# Dumbcourse – Old-browser friendly UI at /dumb (D-pad + small screens)

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/dumbcourse-old-browser-friendly-ui-at-dumb-d-pad-small-screens/395104
**Category:** Plugin
**Created:** [4 februari 2026 om 02:39 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/dumbcourse-old-browser-friendly-ui-at-dumb-d-pad-small-screens/395104 "2026-02-04T02:39:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 1

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### Author: ![TripleU](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/tripleu/32/465842_2.png) [@TripleU](https://meta.discourse.org/u/TripleU)
#### Post date: [4 februari 2026 om 02:39 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/dumbcourse-old-browser-friendly-ui-at-dumb-d-pad-small-screens/395104/1 "2026-02-04T02:39:09Z")

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| ℹ | **Summary** | Dumbcourse adds a lightweight, old-browser friendly Discourse UI under **`/dumb`** , designed for **D-pad navigation** , **small screens** , and **older Android WebViews** where the standard Discourse UI can be too heavy. |
| 🛠 | **Repository Link** | [GitHub - JTech-Forums/JtechTools: Jtech — combined Discourse plugin bundle: dislike, another-smtp, mini-mod, mod-categories, dumbcourse. One plugin.rb, six admin tabs, no namespace collisions. · GitHub](https://github.com/JTech-Forums/JtechTools) |
| 📖 | **Install Guide** | [How to install plugins in Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/install-plugins-on-a-self-hosted-site/19157) |

  

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This project was made possible with the work of @ars18:

[https://github.com/alltechdev/jtech-web](https://github.com/alltechdev/jtech-web)

The original project uses a Cloudflare worker proxy to serve the forums, and the dumbcourse plugin fully integrates it into your discourse instance. Dumbcourse does not use a proxy but serves it directly.

### 

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### Features

- Serves a minimal SPA at **`/dumb`** on the same Discourse domain
- **ES5 / no build step** ; intentionally minimal DOM/JS/CSS for older browsers and WebViews
- Uses same-origin Discourse JSON endpoints and standard Discourse session cookies
- Topic lists: `latest`, `new`, `top`, `unseen`, `hot`, `my`, plus categories
- Category view: `/dumb/c/:slug/:id`
- Topic reading and posting (reply/quote/reactions)
- Search and basic profile views
- D-pad-friendly navigation with focusable UI elements

### Configuration

1. **Install the plugin**

2. **Enable it**

3. **Choose defaults**

4. **Verify**

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## Screenshots

> **Old browser / standard Discourse UI**
>
> ![Screenshot_20260203_211407](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/4/5/6/4565011d1adbcb96075b2685be73e96aaca6623b.png)

> **Dumbcourse UI**
>
> ![Screenshot_20260203_211552](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/9/a/9/9a991d8e10672e3358bc181f756ef71067fa178f.png)

> **In a thread**
>
> ![Screenshot_20260203_211625](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/c/3/0/c30c3afe401a597b59fffaf029c1343167305438.png)

> **Post actions / selection**
>
> ![Screenshot_20260203_211643](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/2/b/6/2b665da287d23ac05f9c44e16977ec64fa7f5c0a.png)

> **Basic menu**
>
> ![Screenshot_20260203_211744](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/4/6/6/466b7b1d567b9400ce37b9761a32863edf310964.png)

> **Plugin settings**
>
> ![Screenshot from 2026-02-03 21-18-38](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/6/6/c/66c9c1d3575198626f764ff17184d5783bc58b52.png)

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### Status / Known limitations

This project is currently **beta** (initial implementation was done quickly), so expect rough edges. Contributions and code review are welcome.

Current known gaps / open questions:

- **Signup + CAPTCHA:** account creation relies on Discourse’s standard signup flow, but CAPTCHA behavior may vary by site configuration.
- **Security review:** the simplified UI should not bypass Discourse permissions, but it has not yet had a thorough security review. Please report any concerns or suspicious behavior.
- **Moderation/admin UX:** moderation and admin tooling are minimal today; expanding this safely is on the roadmap.
- **Touch + D-pad interactions:** touch input can conflict with focus navigation on some devices; improvements are planned.
- **Link sharing:** `/dumb` provides an alternate UI, which raises questions about sharing canonical links between “dumb” and standard users. A consistent approach is still being refined.

### Credits

Special thanks to @ars18 (GitHub: [https://github.com/alltechdev](https://github.com/alltechdev)) for key contributions and for helping kick off the original idea.

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### Settings

| Name | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `dumbcourse_enabled` | Master on/off toggle for Dumbcourse. |
| `dumbcourse_default_theme` | Default theme for `/dumb` (`dark` / `light`). |
| `dumbcourse_default_view` | Default landing view (`latest` / `new` / `top` / `unseen` / `hot` / `my` / `categories`). |
| `dumbcourse_sidebar_link_enabled` | Adds a sidebar link to `/dumb`. |

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_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/dumbcourse-old-browser-friendly-ui-at-dumb-d-pad-small-screens/395104)._