There are no words in the English language I could scream to drown you out

[sovay]

So I got home to discover the latest code push from Dreamwidth has effectively broken the site for me. I left a comment to that effect. It does not look as though my comment will make a difference.

I understand accessibility is complicated. This journal and DW in general was one of the few things in my life right now that did not cause me active pain. It was in fact rather sustaining. That has just sharply ceased to be the case. I have no idea what to do. I left LJ for DW. I had planned to stay here until they turned out the lights because I trusted them not to hurt me. Now my eyes hurt. I am a text-oriented person who cannot comfortably interact with the text-based form of social media which is very nearly the whole of my life online. There's nowhere to go from here. (I can't even think about the effects on my Patreon.) I am tired of being a person whose needs are disposable. I am very, very, very not happy.

[edit 2020-07-26 1:21:00] I have temporarily reverted to the old style because the alternative appears to be verging on a migraine. And perhaps in a year the horse will learn to sing.

Comments

[yhlee]

Oof. I'm sorry they broke the site for a lot of people, and I hope they make it an option to put things back.

[sovay]

I'm sorry they broke the site for a lot of people, and I hope they make it an option to put things back.

Thank you. There seems to be an option to revert temporarily to the old style, which I am afraid of taking because then I will get used to reading and commenting like a normal person who isn't squinting and wincing with eyestrain and then a month or two down the line BAM I will lose all ability to interact with the site and this time there will be no fixing it. I don't want to leave DW. Literally there is no other form of social media that is attractive or healthy for me. I am feeling very driven off. Even the comment box is not easy for me to look at!

[asakiyume]

What's it doing for you? For me--as I type this (I'm on a desktop)--it looks **larger** than usual, and it seems as if it's put the typeface to Currier, although I know from the last comment I made that once I hit post, it'll appear in a different font.

[sovay]

What's it doing for you?

The outer page of my journal looks more or less as it always has. When I look at a post itself, the font of both the post and the comments has increased in size in a way that I find simultaneously crowding and full of too much white space: it interferes with my natural method of reading, which is in blocks. Headers, usernames, and other supplementary text also look outsized and disproportionate and something about the color balance has subtly shifted in a way that I don't know I could pin down without hexadecimals but seems to be giving me eyestrain. It's not just upsetting me because it looks different. It's physically painful and I can't read just by glancing at a screen as I am used to. It reminds me of neurological tests run on me as a child. [edit: I recognize that sounded unnecessarily ominous. Some of them were IQ tests whose results I have never been told, some were psychological tests, some were sensory processing. These changes feel like someone is trying to give me a visual and/or reading disorder. They have at least succeeded in giving me a headache.] [edit edit: And horrific mood effects, apparently.] The comments box has gone deeply weird.

[kathmandu]

Sympathies. And crossing my fingers that there will turn out to be still some combination of styling that will look how you want.

[sovay]

Sympathies. And crossing my fingers that there will turn out to be still some combination of styling that will look how you want.

Thank you.

[pameladean]

Oh, no! Everything looks exactly the same to me; I guess when I log out and log back in all will be chaos and horror.

P.

[kore]

Mine looks the same, but I haven't logged out or closed my browser for a while and I also view everything in light, otherwise the various designs strain my eyes. I am dreading logging out and finding unusable styles.

[sholio]

Oh no, I'm so sorry! :((( That's awful, and I hope you're able to get some kind of fix that will put it back how it was for you. They should at least have that as some kind of site-skin option for people; it's bizarre to me that they don't.

[sovay]

That's awful, and I hope you're able to get some kind of fix that will put it back how it was for you. They should at least have that as some kind of site-skin option for people; it's bizarre to me that they don't.

Thank you. I am upset that there is no option to revert permanently to the previous style. The temporary reversion feels like a snare and a delusion and way too much like the sorts of stunt Facebook and Google pull. [edit] I went for it anyway, because the changes hurt too much.

[rosefox]

I'm so sorry! It doesn't look different to me, but I use the bare-bones Lynx style everywhere that my custom style doesn't cover.

If you switch to the old style and send me a screenshot of what you want it to look like, I can try to make a custom style for you. (And I'm sure I'm not the only person who immediately thought of doing that.)

