Talk:2432: Manage Your Preferences - Revision history

MeZimm at 16:16, 25 February 2025

2025-02-25T16:16:36Z

Lupo at 13:48, 10 March 2021

2021-03-10T13:48:39Z

ProphetZarquon: "lede" is now spelled "lead". Sorry, not my decision.

2021-03-06T19:03:23Z

"lede" is now spelled "lead". Sorry, not my decision.

162.158.75.140 at 12:15, 6 March 2021

2021-03-06T12:15:23Z

141.101.105.62 at 10:54, 5 March 2021

2021-03-05T10:54:56Z

Hkmaly at 00:35, 5 March 2021

2021-03-05T00:35:34Z

ProphetZarquon: Agreed, Myst to the top, comic refers to site\service preferences, not just cookies.

2021-03-04T21:04:01Z

Agreed, Myst to the top, comic refers to site\service preferences, not just cookies.

172.69.170.56: /* Holy long winded explanation, Batman! */ MeZimm once again, editing my own comment

2021-03-04T20:24:10Z

‎Holy long winded explanation, Batman!: MeZimm once again, editing my own comment

172.69.170.56: /* Holy long winded explanation, Batman! */ new section

2021-03-04T20:07:58Z

‎Holy long winded explanation, Batman!: new section

172.69.170.56: should've added it as a new topic, my bad

2021-03-04T20:03:24Z

should've added it as a new topic, my bad

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 I'm not trying to rag on the (no doubt very knowledgeable and well-intended) person or people who wrote the explanation originally. But I feel like it's in need of someone who knows how to trim the fat, focus on what's relevant, and make it concise enough to communicate effectively. (Given how long my Discussion post here turned out to be, I'm probably not up to the job [[541: TED Talk|;) )]]
-MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.56|172.69.170.56]] 20:07, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
+[[User:MeZimm|MeZimm]] ([[User talk:MeZimm|talk]]) 20:07, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
 == I agree with the above statements ==

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ::: The idea is that you will choose between single cookie which just stores that you don't like cookies and much bigger list of cookies containing your personal identification and being mostly used to target advertisement and track you. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:35, 5 March 2021 (UTC)
 ::"Websites can't use their preferences to disable cookies" Sure they can. Cookies are send by websites, they can totally use their preferences to not send cookies. Of course, there still will be a minimal cookie for the session id and/or to remember the user doesn't want cookies. The preferences are for non-essential cookies, like tracking cookies from every ad the website could display. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.62|141.101.105.62]] 10:54, 5 March 2021 (UTC)
 I'm not sure why the button is specifically referred to as green in the explanation.  They can be any color to my knowledge, and the one in the comic is grey. [[User:DrPumpkinz|DrPumpkinz]] ([[User talk:DrPumpkinz|talk]]) 08:55, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:03, 6 March 2021
Line 49:		Line 49:
	The phrase you want here is "buried the lede" . . . .		The phrase you want here is "buried the lede" . . . .
	https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lede [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.140\|162.158.75.140]] 12:15, 6 March 2021 (UTC)		https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lede [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.140\|162.158.75.140]] 12:15, 6 March 2021 (UTC)
		+	Nope. That's an obsolete spelling, which I've literally never seen used in my lifetime. "Leading" & "our lead story" are the modern usage, & I'd guess publication of "burying the lead" probably outstrips "burying the lede" by a wide margin in the last 40-plus years. Annoyingly, the metal "lead" & the proactive action "lead" both have the same spelling in modern english, & accordingly the phrase has shifted to modern spelling in modern usage. Frankly, we should probably still spell it "lede" because the verb & the noun have such dissimilar meanings. English is a terrible language.
		+	[[User:ProphetZarquon\|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon\|talk]]) 19:03, 6 March 2021 (UTC)

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:15, 6 March 2021
Line 46:		Line 46:
	Feels like we've buried the lead, here. Surely the explanation of how navigating site preferences can be like playing Myst (& what Myst even is) should be right up near the top?		Feels like we've buried the lead, here. Surely the explanation of how navigating site preferences can be like playing Myst (& what Myst even is) should be right up near the top?
	[[User:ProphetZarquon\|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon\|talk]]) 21:04, 4 March 2021 (UTC)		[[User:ProphetZarquon\|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon\|talk]]) 21:04, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
		+
		+	The phrase you want here is "buried the lede" . . . .
		+	https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lede [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.140\|162.158.75.140]] 12:15, 6 March 2021 (UTC)

