Hi! I'm a server!

[Adama D. Brown]

It's kind of sad how often this is still true.

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/server_attention_span.png

[Varjak]

Actually, I think it's MORE true than in the past. I find more sites default to the mobile site instead of the main one. Although I don't find that it goes to the main page. Usually you get an approximation of the page you wanted, although it might not be complete. In most cases, the mobile site is useless too.

[Hook]

Actually, I think it's MORE true than in the past. I find more sites default to the mobile site instead of the main one. Although I don't find that it goes to the main page. Usually you get an approximation of the page you wanted, although it might not be complete. In most cases, the mobile site is useless too.

Then again, you are talking Blazer or Opera for Palm, right? I don't actually get Mobile websites very often on Android.

[chimeraX]

Some of the websites have a mobile version. Yahoo also has a mobile version. You may notice if you try to visit with some older iPhones or Nokia Symbian phones. Sometimes few websites redirect me to their mobile version. The mobile version has nothing and lot of features will be hidden even though I use some browsers like Opera or Firefox. I cannot navigate to the article I want to read or read my emails properly. Most of the websites started to use Responsive Web Design to optimize their sites for different screen sizes. This is the latest technology which makes browsing in smartphones fun and easy.

[r0k]

Welcome to BH, chimeraX!

I'm not sure Responsive Web Design (CSS layout tricks) is as widespread as you infer. Most "mainstream" sites seem to limp along with separate but unequal mobile versions of their pages. Thankfully many of them have links to their "real" sites. Sadly most of those links are in the smallest possible font and visible only after scrolling all the way to the bottom of a very long page.

@Hook, I still get quite a few mobile sites popping up on my iPhone and iPad and sometimes on my Samsung GP5. It seems that there are still some servers that intercept the user agent string and forcibly ship out the mobile version of their sites. There are some 3rd party iOS browsers, well make that mobile safari wrappers, that allow the user to "fake" the user agent string and every now and then I have to resort to using one of them to get stuff done.

BTW, excellent cartoon, ADB!

[Hook]

Jeff, Dolphin Browser on Android will let you set the user agent. I'm sure there are others that probably do too.

[Adama D. Brown]

Actually, I think it's MORE true than in the past. I find more sites default to the mobile site instead of the main one. Although I don't find that it goes to the main page. Usually you get an approximation of the page you wanted, although it might not be complete. In most cases, the mobile site is useless too.

I tend to get the exact situation from the comic pretty often. Mostly with smaller websites, I've noticed; they apparently can't be bothered to put in the effort to do anything more complicated than "Mobile browser = redirect to mobile page."

The other problem is the differences in how sites view the "mobile page." It seems to range from simple, functional pages with a clean look--which is all you really need--down to "We designed this for a 1 inch featurephone screen."

[Varjak]

Not just on Blazer. As others have noted, it's a pretty regular issue, even on Android and probably iOS. Some have iOS-specific pages.

[Adama D. Brown]

BTW, excellent cartoon, ADB!

XKCD rocks. Geek humor at its finest.

[chimeraX]

Jeff, Dolphin Browser on Android will let you set the user agent. I'm sure there are others that probably do too.

Opera and UC browser also let us set user agent.