[sovay]

I'm so sorry! It doesn't look different to me, but I use the bare-bones Lynx style everywhere that my custom style doesn't cover.

Thank you. I think part of the problem is that I don't have a custom style: I themed my journal in Refried Tablet because it was the closest to my beloved LJ design and then my site skin is Tropospherical Red and I view all pages in original style. It was the simplest, easiest layout for me to read and now it appears to be have been non-negotiably smashed up. I've never gotten eyestrain from DW before. I'm in active pain right now. I'm writing with the screen partly closed so as not to make it worse. I have no idea what the devs even did to make that happen, but it's not cool.

If you switch to the old style and send me a screenshot of what you want it to look like, I can try to make a custom style for you. (And I'm sure I'm not the only person who immediately thought of doing that.)

That is extremely kind of you. I believe you did something similar for me once when LJ went sideways. I have to say that any situation that gives me flashbacks to LJ going sideways does not fill me with confidence for the future.

[kore]

Oh no, I'm so sorry. I love your posts here.

I have no idea if this is helpful, but I am trying to see WHAT they did -- I can see it when reading other peoples' journals, but my own and my flist look the same? Anyway, what I have under My Account/Display is the "Show my journal's entry pages in my chosen style instead of the site skin" checked, and then "When viewing entry pages (including yours), use this style: My own style." I also have the DW CSS for blocking certain topics or users which I think also forces everything to my style. I view everything in either my own style or light, because I can't read the site otherwise. I think I can see some of the changes occasionally (font size, font, background colour??) and they look AWFUL.

Anyway, you are absolutely right with people needing REAL accessibility and our needs not being disposable, and this sucks. //hugs

[sovay]

Oh no, I'm so sorry. I love your posts here.

Thank you. I really don't like the idea of having to close down. I am isolated enough as it is. On the other hand, for the first time in my life being on the computer is making my eyes ache, quite badly. I really wanted to write about another movie tonight and it is not happening and I feel betrayed.

Anyway, what I have under My Account/Display is the "Show my journal's entry pages in my chosen style instead of the site skin" checked, and then "When viewing entry pages (including yours), use this style: My own style."

See above to pameladean and rosefox: I believe my mistake was in using the site skin because it was the easiest thing for me to read and now it is so, so not.

I think I can see some of the changes occasionally (font size, font, background colour??) and they look AWFUL.

Is the comments box also ginormous Courier for you, or does it look normal in your style?

[kore]

I think unfortunately the person in the change comments who said "Changing your site and not listening to feedback and insisting that users need to fix it themselves is the TUMBLR METHOD OF SITE DESIGN" hit the nail on the head. Also, I'm personally fucking sick of everything being pushed for mobile design. I don't look at ANYTHING on mobile except a couple of game apps.

[sovay]

I think unfortunately the person in the change comments who said "Changing your site and not listening to feedback and insisting that users need to fix it themselves is the TUMBLR METHOD OF SITE DESIGN" hit the nail on the head.

If I wanted to be on Tumblr, I could have been unhappy years ago.

I don't look at anything on mobile, period. The pandemic forced me to get a talkie window, otherwise known as the iPad which I use strictly for Zoom. My phone flips open.

[gwynnega]

I'm so sorry. It looks the same on my tablet, but I haven't tried it on my computer yet. I really hope there is a workaround that makes DW comfortable for you to use again.

[sovay]

I really hope there is a workaround that makes DW comfortable for you to use again.

Thank you.

[sbrackett]

Eeek! Everything looked mostly alright and then I clicked "reply" and discovered this commenting box has that annoying look of "someone linked me to the mobile version of wikipedia but I'm on my desktop" too bigness. It'd be nice if they'd put in an "I prefer mobile default/I prefer desktop default" switch somehow because I'm sure this size is useful to some but it is too much white space for me.

[sovay]

that annoying look of "someone linked me to the mobile version of wikipedia but I'm on my desktop" too bigness.

That is a really succinct and accurate way of describing it.

It'd be nice if they'd put in an "I prefer mobile default/I prefer desktop default" switch somehow because I'm sure this size is useful to some but it is too much white space for me.

Agreed. I don't want the site to be inaccessible to other people, but I do want it to be accessible to me!

