Author Topic: Tips to browse Omnimaga from mobile devices or slow connections  (Read 23595 times)

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Offline DJ Omnimaga

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This has been last updated on July 26th 2012

However there are ways to make your browsing optimal if you are away from a computer, if you are on a slow connection or if you just have a slow machine:


Solution 1 (free)

-First of all, switch to Omnimaga v4 (2008) theme. It is possible from the front page via the drop-down menu there or by clicking this link: http://www.omnimaga.org/index.php?theme=3 . This theme uses smaller images in terms of file size.

-Secondly, in OmnomIRC, click the Toggle link to disable the shoutbox then click the image at the top. On most devices, Omnom is either slow or buggy anyway.

-Third, if you still want to chat with IRC users, on Android there are free IRC apps as alternatives, such as AndroIRC, and you just have to connect to irc.omnimaga.org or any EFnet server then join #omnimaga channel to chat. If you're on iOS, you may have to rely on Cydia for a free IRC client.

On faster Android devices, you might still be able to browse Omnimaga with OmnomIRC enabled, but you'll still get slowdowns at times.


Solution 2 (free):

It is not widely known that Simplemachines forums software comes with three mobile interface modes built-in. On some phones, Omnimaga, for example, may default to one of them, but on some other mobile devices, you will still appear on the default site.

Well, if you are a dial-up user or are using a mobile phone with a small screen, Omnimaga can be accessed through one of the three following mobile interfaces:

http://www.omnimaga.org/index.php?wap2
http://www.omnimaga.org/index.php?imode
http://www.omnimaga.org/index.php?wap (I do not recommend this one, as it won't let you post)

Note that images are disabled from there, as well as the downloads section, the arcade and the articles, though, so to view project screenshots or special pages, you will need to switch to the regular interface. However, for those who just want to quickly read posts and have a small screen or a very slow internet connection, this should probably help you. :)


Solution 3 (paid)

Taptalk! This would be the best solution I think, as it's specifically designed for browsing forums with a mobile device. However, it is not free. Here's the news about Taptalk support quoted from Deep Thought:

If you browse Omnimaga from a mobile device, you may have noticed a popup telling you about our newest site feature. The Omnimaga forums now support Tapatalk, a system for mobile users to easily navigate and browse web forums with a native app available for iOS, Android, Blackberry, and others. Here are the official Tapatalk apps:


Unfortunately, the Tapatalk app is not free; it's $2.99 on the App Store, Google Play, and BlackBerry App World. But if you're a big browser of Omnimaga and other Tapatalk-enabled forums, it may well be worth the cost. Plus, there are some free apps and extensions out there that let you use the features provided by Tapatalk for free:

  • Google Chrome (desktop) users can use the Tapatalk Notifier to get notified of new replies and PMs
  • Forums is a free app for WebOS that does what Tapatalk does on other smartphones
  • Board Express for Windows Phone also handles Tapatalk forums, with a free edition

Hope this will be a useful feature to make the forums more convenient to browse.

And of course, with Taptalk you can't use OmnomIRC, so you still need an  IRC client such as AndroIRC or Colloquy, to chat on irc.omnimaga.org/#omnimaga or irc.efnet.org/#omnimaga .


Hopefully in the future there will be a new version of Omnimaga v5 but less RAM-intensive, but for now I hope the solutions above help. :)
« Last Edit: July 26, 2012, 05:16:57 pm by DJ_O »

Offline fb39ca4

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2010, 11:52:00 am »
Interesting. When I'm using a slow computer, this would be nice, except the navigation is too limited, and there's no recent posts list. Is there any possibility of changing this?
« Last Edit: August 27, 2010, 01:46:46 pm by fb39ca4 »

Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2010, 12:09:26 pm »
Sadly nope. This is a pre-built software and I have no experience in modding this. At least it's better than nothing, though :P

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2010, 01:50:06 pm »
I guess this was designed for phones. Oh well...
Something that would be more doable is a theme that contains zero images, with maybe an exception for the omnimaga logo.

Offline yunhua98

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2010, 04:42:12 pm »
actually if you login and click unread posts/replies, its similar

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2010, 06:20:04 pm »
Thanks for the info, this'll be useful. Though I guess the screenshot pyramid wouldn't work :P




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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2010, 06:33:42 pm »
Might come in handy because my old computer uses dial-up and sometimes my laptop is not available. Thanks. :)


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Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2010, 06:44:09 pm »
Yeah the low bandwidth theme was an idea I had for a while. However, what I may actually do is simply add back a spinoff from the very first theme we used on Invisionfree. It only used one small image as background and the banner. There was an heavier theme not long afterward but people said it was too bright for the eyes.

Offline FinaleTI

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #8 on: August 27, 2010, 06:52:24 pm »
Spiffy! I'll have to test it when I get on Omnimaga on my iPod. :)


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Offline yunhua98

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #9 on: August 27, 2010, 07:41:14 pm »
blackberries default to wap2.
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Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2010, 07:42:00 pm »
Nice to hear. Can you use the forum default skin on it btw?
« Last Edit: August 27, 2010, 07:47:07 pm by DJ Omnimaga »

Offline FinaleTI

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2010, 07:44:35 pm »
blackberries default to wap2.
@FinaleTI:
you're >:D/2!  :o
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Spoiler For Projects:

My projects haven't been worked on in a while, so they're all on hiatus for the time being. I do hope to eventually return to them in some form or another...

Spoiler For Pokemon TI:
Axe port of Pokemon Red/Blue to the 83+/84+ family. On hold.

Spoiler For Nostalgia:
My big personal project, an original RPG about dimensional travel and a few heroes tasked with saving the world.
Coding-wise, on hold, but I am re-working the story.

Spoiler For Finale's Super Insane Tunnel Pack of Doom:
I will be combining Blur and Collision Course into a single gamepack. On hold.

Spoiler For Nostalgia Origins: Sky's Story:
Prequel to Nostalgia. On hold, especially while the story is re-worked.

Offline yunhua98

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2010, 07:46:56 pm »
not anymore.  :P
DJ:  no, you couldn't use the default skin.  :(

Spoiler For =====My Projects=====:
Minor setback due to code messing up.  On hold for Contest.
<hr>
On hold for Contest.


Spoiler For ===Staff Memberships===:






Have you seen any good news-worthy programs/events?  If so, PM me with an article to be included in the next issue of CGPN!
The Game is only a demo, the code that allows one to win hasn't been done.
To paraphrase Oedipus, Hamlet, Lear, and all those guys, "I wish I had known this some time ago."
Signature Last Updated: 12/26/11
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Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2010, 07:47:14 pm »
The first theme we used on the old site, although it initially had a different background:



EDIT: This would be the the background used:



@Yunhua98 I see x.x
« Last Edit: August 27, 2010, 07:49:36 pm by DJ Omnimaga »

_player1537

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Re: Mobile/low-bandwidth version of Omnimaga
« Reply #14 on: August 29, 2010, 01:46:19 am »
I'm for these links :D  On my dad's phone, its insanely slow to load omni...
* _player1537 memorizes the links