as usual whenever anything is updated. Some changes are made more behind the scenes though - just as the server breakages can be.
The most obvious unusual thing about you is having a relatively old account. There probably aren't many still around to spot the same issues if it was something batch-specific on site which had changed (eg the behaviour of PS A-numbers is different for different batches of U-numbers). There are probably more classic goo skin users to have noticed any blanket problem.
What about expert mode versus non-expert mode. Have you experimented with that to see if it makes a difference?
Alabastered.
Orcus Posted Sep 7, 2004
Experiment completed 
If I change my preferences to frames and normal mode then they remain that way after I've closed my browser window and come back again. It still defaults to alabaster though.
The plot thickens 
Alabastered.
Orcus Posted Sep 7, 2004
Interesting. I noted what you were saying about typing in a URL. I usually come in (and it has been this way for several years) by typing www.h2g2.com
I've jsut bookmarked my personal space in my browser. If I go through that then it comes up in GOO fine.
Trouble is I like to come in via the front page in case there's an interesting article to read. Maybe I'll bookmark www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic
Shouldn't have to though...
Alabastered.
Orcus Posted Sep 7, 2004
definitely seems to be the fact that I was typing in www.h2g2.com that was the problem.
Key: Complain about this post
Alabastered.
- 1: Orcus (Sep 6, 2004)
- 2: Traveller in Time Reporting Bugs -o-o- Broken the chain of Pliny -o-o- Hired (Sep 6, 2004)
- 3: Orcus (Sep 6, 2004)
- 4: Traveller in Time Reporting Bugs -o-o- Broken the chain of Pliny -o-o- Hired (Sep 6, 2004)
- 5: SEF (Sep 6, 2004)
- 6: Orcus (Sep 6, 2004)
- 7: Traveller in Time Reporting Bugs -o-o- Broken the chain of Pliny -o-o- Hired (Sep 6, 2004)
- 8: SEF (Sep 6, 2004)
- 9: SEF (Sep 6, 2004)
- 10: Orcus (Sep 7, 2004)
- 11: Orcus (Sep 7, 2004)
- 12: Orcus (Sep 7, 2004)
- 13: Orcus (Sep 7, 2004)
- 14: Orcus (Sep 8, 2004)
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