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 :: On rereading I see that this may have been about only cookies _not_ involved in functioning of the site, which would mean they could indeed store a cookie regarding disabling cookies.  I may have vandalised the site myself trying to fix it, unsure.  I use the browser preferences for these things, myself.  There are a lot of toggle switches in there.  16:45, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
 ::: The idea is that you will choose between single cookie which just stores that you don't like cookies and much bigger list of cookies containing your personal identification and being mostly used to target advertisement and track you. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:35, 5 March 2021 (UTC)
 I'm not sure why the button is specifically referred to as green in the explanation.  They can be any color to my knowledge, and the one in the comic is grey. [[User:DrPumpkinz|DrPumpkinz]] ([[User talk:DrPumpkinz|talk]]) 08:55, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:04, 4 March 2021
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	I'm not trying to rag on the (no doubt very knowledgeable and well-intended) person or people who wrote the explanation originally. But I feel like it's in need of someone who knows how to trim the fat, focus on what's relevant, and make it concise enough to communicate effectively. (Given how long my Discussion post here turned out to be, I'm probably not up to the job [[541: TED Talk\|;) )]]		I'm not trying to rag on the (no doubt very knowledgeable and well-intended) person or people who wrote the explanation originally. But I feel like it's in need of someone who knows how to trim the fat, focus on what's relevant, and make it concise enough to communicate effectively. (Given how long my Discussion post here turned out to be, I'm probably not up to the job [[541: TED Talk\|;) )]]
	MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.56\|172.69.170.56]] 20:07, 4 March 2021 (UTC)		MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.56\|172.69.170.56]] 20:07, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
		+
		+	== I agree with the above statements ==
		+	I don't believe that the comic is primarily about cookies, but rather the "preferences" settings of individual sites\services. In particular, services like Google Voice have a lot of settings that are unclearly ''(or even incorrectly!)'' defined on the configuration page, are no longer applicable to a prior use case, or (frequently the case with many Chrome flags) no longer function at all.
		+
		+	(Also, the first paragraph mentions sites sometimes needing cookies to be "disabled" for some features, but obviously that's backwards: Users turn cookies off (especially 3rd party ones) for privacy & security reasons; some websites rely on them being turned ''on'' for selection, usage, & preference tracking functions (or just for revenue). Pages (almost?) never need cookies disabled; they need them ''enabled''. Again, I don't believe the comic is primarily about toggling cookies on & off. That's (unfortunately) just one toggle! Site preferences pages are certainly the topic of this comic, in my opinion.)
		+
		+	The explanation barely mentions Myst at all until the title-text, so far. I think most people needing an explanation will want to know in what way navigating unclear preferences feels like playing Myst (a game which may likely pre-date most xkcd readers!)...
		+
		+	I myself never played through Myst (pretty graphics & storylines have never appealed to me, in games). I remember that one puzzle basically involved flipping toggles until a correct combination was achieved, but that's about all I know of the game. The description of the characters trapped in books was news to me, & sounds a bit like a veiled in-game analogy for web pages?
		+
		+	Feels like we've buried the lead, here. Surely the explanation of how navigating site preferences can be like playing Myst (& what Myst even is) should be right up near the top?
		+	[[User:ProphetZarquon\|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon\|talk]]) 21:04, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 :''Often things need to be changed inside a browser to view certain websites correctly or safely: clearing or changing or disabling some cookies, changing scripts settings, installing and correctly configuring a plugin for an overlay network, running or configuring a proxy, enabling experimental features, restarting the browser with special flags passed, installing a fork of the browser such as with the tor browser bundle to access onion sites or the beaker browser to access dat sites, or installing and configuring a secondary gateway app such as with freenet, ipfs, or i2p.''
-Why do we need this doorstopper of a sentence taking up three quarters of the first paragraph alone?
+Why do we need this doorstopper of a sentence taking up three quarters of the first paragraph alone? Relatedly, why is there so much discussion about cookies in the following paragraphs? (EDITED: I get it, the title text happens to mention cookies as an example of a website preference that a user might be asked to give permissions on. I still don't think that calls for an explanation of the motivators that resulted in the development and implementation of cookies and a comprehensive summary the current legal regulations governing them.)
 Meanwhile, if anyone comes to this explanation to find out what Myst is, all they'll learn (if they manage to wade through two and a half dense paragraphs of mostly technical jargon) is that it's some sort of puzzle game. The current explanation doesn't do anything to convey what makes Myst stand out as a uniquely apt analogy. ([[2008: Irony Definition|Ironically,]] the explanation here seems to be manifesting the very phenomenon that Randall parodies in the comic!)
-I'm not trying to rag on the (no doubt very knowledgeable and well-intended) person or people who wrote the explanation originally. But I feel like it's in need of someone who knows how to trim the fat, focus on what's relevant, and make it concise enough to communicate effectively. (Given how long my Discussion post here turned out to be, I'm probably not up to the job [[541: TED Talk|;))]]
+I'm not trying to rag on the (no doubt very knowledgeable and well-intended) person or people who wrote the explanation originally. But I feel like it's in need of someone who knows how to trim the fat, focus on what's relevant, and make it concise enough to communicate effectively. (Given how long my Discussion post here turned out to be, I'm probably not up to the job [[541: TED Talk|;) )]]
 MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.56|172.69.170.56]] 20:07, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:07, 4 March 2021
Line 19:		Line 19:

