Author Topic: What's up with the "Back" button?  (Read 1496 times)

Hawkmoon

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What's up with the "Back" button?
« on: March 13, 2018, 01:33:45 PM »
Why do web sites think it's a good idea to make it so you can't leave their &%#@*$% sites?

I noticed it first with Microsoft's [alleged] "help" site (that never produces anything remotely helpful). No matter how many times you click "Back,", you're stuck on the same screen. Now the local television station's web site does the same thing.

Once I'm onto their tricks it's easy to work around with Firefox -- I just click History and then click the site I want to get back to. But ... why should I have to do that? Browsers have a "Back" button for a reason. Why would any site want to piss off visitors by disabling it?
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Ben

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2018, 02:02:24 PM »
I run into that occasionally as well. I've always just attributed it to crappy web design. Most of the time it happens to me on pages that have a bajillion ads and blinkity blinking seizure inducing "look at me" stuff.
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just Warren

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2018, 02:19:02 PM »
Sometimes it's because the page has loaded a bunch of times. The back button is working but since the page loaded seven or eight times it's going to take a few clicks.

I don't know why this happens.
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Brad Johnson

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2018, 02:36:26 PM »
Sometimes it's because the page has loaded a bunch of times. The back button is working but since the page loaded seven or eight times it's going to take a few clicks.

I don't know why this happens.

I run into it a lot with pages that have a jacked up ad reload methodology. Rather than an active ad window within the parent page, they update ads by reloading the whole dang window.

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2018, 02:38:43 PM »
Some odd behavior including the back button thing disappearing on my IE11, too, which I'm told is now obsolete.

Hey, is all the re-formatting for mobile devices maybe screwing it up for the restivus?

TechMan

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2018, 02:47:03 PM »
If I encounter that I will right click on the back button and that will bring up a list of pages that you would back through.  I select the bottom one to see if I can get out.
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Ben

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2018, 03:45:37 PM »
Also a weird way I have gotten out of them is to click "back" like mad. Sometimes around ten really rapid clicks will knock me out of the page where ten slower clicks would do nothing.
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TechMan

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2018, 03:56:53 PM »
Also a weird way I have gotten out of them is to click "back" like mad. Sometimes around ten really rapid clicks will knock me out of the page where ten slower clicks would do nothing.

See above...that prevents the click back like mad syndrome.
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Hawkmoon - Never underestimate another person's capacity for stupidity. Any time you think someone can't possibly be that dumb ... they'll prove you wrong.

Bacon and Eggs - A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a pig.
Stupidity will always be its own reward.
Bad decisions make good stories.

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Viking - The problem with the modern world is that there aren't really any predators eating stupid people.

Ben

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2018, 04:01:08 PM »
See above...that prevents the click back like mad syndrome.

I use your method too, though sometimes I'm just aggravated so do the rapid clicks as my "FU" to the site. :)
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freakazoid

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2018, 07:45:33 PM »
I've noticed it mostly on sites that have obnoxious ads. Clicking back rapidly seems to usually get it to actually go back, I think you end up clicking back again before whatever is keeping it from going back can actually load and do that.
"so I ended up getting the above because I didn't want to make a whole production of sticking something between my knees and cranking. To me, the cranking on mine is pretty effortless, at least on the coarse setting. Maybe if someone has arthritis or something, it would be more difficult for them." - Ben

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TechMan

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2018, 12:03:08 PM »
I've noticed it mostly on sites that have obnoxious ads. Clicking back rapidly seems to usually get it to actually go back, I think you end up clicking back again before whatever is keeping it from going back can actually load and do that.

What browser do you use?
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Hawkmoon - Never underestimate another person's capacity for stupidity. Any time you think someone can't possibly be that dumb ... they'll prove you wrong.

Bacon and Eggs - A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a pig.
Stupidity will always be its own reward.
Bad decisions make good stories.

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Viking - The problem with the modern world is that there aren't really any predators eating stupid people.

Phyphor

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #11 on: March 14, 2018, 12:22:28 PM »
I always open links in new tabs when possible.  Any hinky crap, and that tab gets killed.
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Sideways_8

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #12 on: March 14, 2018, 12:30:42 PM »
I usually just right click the back button in Firefox and just choose which page I want to go back, but like Phyphor, I'm usually opening things in new tabs. With Safari on my phone, holding down the back button does the same thing.

Ben

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #13 on: March 14, 2018, 12:30:55 PM »
I always open links in new tabs when possible.  Any hinky crap, and that tab gets killed.


That's what I usually do initially as well. When I go through the Fox News site in the morning for instance, I will open each story that interests me in a new tab, then shut them down as I read them. However, sometimes I follow links from those new tabs, and that's what sometimes gets me into the infinite loop.

I do wish more sites would just automatically open links into a new tab when you left click on them, even if you don't have that set in your browser. Seems like you would want that as a standard just to keep people from navigating away from your site, especially if you're making money off of it.
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TechMan

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #14 on: March 14, 2018, 12:32:55 PM »
I love the disconnect add-in that is available for Firefox and Chrome.
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Hawkmoon - Never underestimate another person's capacity for stupidity. Any time you think someone can't possibly be that dumb ... they'll prove you wrong.

Bacon and Eggs - A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a pig.
Stupidity will always be its own reward.
Bad decisions make good stories.

Quote
Viking - The problem with the modern world is that there aren't really any predators eating stupid people.

slingshot

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #15 on: March 14, 2018, 02:24:20 PM »
I have run into this as well and if I'm on some strange site, I turn the computer off.
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Ben

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #16 on: March 14, 2018, 02:27:48 PM »
I have run into this as well and if I'm on some strange site, I turn the computer off.

Yet you post on APS - one of the strangest sites around.  =D
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freakazoid

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #17 on: March 14, 2018, 07:43:35 PM »
"so I ended up getting the above because I didn't want to make a whole production of sticking something between my knees and cranking. To me, the cranking on mine is pretty effortless, at least on the coarse setting. Maybe if someone has arthritis or something, it would be more difficult for them." - Ben

"I see a rager at least once a week." - brimic

TechMan

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #18 on: March 14, 2018, 08:34:15 PM »
Chrome
If you are not using it try the disconnect extension that I mentioned.
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Hawkmoon - Never underestimate another person's capacity for stupidity. Any time you think someone can't possibly be that dumb ... they'll prove you wrong.

Bacon and Eggs - A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a pig.
Stupidity will always be its own reward.
Bad decisions make good stories.

Quote
Viking - The problem with the modern world is that there aren't really any predators eating stupid people.

freakazoid

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Re: What's up with the "Back" button?
« Reply #19 on: March 14, 2018, 08:59:59 PM »
If you are not using it try the disconnect extension that I mentioned.

I'll have to look into it. Thanks.
"so I ended up getting the above because I didn't want to make a whole production of sticking something between my knees and cranking. To me, the cranking on mine is pretty effortless, at least on the coarse setting. Maybe if someone has arthritis or something, it would be more difficult for them." - Ben

"I see a rager at least once a week." - brimic