[ironymaiden]

I use style=mine everywhere, so I've been spared most of the trouble, except that on my custom style buttons are cropped and things are overlapping on mobile. *sigh*

[sovay]

I use style=mine everywhere, so I've been spared most of the trouble, except that on my custom style buttons are cropped and things are overlapping on mobile.

That does not sound ideal. I'm sorry.

[landingtree]

I’m so sorry they did this! The changes have indeed made the viewing of comments easier for me on a mobile, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t offer both options. Since I mostly read Dreamwidth on a laptop anyway, I’ve reverted to the old format as an extra ‘this matters to people’ vote.

Your film posts are excellent.

[sovay]

The changes have indeed made the viewing of comments easier for me on a mobile, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t offer both options.

I am glad to hear they're doing what they're supposed to do for mobile users!

I really would like a permanent reversion option. I don't know what would be required on the back end. But the alternative is exhausting me to contemplate.

Since I mostly read Dreamwidth on a laptop anyway, I’ve reverted to the old format as an extra ‘this matters to people’ vote.

I very much appreciate the support.

Your film posts are excellent.

Thank you.

[muccamukk]

That all sounds terrible. I really hope that they make an option to switch it back permanently soon.

I feel for the devs because they're under SO MUCH pressure to make the site better on mobile, but they really screwed up on this implementation.

My style didn't get hit, but the icon browser has gone DEEPLY weird.

[kore]

I didn't think to check my icon browser!

GACK. I usually just pick from the dropdown menu of keywords, but the Browse layout is kind of just bad right now.

[julian]

It's eerily like Ravelry, which I do not hang out on but other people I know do, who Made Big Accessibility Changes just recently... some of which literally gave people seizures. (And migraines.)

I hope they do better at the followup than Ravelry did. And I'm sorry it's hurting you.

[sovay]

who Made Big Accessibility Changes just recently... some of which literally gave people seizures. (And migraines.)

Being under a rock where most social media is concerned, I had not heard about that, but yikes. That's some David Langford-grade brain-scrambling.

I was extremely surprised by the migraine effects on my part. I think I am going to end up reading a detailed list of changes between old style and code push just to try to find out what caused them. spatch thought the color temperature changed between the two versions and might have been part of it.

I hope they do better at the followup than Ravelry did. And I'm sorry it's hurting you.

Thank you.

[kathmandu]

If you always stuck to defaults, you might not have noticed this, but even the built-in styles are extremely customizable. I picked one with a decent layout and then set all my own colors, fonts, and screen-width percentages.

So, while you are reverted to the original version, it might be a good idea to go into your Settings > Journal Style > Customize Your Theme, go through the tabs down the left, and write down paper notes of your current color codes, font sizes, element sizes, etc. That way you'll be prepared to customize to your taste if needed.

[sovay]

So, while you are reverted to the original version, it might be a good idea to go into your Settings > Journal Style > Customize Your Theme, go through the tabs down the left, and write down paper notes of your current color codes, font sizes, element sizes, etc. That way you'll be prepared to customize to your taste if needed.

Thank you. I had to sort of reinvent my journal style on LJ the last year before I left for good, but I don't think I ever explored my similar options on DW. I will make a point of getting this information.

[starlady]

I would never have known anything had happened aside from the comment box. I hope you can figure out how to customize everything you need.

In the meantime, not sure whether the following will help your issue, but it seemed like a useful thing to share:

"The font uses your default browser font size, so you can change that in your browser settings and it will fix the issue, when it comes to reading and drafting posts at least (the comment box still seems to have oversized text)."

[sovay]

I hope you can figure out how to customize everything you need.

Thank you.

"The font uses your default browser font size, so you can change that in your browser settings and it will fix the issue, when it comes to reading and drafting posts at least (the comment box still seems to have oversized text)."

rydra_wong also mentioned this! I think it would amend the problem, but not solve it, but it's useful for me to know the underlying mechanisms.

[labingi]

I'm so sorry that you're experiencing this and also technically a little puzzled because, if people hadn't been talking about it, I would not know there had been a code push. My journal looks 100% the same as it always did with zero work on my end.

I haven't checked DW in a few days, so maybe they changed a setting? Or maybe it depends on what browser/device you're using. (I'm on Firefox on a Macbook.)

Just a little confused as to what's going on, but I figure there must be a way to revert to the old style and retain it?

