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Reply 600 of 743, by Daniël Oosterhuis

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Sat down and went through some Google searches, and I finally figured out how to disable it with Stylish. As I expected, there's a single(!) line of code that makes the website hard to access to those with visual impairments using browsers that do not disable custom cursor by themselves.

You're going to have to install an addon called Stylish. It does allow you to upload stylesheets for specific sites to its library, so other can easily install them, which is what I intended, but their website is currently very slow and unstable, and my submission is seemingly not going through. I spent about half an hour just messing with that already, so I apologize, but this will likely be a manual operation. You can also use Stylus, or any other custom CSS addon. I think Firefox also allows for a custom CSS script that will override any site, where you could try and put the code into to disable gimmick cursors across the web, so accessibility will always be priority. You can of course also make scripts for other sites who do the same.

When you have installed Stylish to your browser, click the extension icon once you're on Vogons. If in the library "Disable VOGONS Cursor" does not appear as an installable option, click the three dots, and hit "Create New Style". On the page that will now appear, give the style any name, then in the code field, copy and paste this:

* {cursor:auto !important}

a, a * {cursor:pointer !important}

Now, you can specify it specifically for URLs (in this case I'd recommend to add two entries, "URLs starting with" "https://vogons.org", and "URLs starting with" "https://www.vogons.org"), or you can just leave it on Everything, and have it apply this across the web. It should work everywhere.

I hope this can help out those who rely on custom cursors for accessibility. I do admit that in my previous replies, I got too heated about this, but this is genuinely something that I am passionate and driven about. Having autism and ADHD myself, I know all too well how it can be when things can be set up in a way that seems novel and fun to NT people, but can be incredibly limiting to us non-NTs. And this is something far worse to those with visual impairments, relying on accessibility features. I also hope this quells any baseless conspiracy theories on my intentions.

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Reply 602 of 743, by Paralel

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konc wrote on 2020-04-30, 09:13:

Another reason for someone to stop the cursor change is to get back the text-selection cursor, which is also decided that we shouldn't have.

Agreed. This is a standard feature people expect.

Daniël Oosterhuis wrote on 2020-04-29, 19:38:
Sat down and went through some Google searches, and I finally figured out how to disable it with Stylish. As I expected, there's […]
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Sat down and went through some Google searches, and I finally figured out how to disable it with Stylish. As I expected, there's a single(!) line of code that makes the website hard to access to those with visual impairments using browsers that do not disable custom cursor by themselves.

You're going to have to install an addon called Stylish. It does allow you to upload stylesheets for specific sites to its library, so other can easily install them, which is what I intended, but their website is currently very slow and unstable, and my submission is seemingly not going through. I spent about half an hour just messing with that already, so I apologize, but this will likely be a manual operation. You can also use Stylus, or any other custom CSS addon. I think Firefox also allows for a custom CSS script that will override any site, where you could try and put the code into to disable gimmick cursors across the web, so accessibility will always be priority. You can of course also make scripts for other sites who do the same.

When you have installed Stylish to your browser, click the extension icon once you're on Vogons. If in the library "Disable VOGONS Cursor" does not appear as an installable option, click the three dots, and hit "Create New Style". On the page that will now appear, give the style any name, then in the code field, copy and paste this:

* {cursor:auto !important}

a, a * {cursor:pointer !important}

Now, you can specify it specifically for URLs (in this case I'd recommend to add two entries, "URLs starting with" "https://vogons.org", and "URLs starting with" "https://www.vogons.org"), or you can just leave it on Everything, and have it apply this across the web. It should work everywhere.

I hope this can help out those who rely on custom cursors for accessibility. I do admit that in my previous replies, I got too heated about this, but this is genuinely something that I am passionate and driven about. Having autism and ADHD myself, I know all too well how it can be when things can be set up in a way that seems novel and fun to NT people, but can be incredibly limiting to us non-NTs. And this is something far worse to those with visual impairments, relying on accessibility features. I also hope this quells any baseless conspiracy theories on my intentions.

Thank you for this. A very simple way to get around the issue. Previous methods suggested were spotty or did not work.

