Problems with Apple iOS Devices and the TW site...

[Shadowwolf]

Over the last few weeks Ive had some folks come to me about problems viewing or using some sections of the site on devices like iPad or iPhones specifically. Some of you in the tech arena and even just those of you who follow new gadgets may remember the keynotes delivered by Steve Jobs about Apple's stand on not supporting Flash on its mobile devices and why HTML5 is the route to go for all future web development.

While I am pleased to see Mr Jobs pushing new technology for the web, there remains a lot of lies and half-truths told by him both in his rhetoric on Apple press events as well as things on the Apple website. Additionally, Apple has engaged in some dirty practices with iOS devices where they are attempting to make things appear as though the site itself being viewed on their devices is broken, not the device itself lacking support.

No More Blue Lego

In the past, whenever you would visit a site that required a plugin your device did not have or did not support, you would instead see a Blue Lego image in place of that plugin.

[attachimg=1]

This...has been quietly removed on iOS devices to make it appear as though the website is broken, not the device being unable to support it. I believe this to be an underhanded move by Apple in an attempt to manipulate users into forgetting about the Flash and other limitations but instead of taking onus of these limitations, this nice little gem of a change in iOS places blame on web designers and maintainers, namely myself with regard to this site. Well, that pisses me off pretty well and so I have found a way to forcefully add the Blue Lego back into the view and have been slowly incorporating that change into different aspects of the site. So Steve, if you could see me now, I am directing the one-finger salute your way...and proudly smile to say "I win".

HTML5 is Ready To Go!

Actually, no, it isnt. The W3C has only recently announced plans to finalize the standards of HTML5 and only recent iterations of web browsers have begun to incorporate it into the software for viewing. The W3C doesnt expect to finalize the standards till 2014. This doesnt mean I wont be incorporating parts of it into the site, in actuality, some parts do contain HTML5 now and you probably havent even noticed the difference. Its a slow process and only stuff that is widely supported in the drafted standard will make its way here because its too risky to try and build the entire site in HTML5 right now.

What doesnt work with my iPad or iPhone on the TW site?

Well, only a few things thankfully and Koth and I are always looking for ways to reduce the list as much as we can though we are limited to what we can do by Apple's development rules and security.

Forum Videos:

Currently, you cant see forum videos on any iOS devices. A vast majority of videos on the web are done in Flash and so because Flash is a dirty word with regard to Apple stuff, it doesnt work. Sadly, there is no way for me to workaround this issue.

Website Videos:

As with the Forum videos in posts, the videos on the website work the same way. The system is designed around using flash for size and efficiency and as such there is really nothing I can do to fix that for iOS users =(

Image Gallery Uploads:

While the Image Gallery has a Flash and non-Flash upload mechanic, currently iOS devices have a ridiculous and seemingly impossible to work around security feature which prohibits uploading files from the native device to websites. Only restricted areas of the Apple device allow uploads and only through approved Apps from the App Store. The web browser on iOS does not allow for access to images or any other files on the device. While this is fine and dandy for security purposes (albeit a little extreme), it prevents the use of uploading directly to the Image Gallery in any way.

At the moment I am working on a possible workaround in the form of building an App for the App Store to allow it, but the finishing of this is a long way down the road Im sorry to say.

Forum Image Attachments:

As with the Image Gallery, web browsers in iOS devices are not allowed to upload any files from the device.

Plans for the Future

Technology is ever changing as usual and with every evolution of the mobile devices available out there I am doing my best to keep this site as friendly with them as I can. A daunting task I can honestly say but one I have managed to pull off pretty well I think considering the limitations. I am also not one to be content with limitations in any way and always look for ways to circumvent obstacles in technology. Sometimes I meet with success, sometimes not, but I am always looking to allow maximum interactivity with this site on all of your devices because I firmly believe that it enables us to work as a tight knit group of family and friends as we have become when you can keep tabs on things regardless where you are.

If you are an iOS device owner and experience issues with the site in areas aside from what I mentioned above, please continue to keep me informed, I am always eager to know about problems to fix, I dont like leaving them broken if I can avoid it.

[Lord Entropy]

I'm an iphone fanboy, but I share your frustration regarding support for flash.  However, as long as forum videos are youtube-based videos, they will work - I can click on the link or the "empty box" and it will launch the youtube app and play the video.

[Shadowwolf]

Im not really frustrated at Apple not supporting Flash cause I dont have one. What irritates me is the removal of the lego image where it makes it appear as though the site itself is broken. Im fine with not supporting it if thats how they want to treat their users, what I dont like is instead of taking ownership of that decision they are trying to skirt blame to webmasters like myself and thats just dirty play. =P