What do you see - or not see?

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GaryA

Truth, Honesty, Love, Courage
Aug 10, 2019
9,883
4,345
113
mywebsite.us
#25
No darlin' - that is a search engine service - what I mean is the program you use to access the internet. One popular example is 'Firefox' - what I am using now while writing this post.

If you are on Windows and using what came with it - you are probably using 'Internet Explorer'.

Of course, there are several others in use today even on a Windows platform.

What program do you invoke when you want to "get onto the internet"...?

(Albeit, you have given me a good clue which may have some significance in this issue. BTW - I am familiar with 'Duck Duck Go' - I use it myself.)
 

Rosemaryx

Senior Member
May 3, 2017
3,758
4,120
113
63
#26
No darlin' - that is a search engine service - what I mean is the program you use to access the internet. One popular example is 'Firefox' - what I am using now while writing this post.

If you are on Windows and using what came with it - you are probably using 'Internet Explorer'.

Of course, there are several others in use today even on a Windows platform.

What program do you invoke when you want to "get onto the internet"...?

(Albeit, you have given me a good clue which may have some significance in this issue. BTW - I am familiar with 'Duck Duck Go' - I use it myself.)
I open my internet with Google Chrome...I am using Windows 11...
Will look for reply in morning , good night Gary...
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
61,138
30,285
113
#29
If you are on Windows and using what came with it - you are probably using 'Internet Explorer'.
On June 15th, 2022, Microsoft retired Internet Explorer after more than 25 years in favour of Microsoft Edge.

I have four browsers open right now, each with multiple tabs .:unsure::giggle:
 

GaryA

Truth, Honesty, Love, Courage
Aug 10, 2019
9,883
4,345
113
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#31
After a bit more looking into this, I have determined that (in order of probability):

1) The facebook server is refusing to pass the image to the browser - because, it has decided that the OS or browser version is "too old" or some such silly thing.

or

2) The browser cannot render what it is getting from the facebook server - because, the server has complicated the process - on purpose - so that it will not work on older OS and browser versions. (Yes, this is a real thing - they don't want to have to support anything except the "latest-and-greatest" OS and browser versions - and, they want to force everyone to keep up with the latest available versions of everything.)

In #1, they actually refuse to even send the data. In #2, they send it - but, do it in such a way that it does not work properly with older OS and browser versions - so as to "encourage" people to [continually] upgrade their OS and browser versions.

In a very real sense, they are "discriminating" against the OS and browser if/when they don't like something about your computer/browser environment (as it is reported by your browser).
 

Eli1

Well-known member
Apr 5, 2022
5,019
2,176
113
46
#32
Oh, this thread is the one that @Mem was talking about.
You've opened this thread since last year @GaryA ? Wow, i'm way behind here.

Okay, so this is the topic of hotlinking which has existed since the early days of the internet. But back then it was more about bandwidth issues since the internet pipeline was small. Websites did not want you to link their images stored on their server, unless you visit their site. The classic example of this was Adobe, since Adobe back in the day was the premier tool to build sites and they also had their crown jewel: Adobe Flash.
With the invention of HTML5, Adobe Flash is now in the dustbin of history and more importantly the internet pipeline has increased since we're all on high speed internet.
So, nowadays it's not about bandwidth but more about control and trying to force-direct users to visit the site where the images are stored.
Facebook is a great example since they want complete control of their site experience and they don't like to allow hotlinking of images.

TLDR: Hotlinking has been a thing since the early days of the internet and it will probably continue because web owners want control.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,713
9,647
113
#33
After a bit more looking into this, I have determined that (in order of probability):

1) The facebook server is refusing to pass the image to the browser - because, it has decided that the OS or browser version is "too old" or some such silly thing.

or

2) The browser cannot render what it is getting from the facebook server - because, the server has complicated the process - on purpose - so that it will not work on older OS and browser versions. (Yes, this is a real thing - they don't want to have to support anything except the "latest-and-greatest" OS and browser versions - and, they want to force everyone to keep up with the latest available versions of everything.)

In #1, they actually refuse to even send the data. In #2, they send it - but, do it in such a way that it does not work properly with older OS and browser versions - so as to "encourage" people to [continually] upgrade their OS and browser versions.

In a very real sense, they are "discriminating" against the OS and browser if/when they don't like something about your computer/browser environment (as it is reported by your browser).
Well... You can't expect every programmer to support every legacy architecture that has ever been programmed. That's just not feasible, or reasonable to expect of them. Eventually your favorite OS and program will be relics that will not interface correctly with anything.

Ever try installing Windows 2000 on a computer and attempting to access a web page? The browser doesn't know what to make of the web page, and the server doesn't know what to make of your browser.

I used to keep a folder of good programs because I used to have a habit of receiving old computers, freshening them up and installing a lot of utilities and giving them to people who need only a basic computer. I quickly found out the habit of maintaining a folder of good programs is futile, because they get obsolete and I have to download new versions anyway.
 

GaryA

Truth, Honesty, Love, Courage
Aug 10, 2019
9,883
4,345
113
mywebsite.us
#34
Eventually your favorite OS and program will be relics that will not interface correctly with anything.
Yes - this seems to be happening at an astonishing rate these days...
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,713
9,647
113
#35
Yes - this seems to be happening at an astonishing rate these days...
Or maybe you're just getting older and time seems to be going by faster.

Kids are always complaining that it takes FOREVER for their two year phone contract to run out so they can upgrade. (I can upgrade my third party unlocked phone whenever I want, but with their contract service...) But I'm old enough that it seems OS editions are coming and going a bit too fast for my taste... Even though I can prove objectively that they haven't sped up at all. It still feels like they're going awful doggone fast these days.

"Time is like a cassette tape. The closer you get to the end, the faster it unwinds."
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,713
9,647
113
#37
Or, so it seems... (sometimes)
You want the other line?

Okay, okay, I'll give you the other line.

Time is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes down.
 

GaryA

Truth, Honesty, Love, Courage
Aug 10, 2019
9,883
4,345
113
mywebsite.us
#39
Oh, this thread is the one that @Mem was talking about.
You've opened this thread since last year @GaryA ? Wow, i'm way behind here.

Okay, so this is the topic of hotlinking which has existed since the early days of the internet. But back then it was more about bandwidth issues since the internet pipeline was small. Websites did not want you to link their images stored on their server, unless you visit their site. The classic example of this was Adobe, since Adobe back in the day was the premier tool to build sites and they also had their crown jewel: Adobe Flash.
With the invention of HTML5, Adobe Flash is now in the dustbin of history and more importantly the internet pipeline has increased since we're all on high speed internet.
So, nowadays it's not about bandwidth but more about control and trying to force-direct users to visit the site where the images are stored.
Facebook is a great example since they want complete control of their site experience and they don't like to allow hotlinking of images.

TLDR: Hotlinking has been a thing since the early days of the internet and it will probably continue because web owners want control.
Yes - however - looking at images in CC threads - some folks can see them and some folks cannot (my understanding at this point in time) - seems like there is something else having an effect...
 

Eli1

Well-known member
Apr 5, 2022
5,019
2,176
113
46
#40
Yes - however - looking at images in CC threads - some folks can see them and some folks cannot (my understanding at this point in time) - seems like there is something else having an effect...
Yes, that happens because we don't come here on a schedule, like a job, but everyone comes at different times and experiences the issue happening at different times depending when the host is down temporarily so the image doesn't show up and then it's back online.