I hope as well that this will indeed dispel any notions regarding intent. There was never any doubt on my part, but others were not previously persuaded.

I would note to the admin and moderators here, this is a workaround for a persistent issue, what I consider a "bug", on this site, not a permanent solution, as it can stop working at any time due to changes in code, changes in behavior of the plugin, the plugin is abandoned, the browser code changes, etc... A permanent solution is for the admins/moderators to finally agree to disable this "feature", but the hope for that grows ever dimmer with each passing day it persists.

Last edited by Paralel on 2020-04-30, 16:46. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 603 of 743, by cyclone3d

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Yay.. cursor is fixed... which should not be screwed with by the site in the first place.

How many people have to complain about it before the problem that should not be there in the first place and is super easy to fix is actually fixed at the site level?

Maybe the admins need to put up a survey about it to see exactly how hated the cursor being messed with really is.

Having to use Stylus or another CSS modifier is just lame.

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Reply 604 of 743, by DosFreak

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I'm sure if you are patient this travesty will be remediated, until then a great many lives will be lost.
Something easy to an end user is usually not.
As you all know melodramatics are not liked on this forum so go to reddit, etc for those.

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Reply 605 of 743, by Paralel

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DosFreak wrote on 2020-04-30, 18:55:

I'm sure if you are patient this travesty will be remediated, until then a great many lives will be lost.
Something easy to an end user is usually not.
As you all know melodramatics are not liked on this forum so go to reddit, etc for those.

Thank you for providing such a crisp and clean example of hypocrisy.

Reply 606 of 743, by cyclone3d

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DosFreak wrote on 2020-04-30, 18:55:

I'm sure if you are patient this travesty will be remediated, until then a great many lives will be lost.
Something easy to an end user is usually not.
As you all know melodramatics are not liked on this forum so go to reddit, etc for those.

A site-wide CSS change should not be that difficult.. unless CSS is setup improperly in the first place.

I am not just a clueless "end-user".

The master CSS should just be able to have a few changes made to fix it.

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Reply 607 of 743, by DosFreak

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Fine, I'll bite once again but it will be the last time.

Paralel,

That's the joke.

Cyclone3d,

A site-wide CSS change should not be that difficult.. unless CSS is setup improperly in the first place.

I am not just a clueless "end-user".

The master CSS should just be able to have a few changes made to fix it

Let's just say that this can be taken at face value and the changes are 100% correct for what is intended for the website. If you know anything about I.T. then the fix itself is a very small part in the operation of a change for a production system. If you don't know that then I weep for whomever you work for.

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Reply 608 of 743, by Paralel

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DosFreak wrote on 2020-04-30, 22:51:
Fine, I'll bite once again but it will be the last time. […]
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Fine, I'll bite once again but it will be the last time.

Paralel,

That's the joke.
...

Hence, my thanks.

Reply 609 of 743, by cyclone3d

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DosFreak wrote on 2020-04-30, 22:51:
Fine, I'll bite once again but it will be the last time. […]
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Fine, I'll bite once again but it will be the last time.

Paralel,

That's the joke.

Cyclone3d,

A site-wide CSS change should not be that difficult.. unless CSS is setup improperly in the first place.

I am not just a clueless "end-user".

The master CSS should just be able to have a few changes made to fix it

Let's just say that this can be taken at face value and the changes are 100% correct for what is intended for the website. If you know anything about I.T. then the fix itself is a very small part in the operation of a change for a production system. If you don't know that then I weep for whomever you work for.

And that is where testing comes in. And that is why if you have a change you want to test, you do it on a test server and then make it live after it passes testing.

I've dealt with crap setups for 20+ years where the people that set stuff up were adamant that something couldn't be easily changed. Then when they find out that changes I put into place make stuff way easier and way better they have always been like... why didn't we do this before?

If you don't think I know what I am talking about.. that is your choice and not much I can do about it.

