Suggestion for recommended browsers

Hi guys, The site recommends Chrome and Firefox claiming they give the best experience. I've been using roll20 for over a year now with various browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Opera and IE. IE is the worst experience having significant incompatibilities. Firefox is second worst because of its poor implementation of javascript and it's lack of a true fullscreen function. Chrome is second best with good performance but poor fullscreen support. Opera, is hands down the best browser for roll20. Why? 1) Performance: Opera and Chrome are the only two browsers that give flawless performance with the advanced features like vision blocking. Firefox stutters when it hits too much vision blocking. 2) Interface: Firefox and Chrome do not offer a true fullscreen mode. When users try to interact with Roll20 on one of those two browsers and their mouse goes too close to the top of the screen the browsers inteface pops up over the page, causing frustration. Opera and IE offer a true full screen interface which requires the user exit the full screen mode to access the browsers interface. This is preferred for web apps like roll20. That's my suggestion based on my experiences. I definately think Opera deserves a mention.

Try chrome canary, faster and more responsive.

Hi Al, I'm sorry, you seem to have misunderstood me. I'll try to be more clear. I'm not looking for a new browser. The browser I use (Opera) works better with Roll20 than any other browser. There is no need to switch and I have no desire to do so. It would be counter productive. I'm very happy that you've found a browser you love and thank you for sharing your excitement over this new product with me but my issue wasn't Chrome is too slow or not responsive. I was simply pointing out that, for the reasons I listed, Opera, in my experience, is by far the best browser for use with Roll20. Also, I would strongly caution against using an unfinished browser in production running games on Roll20. When you use an untested, unfinished product like Canary you become a test pilot and you introduce an extra layer of complexity that is completely unnecessary. If you run into an issue on the site you will not know for certain if it's Roll20 or the browser which can delay your game and spoil the fun for the players. Thanks for your feedback and I really hope you enjoy using Canary. If you're looking to be a test pilot and you consider yourself a power user, check out Vivaldi .

As I understand it, Chrome and Firefox are the recommended browsers not because they're proven to be the best in all ways, but because they're the browsers the devs do/are able to test changes to the best. Something else may work fine, but the devs haven't tested it to be certain.

Hey Brian, I get that. I'm just making a suggestion. They can take it or leave it but they really should dump Firefox. To claim its a good option for using the site is just plain wrong and misleading. If I was an average user and I saw that message, then logged in to play my game with Firefox and it started skipping like crazy I'd think it was the site that was to blame and walk away.

Before the tone in this thread shifts I'm going to make this suggestion. If you haven't done it yet, post in the suggestion forum about what you think should be the officially supported browsers. This will let the community have a say to this matter.

LOL, hi Pat. I thought I did post this in the suggestions forum. I apologize. If you'd like to delete the thread or move it please feel free. I'm not really interested in persuing this. It's already taken more of my time than its worth, lol. I'm not an evangelist trying to sell people. I just wanted to share what worked for me and suggest that Roll20 mention Opera since it does work so well with the site. p.s. I really hope you're kidding about the tone of the thread. It would be really sad if someone got their panties in a bunch because someone doesn't like what they like... but then again, I guess that's what people do. ;)

I think the reason Opera isn't mentioned really, is because until recently, it was its own thing. Now, it runs off a Chrome-based architecture. Effectively, Opera 28 is Chrome in a new wrapper, with some modifications.

Hi Sean, That was kind of my point. It's Chrome, but it functions better with Roll20 than Chrome does. To be clear, I don't really expect Roll20 to recommend Opera, but I figured if I create this pot, it'll show up in search engine results and users who are looking for a better browser for using with Roll20 will find this thread. It'd be great if Roll20 recommended the browser and I hope they consider it but I don't expect that they will.

That is the thing about my post for a suggestion thread. Get it listed down there and the devs will read it (they read it here also but down there makes it official). I saw that you stated I could move it so are you willing to spend a vote on this?

Hi Pat, Like I said, I don't think anyone at Roll20 will do anything. I don't expect them to. The days of responsive companies are long gone. I'd be happy just to have this out there so other users can find it. If you'd like to move the thread feel free. I have no idea what a vote is or how one would spend a vote but if you'd like to move it and there's something you need me to do just let me know. Thanks. :)

Charles A. said: Hi Pat, Like I said, I don't think anyone at Roll20 will do anything. I don't expect them to. The days of responsive companies are long gone. I'd be happy just to have this out there so other users can find it. If you'd like to move the thread feel free. I have no idea what a vote is or how one would spend a vote but if you'd like to move it and there's something you need me to do just let me know. Thanks. :) To vote you just click on the little icon up at the top that says score. Since the thread is a moved post, I'm not sure if it costed you a vote (mentors get 10+1 per year here).

To be honest, the only reason I don't use Opera to play at the moment, is because on Chrome, if I hold the Alt key and use my mouse wheel, I can zoom in and out of the map. In Opera, the entire web page zooms.

Hi Sean, That's pretty cool. I'll have to see if there's a way to do in in Opera because Roll20's built in zoom isn't very nice. That's the first time I've heard of a useful feature in Chrome that Opera doesn't have. It usually goes the other way around in my experience. :D Hey Pat, I clicked it. I don't know why I clicked it, what it does, or why there's a limited number of these votes, but whatever. I'll probably never use it again. LOL.

Just FYI Sean, the zooming works in Opera too. Even scrolls the little zoom bar in Roll20 as it does it. Thanks for turning me on to that.

Are you using Windows? Only asking because I use a Mac with a Magic Mouse, so it might be different as a result. I only want the map to zoom, instead of the entire page. :)

Yeah, I'm using Windows. I used to sell Macs and I do recall there were problems with the magic mouse. I sold a lot of Kennsington mice because of that. ;)

It's just bizarre because the mouse works as intended in Chrome, Firefox or even Safari. In Opera, any Alt-scroll function zooms in the entire page... even on my MacBook Air touchpad.

Search or ask on some Opera forums about that. I bet there is a hidden setting (like a "config" file) that you can edit to change that zoom behavior. You want it to zoom the contents of "a frame", not the whole browser GUI. There is probably a hidden config setting for that, just based on knowing the vast amount of hidden settings Chrome and Firefox have. Note: I believe it's already been said that Opera is technically not a supported browser for Roll20, but it is still a good experiment to learn if & how it would work.

We're already (sadly) aware it's not technically supported. I mean, the OP and I both mentioned it. Hehe. Our discussion simply evolved into a discussion on Opera being based on the Chrome architecture now, and the subsequent discussion on the Alt-scroll function for zooming in the map. :) I'll see if I can find hidden parameters/settings for it because there is one more thing I am trying to turn off, and that is that damned auto-space it adds when the cursor appears in a field for the first time.

Browsers are like underwear. You spend a lot of time in it, it takes you forever to find the one you like, and when something isn't quite right it can really rub you the wrong way. ;)

Charles A. said: Browsers are like underwear. You spend a lot of time in it, it takes you forever to find the one you like, and when something isn't quite right it can really rub you the wrong way. ;) #nailedit