	I'm not sure why the button is specifically referred to as green in the explanation. They can be any color to my knowledge, and the one in the comic is grey. [[User:DrPumpkinz\|DrPumpkinz]] ([[User talk:DrPumpkinz\|talk]]) 08:55, 4 March 2021 (UTC)		I'm not sure why the button is specifically referred to as green in the explanation. They can be any color to my knowledge, and the one in the comic is grey. [[User:DrPumpkinz\|DrPumpkinz]] ([[User talk:DrPumpkinz\|talk]]) 08:55, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
		+
		+	== Holy long winded explanation, Batman! ==
		+
		+	The following is ONE SENTENCE:
		+
		+	:''Often things need to be changed inside a browser to view certain websites correctly or safely: clearing or changing or disabling some cookies, changing scripts settings, installing and correctly configuring a plugin for an overlay network, running or configuring a proxy, enabling experimental features, restarting the browser with special flags passed, installing a fork of the browser such as with the tor browser bundle to access onion sites or the beaker browser to access dat sites, or installing and configuring a secondary gateway app such as with freenet, ipfs, or i2p.''
		+
		+	Why do we need this doorstopper of a sentence taking up three quarters of the first paragraph alone?
		+
		+	Relatedly, why is there so much discussion about cookies in the following paragraphs? I get it, the author knows a lot about cookies and cookie-related concepts. I don't think that means the explanation needs to explain what a cookie is, or what resulted in them being invented, or the current legal regulations governing them; the comic itself doesn't even mention cookies! (And that's just ''one of many things'' that could be governed by "website preferences" - are we going to give the history of tor browser bundles too?)
		+
		+	Meanwhile, if anyone comes to this explanation to find out what Myst is, all they'll learn (if they manage to wade through two and a half dense paragraphs of mostly technical jargon) is that it's some sort of puzzle game. The current explanation doesn't do anything to convey what makes Myst stand out as a uniquely apt analogy. ([[2008: Irony Definition\|Ironically,]] the explanation here seems to be manifesting the very phenomenon that Randall parodies in the comic!)
		+
		+	I'm not trying to rag on the (no doubt very knowledgeable and well-intended) person or people who wrote the explanation originally. But I feel like it's in need of someone who knows how to trim the fat, focus on what's relevant, and make it concise enough to communicate effectively. (Given how long my Discussion post here turned out to be, I'm probably not up to the job [[541: TED Talk\|;))]]
		+	MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.56\|172.69.170.56]] 20:07, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:03, 4 March 2021
Line 19:		Line 19:

	I'm not sure why the button is specifically referred to as green in the explanation. They can be any color to my knowledge, and the one in the comic is grey. [[User:DrPumpkinz\|DrPumpkinz]] ([[User talk:DrPumpkinz\|talk]]) 08:55, 4 March 2021 (UTC)		I'm not sure why the button is specifically referred to as green in the explanation. They can be any color to my knowledge, and the one in the comic is grey. [[User:DrPumpkinz\|DrPumpkinz]] ([[User talk:DrPumpkinz\|talk]]) 08:55, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
−
−
−
−	~~'''Holy long winded explanation, Batman!'''~~
−
−	~~The following is ONE SENTENCE:~~
−
−	:''Often things need to be changed inside a browser to view certain websites correctly or safely: clearing or changing or disabling some cookies, changing scripts settings, installing and correctly configuring a plugin for an overlay network, running or configuring a proxy, enabling experimental features, restarting the browser with special flags passed, installing a fork of the browser such as with the tor browser bundle to access onion sites or the beaker browser to access dat sites, or installing and configuring a secondary gateway app such as with freenet, ipfs, or i2p.''
−
−	Why do we need this doorstopper of a sentence taking up three quarters of the first paragraph alone? I get it, the author knows a lot about stuff like cookies. I don't think that means we need to explain what a cookie is, or what resulted in them being invented, or the current legal regulations governing them; the comic itself doesn't even mention cookies! (And that's just one of many things that could be governed by "website preferences!")
−
−	Meanwhile, if anyone comes to this explanation to find out what Myst is, all they'll learn (if they manage to wade through two and a half dense paragraphs of mostly technical jargon) is that it's some sort of puzzle game. The current explanation doesn't do anything to convey what makes Myst stand out as a uniquely apt analogy. ([[2008: Irony Definition\|Ironically,]] the explanation here seems to be manifesting the very phenomenon that Randall parodies in the comic!)
−
−	I'm not trying to rag on the (no doubt very knowledgeable and well-intended) person or people who wrote the explanation originally. But I feel like it's in need of someone who knows how to trim the fat, focus on what's relevant, and make it concise enough to communicate effectively. (Given how long my Discussion post here turned out to be, I'm probably not up to the job [[541: TED Talk\|;))]]
−	~~MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.57\|172.69.170.57]] 19:57, 4 March 2021 (UTC)~~