Today I had the occasion to try accessing the openSUSE forums on my Android 2.1 powered phone.
Do we care that the Forums can be simply browsed but nothing else works?
Anything that relies on scripts, that dynamically displays hidden or new content does not work… eg searches, replies.
First, I think as mobile device usage becomes more common (particularly the most popular OS and Android is currently number 1), support for mobile devices becomes more critical. I for one would like to be at a customer site and be able to search a KB (Forums) using my own device using my own mobile connection without having to jump on the customer network.
Suggestions:
- Doublecheck whether the base software used supports mobile devices and implement if a mobile device option exists.
- Add a simple bit of code to all the “problem” functions on the page to launch the “Advanced” page instead of simply displaying a hidden input box/editor/whatever. I’m assuming that more normal pages should render fine (although I haven’t checked and needs to be verified). This should be a very simple solution that simply reads the HTTP request for the browser, and if it’s not on an “approved” list to invoke the alternate action (displaying the Advanced page).
Tony