RichMSN

It's configurable. When I took over a vBulletin board, our default was 15 and our maximum was 40. I changed the default to 100 and made the maximum 100 as well. Individual users can still choose any multiple of 5 as their personal default setting.

oliver2002

250 threads per page are visible here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/archive/f-495.html

Posts per page can be adjusted using the &pp=999 add on

ozstamps

I run a large global board that has 4 million or so posts.

When I set it up 8 years or so back, I made the default FIFTY posts per page.

No-one gets a choice in the matter, and I can't recall there has ever been an issue.

I do not approve of or allow any ads so that distraction is not there but it is heavily image laden, and each page of 50 might have dozens of page width images. So for that board 100 a page would be too much for those on slow connections.

For FT which is near all text, 100 would work fine I imagine if it were offered as an option.

Glen

RichMSN

Serious question -- do you really concern yourself with slow connections in 2014? I live under the assumption that everyone's on some kind of broadband option now.

However, if the board contained a lot of pictures, I'd agree with you as load times / server processing would then be an issue. The board I administer has few images, no avatars, etc.

MSPeconomist

It's easily possible to have slow wifi connections in hotels and airport lounges. GoGo in flight can also be very bad. These are situations where FFers are likely to be using computers and/or devices, including to read and post on FT.

CMK10

This is a very good point. One thing I like about FT is due to the 15 post limit and usual dearth of pictures (minus the occasional TR and meal thread) it will usually load on even the worst GoGo or free airport Wifi connection. We're travelers, we won't always have a good broadband option.

I'm not opposed to adding a 100 post limit, just as long as the option to keep posts per page at a low level also remains.

RichMSN

This is a vBulletin administration decision, so while it's great to bring this issue up and raise awareness, it's really up to IB to decide if they want to do this or not.

jiejie

Serious answer-- there really are forum participants in countries who have slow connections even with broadband, due to lack of enough international bandwidth access, national firewalls, need to use VPN which slows things down, etc. etc. As well as the in-travel situations already mentioned. Heck, even when in the USA, I'm in a region with very poor broadband options and lousy connections, regardless of device.

Lack of pictures and avatars IMO is a blessing of FT. I hope it continues. I prefer information sites like this to run lean and mean with as little frou-frou as possible. That's part of the site's value proposition.

nsx

An updated mobile app will allow us to presume that the average user of the full site has reasonable connection speed.

The default settings then should fit the average non-mobile user, not exceptional situations. Exceptional situations and personal preferences are why this parameter is user-settable!

I support delaying a motion on this subject for a little while to allow the new mobile app to be introduced and evaluated.

SkiAdcock

1. Why? The two aren't related.

2. I don't think the exceptional situations are limited to mobile users. Personal preferences already exist.

3. You might have to wait until you (presumably) run again & are elected to TB to raise a motion.

I'm still of the opinion this is a solution in search of a problem, especially since we've not had many complaints about it from FTers. I've got mine set to 40 and am not adverse to making it the default btw, but I also can't get that excited about changing it given the lack of response by FTers & that there is a process currently in place to change it to 40.

But as Rich also notes, ultimately it's an IB decision. Last we heard from them they said, "Pagination will not be changing any time soon. Combination of advertising/technical issues prohibits this, but thanks for the suggestion." Granted that was 3 years ago, so perhaps things have changed. I can alert them to this thread.

Cheers.

IBobi

While we're always eager to hear suggestions about the default settings of FT, the situation with regard to default and max posts per page has not changed. For the foreseeable future, it'll be where it's always been. Thanks all,

Paul

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update.

Given that, maybe we can add something to Information Desk to let new FTers know that they do have the option of switching their default to 40 per page.

Cheers.

RichMSN

This is no big surprise. Coming from the company that *owns* vBulletin, it's amazing at how stagnant the board technology has been the last few years.

Some would call that stability, but I'd just say to that. When I'm out on my phone I view other forums, ones that actually care enough about its members to support Tapatalk.

GUWonder

It may be less about slow connections than it is about minimal data usage when roaming. And with some VPN setups it seems like logging in is repeatedly necessary. That all adds up to more data usage and possibly more money paying for data usage while roaming on high speed mobile data connections. Mobile FT app may be considered less desirable than mobile browsers for some reasons.

RichMSN

Well, that's fine. People always have the option to set the posts per page as low as they want.