Yamaha modified setupds and drivers
Yamaha XG repository
YMF7x4 Guide
Aopen AW744L II SB-LINK

Reply 610 of 743, by Paralel

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As was said above, by Daniël Oosterhuis, it is a single line of code. I trust his assessment. I doubt a single line of code commented out would caused the entire site to implode, and if it does, then I can quite rather confidently say it was not built correctly to start with. No site should be so fragile that it is essentially a stack of toothpicks all balanced quite precariously, especially and particularly, on something that is purely aesthetic and not functional. That borders on the insane.

I also agree with Cyclone3D's assessment.

Reply 611 of 743, by Auzner

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https://colormax.org/color-blind-test/
It took me 30 seconds to score 100% on that test.
But this new scheme hurts my eyes a ton.

I found posts about the legacy color options and that's helped a bit.

Check out my avatar, example of transparency interference on the scheme.

Cursor changes? Keep It Simple Sir.

This post is licensed under the simpsons blue haired lawyer.

Reply 612 of 743, by cyclone3d

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Auzner wrote on 2020-05-07, 05:04:
https://colormax.org/color-blind-test/ It took me 30 seconds to score 100% on that test. But this new scheme hurts my eyes a ton […]
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https://colormax.org/color-blind-test/
It took me 30 seconds to score 100% on that test.
But this new scheme hurts my eyes a ton.

I found posts about the legacy color options and that's helped a bit.

Check out my avatar, example of transparency interference on the scheme.

Cursor changes? Keep It Simple Sir.

This post is licensed under the simpsons blue haired lawyer.

You'll just be told to modify your avatar to not interfere with the site .. move along, nothing to see here.

Yamaha modified setupds and drivers
Yamaha XG repository
YMF7x4 Guide
Aopen AW744L II SB-LINK

Reply 613 of 743, by schmatzler

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How is a designer supposed to make every user-uploaded transparent graphic compatible with their design?
Even if the site was completely white, some of those wouldn't work - so that's impossible.

Just edit the image and put a background color in, if it's so important.

"Windows 98's natural state is locked up"

Reply 614 of 743, by cyclone3d

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schmatzler wrote on 2020-05-07, 20:33:

How is a designer supposed to make every user-uploaded transparent graphic compatible with their design?
Even if the site was completely white, some of those wouldn't work - so that's impossible.

Just edit the image and put a background color in, if it's so important.

Not have drop shadows?

Edit: I guess the other option to get around the drop shadow not just drop shadowing the outer edge would be to edit the image so it does have a background and have the background be the same exact color as the forum background.

And even better option would be to have that configurable per user in their settings page.

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Yamaha XG repository
YMF7x4 Guide
Aopen AW744L II SB-LINK

Reply 615 of 743, by Bruninho

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cyclone3d wrote on 2020-05-07, 19:52:
Auzner wrote on 2020-05-07, 05:04:
https://colormax.org/color-blind-test/ It took me 30 seconds to score 100% on that test. But this new scheme hurts my eyes a ton […]
Show full quote

https://colormax.org/color-blind-test/
It took me 30 seconds to score 100% on that test.
But this new scheme hurts my eyes a ton.

I found posts about the legacy color options and that's helped a bit.

Check out my avatar, example of transparency interference on the scheme.

Cursor changes? Keep It Simple Sir.

This post is licensed under the simpsons blue haired lawyer.

You'll just be told to modify your avatar to not interfere with the site .. move along, nothing to see here.

That's pretty much the standard reply I'd give if I were the designer.

"Design isn't just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
JOBS, Steve.
READ: Right to Repair sucks and is illegal!

Reply 616 of 743, by cyclone3d

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Bruninho wrote on 2020-05-07, 21:10:
cyclone3d wrote on 2020-05-07, 19:52:
Auzner wrote on 2020-05-07, 05:04:
https://colormax.org/color-blind-test/ It took me 30 seconds to score 100% on that test. But this new scheme hurts my eyes a ton […]
Show full quote

https://colormax.org/color-blind-test/
It took me 30 seconds to score 100% on that test.
But this new scheme hurts my eyes a ton.

I found posts about the legacy color options and that's helped a bit.

Check out my avatar, example of transparency interference on the scheme.

Cursor changes? Keep It Simple Sir.

This post is licensed under the simpsons blue haired lawyer.

You'll just be told to modify your avatar to not interfere with the site .. move along, nothing to see here.