[sovay]

My journal looks 100% the same as it always did with zero work on my end.

Some journal styles appear unaffected and I'm glad yours is one of them. I use one of the site skins for mine and it was affected in a big way.

I haven't checked DW in a few days, so maybe they changed a setting?

There was a code push and it changed a lot.

Just a little confused as to what's going on, but I figure there must be a way to revert to the old style and retain it?

According to the latest in dw_maintenance, the option to revert is only temporary, which is difficult. I appreciate the sympathy.

[ashlyme]

*hugs and love* I would miss you, for one.

This comment box is disconcerting. It's a bit easier for me to read, but it looks *cold*. I don't know why the hell they assume everyone wants to experience the internet through a damned phone.

[sovay]

I would miss you, for one.

*hugs*

I would miss being here! I am trying to stay.

I don't know why the hell they assume everyone wants to experience the internet through a damned phone.

Well, a lot of people do, and I understand that. I just don't. And I am prepared these days for sites to look awful to me because I remain on desktop, but I wasn't expecting the brain-fry.

[aurumcalendula]

*hugs*

[sovay]

*hugs*

*hugs*

[dhampyresa]

I would miss you if you left! I'm so sorry the code push broke things for you /hugs

I can't help immediately for reasons of (among other things) dodgy wifi and no laptop access, but if by mid-August it still needs fixing, let me know and I will do my best.

[sovay]

I would miss you if you left! I'm so sorry the code push broke things for you

Thank you.

*hugs*

I can't help immediately for reasons of (among other things) dodgy wifi and no laptop access, but if by mid-August it still needs fixing, let me know and I will do my best.

That is incredibly kind. I have advice from rosefox and kathmandu and I will let you know if I need further assistance. I really appreciate it.

[brigdh]

I am so, so sorry. I really hope they offer a permanent fix, because I would hate to lose you from here.

[sovay]

I really hope they offer a permanent fix, because I would hate to lose you from here.

Thank you. Me, too. I don't want to leave and the prospect is just not what I (or anyone else, I am confident) needed right now.

[nineweaving]

Dear gods, this is appalling. I had no idea, as my own page looks just as it always did. I feel as if the angel of death has passed over my house, and I feel guilty.

Damn it all, making their community feel at home is their primary job, and they've botched it. I hope they let you keep a comfortable style, forever. Your journal is one of the great pleasures of DW.

Nine

[sovay]

I feel as if the angel of death has passed over my house, and I feel guilty.

Please don't; it's not useful. Any number of styles appear to be unaffected by these changes and that's fine.

I hope they let you keep a comfortable style, forever. Your journal is one of the great pleasures of DW.

Thank you. I don't know what my odds are. I have offers of help now from four people, though, if DW can't do it, and I really don't want to have to leave.

(I just don't want a visually triggered migraine—or even the facsimile of one; it felt exactly like a migraine in terms of pain and sensitivity, but it wore off in half the usual time and does not appear to have involved any of the other, these days more dangerous vascular symptoms, so I am thinking of it as a functional migraine, if not a technical one—ever again. I didn't know my brain could do that and it's one of those things I only want to try once.)

[julian]

Btw, I don't think this is your specific issue, but per Denise's new post: "If your font size is unspeakably large, please check both your browser default font size and check the current magnification level you've set for Dreamwidth and Dreamwidth journals. Most browsers will remember your last-used magnification setting on a per-website basis, so if you changed your magnification on DW in the past because the site was setting a smaller-than-browser-default font size, it is probably now too large now that we are using the browser default font size. This has been the root cause for lot of the people reporting extremely large font sizes, so take a moment to check."

There's also some other pertinent bugs being worked on.

[sovay]

so if you changed your magnification on DW in the past because the site was setting a smaller-than-browser-default font size, it is probably now too large now that we are using the browser default font size. This has been the root cause for lot of the people reporting extremely large font sizes

I appreciate the encouragement to double-check, but that is unfortunately not the source of my problem: my browser default font size is whatever came with this version of Firefox ("Times 16," according to Preferences/Content) and I never altered the magnification levels on Dreamwidth (I don't think I even knew until now that I could). As far as I can tell, it blew up entirely of its own accord.

There's also some other pertinent bugs being worked on.

Thanks. I hope one of them helps me.