The discussion revolves around a proposed user setting to hide pinned topic previews on mobile when read, to improve usability. jomaxro suggests this feature due to mobile screen limitations, as two pinned topics can occupy the entire screen. codinghorror opposes the idea, arguing that if a topic is pinned, it should be visible, and suggests using a local CSS override instead. jomaxro counters that many pinned topics are for regular users, not staff, and questions the feasibility of CSS edits on mobile. alefattorini supports the idea, citing mobile usability issues. JamesDb asks if the excerpt could be limited to the first paragraph, referencing a related topic on custom preview text here.
Currently, the following user setting exists under the topics header:
Automatically unpin topics when you reach the bottom.
Personally, I want pinned topics at the top of my feed whether I have read then or not. As a mod, it is handy to have the important threads in an easy to locate place. However, as the topics are pinned, the first part of the post is displayed. This isn’t a very big deal on the desktop, but on mobile 2 pinned topics (and the header) take up the entire screen. I would like to propose the following user setting:
Automatically hid pinned topics previews when you reach the bottom.
If it’s important enough to pin, then it’s important enough to show an excerpt.
If it isn’t important enough to pin, what difference does it make if it is on your screen at all?
I don’t agree with this as it would lead to pointless settings explosion. You may want to make a local override edit to your browser CSS if you want this particular unusual behavior.
I would respectfully disagree with your opinion here. For me, most of the time pinned topics are for “regular users” (non-staff). Staff are the ones pinning the topics, and thus are typically already aware of the subject matter.