That's pretty much the standard reply I'd give if I were the designer.

Why? transparent avatars are not that uncommon. It would seem like as a designer that you would want to make your site as functional as it was before an upgrade.

Doing otherwise is just asking for users to not be happy about the changes.

Generally, it is bad practice to change stuff that reduces functionality or makes it more difficult for the users to use the software you are writing or implementing for them.

If you have users complaining about changes in software you implement or have written yourself then, if possible, those changes should be switched back or made to be able to be configured by the end user.

But what do I know? I've only been in IT and writing scripts and programs for about 20 years.

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Yamaha XG repository
YMF7x4 Guide
Aopen AW744L II SB-LINK

Reply 617 of 743, by imi

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cyclone3d wrote on 2020-05-07, 20:58:

Edit: I guess the other option to get around the drop shadow not just drop shadowing the outer edge would be to edit the image so it does have a background and have the background be the same exact color as the forum background.

that doesn't really work with alternating backgrounds though now does it? ^^

Reply 618 of 743, by schmatzler

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cyclone3d wrote on 2020-05-07, 21:20:

I've only been in IT and writing scripts and programs for about 20 years.

That doesn't automatically make you a good designer, though.

Not having all transparent images magically work with the background of your website isn't reducing functionality - it's basic physics.

The old Vogons had a different shade of purple, yes. I'm pretty sure that didn't make all transparent GIFs appear great either.

Also, there is an additional grey design here that you can choose. Images with transparency might show up differently there, too. So a designer should be held accountable for all possible color and alpha combinations? This is ridiculous.

If a user cares that much about the optics of his avatar, he'll make sure it's displayed properly by editing it himself.

"Windows 98's natural state is locked up"

Reply 619 of 743, by Bruninho

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cyclone3d wrote on 2020-05-07, 21:20:
Why? transparent avatars are not that uncommon. It would seem like as a designer that you would want to make your site as functi […]
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Why? transparent avatars are not that uncommon. It would seem like as a designer that you would want to make your site as functional as it was before an upgrade.

Doing otherwise is just asking for users to not be happy about the changes.

Generally, it is bad practice to change stuff that reduces functionality or makes it more difficult for the users to use the software you are writing or implementing for them.

If you have users complaining about changes in software you implement or have written yourself then, if possible, those changes should be switched back or made to be able to be configured by the end user.

But what do I know? I've only been in IT and writing scripts and programs for about 20 years.

Plot twist: I am a deaf web designer. I work with this since 2004. Although I agree that the mouse cursor hijacking is not ideal and I would never do a such thing, and then I'd for sure turn it off when the users started to complain about that. This case is a fair one, because mouse cursor hijacking is not a good practice in terms of standards (and accessibility).

By the other hand, I wouldn't be responsible for the avatars you want to use (hypothetically speaking here, if I were the forum designer). At the end of the day, it's your avatar, you should make it fit for the forum, not the forum be fit for your avatar, be it transparent or not. You just have to be creative with your own avatar as a way to identify you.

As a designer, Snover is in his right to defend his design how he likes it to be, as long it abides the good practices & web standards. But it's just my opinion, not a criticism at all. I like the forum, it has improved a lot in many areas, especially the web browsing experience on my iPhone.

schmatzler wrote on 2020-05-07, 22:49:
That doesn't automatically make you a good designer, though. […]
Show full quote
cyclone3d wrote on 2020-05-07, 21:20:

I've only been in IT and writing scripts and programs for about 20 years.

That doesn't automatically make you a good designer, though.

Not having all transparent images magically work with the background of your website isn't reducing functionality - it's basic physics.

The old Vogons had a different shade of purple, yes. I'm pretty sure that didn't make all transparent GIFs appear great either.

Also, there is an additional grey design here that you can choose. Images with transparency might show up differently there, too. So a designer should be held accountable for all possible color and alpha combinations? This is ridiculous.

If a user cares that much about the optics of his avatar, he'll make sure it's displayed properly by editing it himself.

Exactly.

"Design isn't just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
JOBS, Steve.
READ: Right to Repair sucks and is illegal!