Fuck You Too, Livejournal

[andraste]

After their update, the default comments page on livejournal is now migraine-inducing for me.

I assume it's caused by the light blue boxes floating on a white background or some other colour-combination thing, but I wasn't going to stick around to analyse it. Fortunately I clicked the back button before it could do worse than cause me a momentary feeling of vertigo and eye-stabbing.

It's not as if I comment much there anyway, but now clicking on the 'comment' button anywhere unfamiliar is Russian roulette. Needless to say the chances of my ever activating comments on my livejournal again have just dropped to zero, unless they roll this back. Does anyone know of somewhere I can complain that isn't likely to cause me horrible, horrible pain? I can hardly ask everyone I know on livejournal to implement a non-default style for their comments page just so I'm not inconvenienced!

Comments

[lizbee]

I don't know about you, but the problem for me with the new layout is the text on that blue background. I mean, I'm in a headache cycle right now, and just pale blue anywhere is enough to blur my vision, but it's that particular deadly combination that's doing my head in.

[andraste]

*squints cautiously*

You know, I think you're right. Who the hell puts blue text on a blue background?

[lilacsigil]

A huge number of people have had the same problem (I haven't dared look myself!) but there seems to be no interest so far. I saw someone had lodged a complaint on accessibility grounds, but I can't remember where I read that.

[andraste]

Somehow, I am not surprised that livejournal seem indifferent to the fact that they're causing a percentage of their userbase physical pain.

[bride_of_lister]

Oh god. The layout changes suck large amounts of inappropriate things. I usually think myself immune to bad colour choices but the LJ one has been giving me headaches.
I'm not even going to get started on the part where most comment titles went away too. How is one supposed to browse a kink meme with no titles?

[andraste]

Oh god. The layout changes suck large amounts of inappropriate things.

'Eye-gougingly bad' is a slight exaggeration, but if I had to keep looking at it ...

I'm not even going to get started on the part where most comment titles went away too. How is one supposed to browse a kink meme with no titles?

I have no freaking idea. I realise only 1% of comments have subject lines, but that 1% really, really need them.

[jesuswasbatman]

Also, trying it at home for the first time, I see that it is completely impossible to select an icon if you have Javascript blocked, which I always do on LJ now because of dodgy adverts.

[andraste]

I have AdBlock, so I hadn't noticed, but that's frustratingly useless. I am more convinced than ever that livejournal have no idea what many of their user use their service for.

[lokisrose.livejournal.com]

I think I've gotten rid of the default in my journal. It took upgrading to ad-version to do it though...

[andraste]

Thank you so much for doing that! I hate to be inconvenient, but I want to be able to comment on your adorable kitten pictures.

[lokisrose.livejournal.com]

No worries, do not want to give headaches to anyone. :(

I think I saw a setting that would force other people's comments pages to display in the same format as yours? So if you have a non-default I think you should be able to set it so everything appears in your less brain-hurty preferred settings? Though I haven't actually tried it, and could be very wrong. ^_^;;

[andraste]

I think I saw a setting that would force other people's comments pages to display in the same format as yours? So if you have a non-default I think you should be able to set it so everything appears in your less brain-hurty preferred settings?

Unfortunately, as you've already found, you have to upgrade to an ad-supported Plus account to get a non-headache inducing custom comments page in the first place. I'm reluctant to let livejournal make money off my content given how I feel about them these days.

[stlscape]

FWIW, you're not the only one having migraine-ish issues with it.

I've expressed my displeasure, but doubt it will do any good, so it looks like I'll be doing a lot more of my reading over here on Dreamwidth.

[andraste]

FWIW, you're not the only one having migraine-ish issues with it.

Yeah, I've gathered I'm not the only person running around shouting 'OH GOD MY EYES.' Colour me unsurprised that livejournal doesn't seem interested.

[lizvogel]

Lots of people seem to be getting headaches from it, literally. I'm not, which is odd given what too-bright screens usually do to me. What's getting to me is the new default font. I'm not quite sure what they did to it, but the new one is just... wrong. Like, mildly nausea-inducingly wrong, in large quantities.

I think it says it all that LJ rolls out a new layout that nobody asked for and disregards the complaints, while DW gets an influx of new users and rolls out a new webserver to keep the load from inconveniencing people. Not without issues, granted, but by god they tried.

[andraste]

Lots of people seem to be getting headaches from it, literally. I'm not, which is odd given what too-bright screens usually do to me. What's getting to me is the new default font. I'm not quite sure what they did to it, but the new one is just... wrong. Like, mildly nausea-inducingly wrong, in large quantities.

Yeah, there's definitely something the matter with it. I just don't want to stare long enough to figure out what.

I think it says it all that LJ rolls out a new layout that nobody asked for and disregards the complaints, while DW gets an influx of new users and rolls out a new webserver to keep the load from inconveniencing people. Not without issues, granted, but by god they tried.

I got a journal here in the first place because of dissatisfaction with livejournal's customer service, but DW have really impressed me over the last couple of years. It's not that they never get anything wrong, but they consult with their user base and try really hard.

[lizvogel]

I just don't want to stare long enough to figure out what.

This, yes. ;-)

Rumor has it that there's a way to get comments in your own style even for Basic accounts, but it's apparently dependent on you using one of a very small set of themes/layouts/whatever. I find myself disinclined to invest the time and effort, possibly screwing up my current settings along the way, for something that LJ will probably sabotage in another release or two anyway. :-P