Ovis

As I expressed here many times, the worst decision of BBO administrators was taking away the Windows client to BBO prematurely and turning mandatory the Browser version, which requires Flash Player to run (improperly - count your crashes). In the meantime everybody with some IT judgement states severe warnings and most browsers block it unless you insist in an exception - which of course is all the time being nagged by your memory management, your firewall and what else. Now even Adobe states that obsolete Flash Player makes no sense anymore and will be terminated in 2020. I am curious what will be the reaction of administrators! As they chose mandatory Browser/Flash version uniquely (my interpretation) for giving access to rotating adds servers, that are a nuisance during play and constantly put at risk stability of the client performance.

Same thing here. Tried with 3 different browsers; no way to connect. I miss a statement from the Admins. Maybe it is a consequence of the Flash update that was distributed yesterday. Oh, had we the old robust Windows version, where any stops of the system were thoroughly preanounced... :angry:

Most probably not. The difference is that Windows version could not be "enriched" by rollover advertising. Therefore reason for stopping WV was money making. Sadly we were all told some excuses that it was for technical reasons.

Finally! Good news! I hope that BBO switches to HTML5 with speed. Read enough weak excuses here trying to justify the unplugging of good old Windows version and the autoritative favouring for Flash platform, which was and is a security threat for all users. Never too late to restore Windows version... ;)

Hi A few answers to questions here (wrote this before in the forums): BBO admins chose FLASH because now they can get rich by opening part of the display to Google and other revolving advertising robots. As these usually track you deep into the bowels, playing becomes unstable as soon as you filter this tracking. If you don't try to be precaucious you get malware in your systam. That's how it is. Besides they took a long time telling uncautious players they had no choice than to switch to a browser version. I quote this as not being honest. The Windows version with downloaded software had it's limitation but was doing fine. Sadly we have to get by with that flash dangerous crap. The aggressive advertising kicks you out all the time and there is no browser that really copes with that interruptions. Hope HTML5 will help some and that atitudes of admins is more considerate in the future.

I am not demonizing no one. My critical points relate to: - choosing that Flash crap with all its DANGEROUS backholes for getting access to rolling ad servers with tracking modules - the premature cancelation of the old windows version, with which everybody felt satisfied - the unrespectful and untruth affirmation it has been done UNIQUELY because there was no other technical alternative All this can be confirmed by reading the threads where I posted! So please take a honest attitude and name it to all users.

As for me I have no problems related to playing the web version. I knew it long before it was mandatory to use it. Nevertheless I conludet it was clumsy and slow and did stick to the old version. Now I feel very unhappy not so because of the transfer to one only version. Could easily cope with that. The worst thing is that the new version was opened to intrusive advertising rolling over the left side. This is not advertisers who deal with BBO but robots who spy on you and send you the ads some algorithms think are right for you after having analyzed your system. As my browser shows what is happening in the background, I can see the tracking and intuding going on. Worst is Amazon. As soon as the ad appears you get nothing less than eight plugin modules trying to check you up. And I feel outraged not only because the reaction is: get used to it. But as well because of the stubborn denying that this nuisance for players is a strategy. How unconspicuous they think we are?

OK. Welcome to the skills of Saturday evenings rhetorics course for housewifes... I dont want to have last word nor came here to fight. I just wanted to offer my views about this matter, that bothers me and many others on BBO. As I get no better arguments to explain it, instead of diverting excuses, I may as well stop discussion. Feel free to write whatever you want, to be sure you had last word.

If you share the opinion that as well Flash as Java are not the utmost solution, why not leave good old Windows version for quite some time? The old version had very discreet and unobtrusive ads. The new one now is open to any tracking tool in the global web and pulls the ads from focussed servers that adequate to your geographic region. It is more, increased blinking and invited by the bad browser Internet Explorer and Flash to spy on you wiht the help of cookies etc. If you try to stop it or to switch tracking off: forget using BBO because your Connection crashes all the time.

Pausing because BBO not only threw me out in the middle of a game but is unavailable since! I have no problem with advertising but a problem with lack of honest information. To pamper the platform with blinking ads, the administrators chose to rely on Flash technology. Everybody knows that this is not only insecure and an open door for hackers but also that its main goal is to track the user, leading to more advertising, spam and what else nuisances on the web there are. So it was decided to rely on the worst sh... of a software plugin, putting at risk the enthusiasm of players. Besides the communications and affirmations expressed (you can read them) were, that everything would be better than before, that the reason for change was merely downsizing the maintenance effort and so on. When problems were stated by many players the suggestion answered were that they should care for their system. End of discussion. As many BBO fans, who are not writing their opinion here, I feel frustrated and take the liberty to criticize what happened!

Well, that's fiddling a new melody here! On my early complaints (not the only one!) nobody stated that the ads were vital for BBOs maintenance. Instead we were told that the problems were due to our own configurations, that web version is much better than the old one, that it was too much of a problem to manage 2 versions at the same time etc. As for stability, the blinking ads (Flash crap) are a nuisance to every player because web access becomes unstable and crashes. How boring for anyone who wants to play more than 3 Hands with the same people! Short: Establishing a new platform has degraded play on BBO because technical problems are unsolved! I hope you find a way to fix it and that we will be informed about it, with no fake excuses. :-)

It has been discussed a lot about stopping the old Windows Version substituting it by an unfinished, slow and clumsy new web version, that was forced upon all BBO Players. As for my opinion (still unquestioned) this happened to allow the access of advertising robots powered by Flash plugin. Now whe have the ridiculous situation, that we are expelled way more often than before by a bad connection and server overload and when it runs stable we have blinking adds disturbing concentration, which most frequently praises womens lingerie! How can we get a site dedicated only to Bridge again?

It is quite evident, that this switching Windows/web was forced to allow more presence to advertising. It shows through those revolving adds coming from Servers that robotize the Clips. That is as well the explanation for this dangerous and tricky Flash platform. Browsers and their plugins who exclude adds and Flash are the ones who have most problems with that. I can understand that BBO needs some extra cash for keeping participation of numerous players free. But why this stubborn denying those facts and pretending that the new access is better and less troublesome? It simply is not true!!!!

As I already reffered here, this new platform with Flash technology is a real nuisance! I had to switch to Internet Explorer allthough my preferred browser is Firefox. Nevertheless this Flash crap everyday causes problems with my system because any serious firewall shuts the connection down when this runs. Never lost connection on BBO that often. New strategy: close plugin, close Explorer, restart connection and it starts working again. Of course all that was done to run more adverts on the left side. And that is the source of the problem of course. Why do admins here conceal that and talk about improvement? The old Windows BBO had some tweaks, no doubt. But it did not bully your system like this crap here. :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry:

Ok for this analysis. But! Why the hack did you decide to eliminate the old Windows version at a crucial point when Flash is already being barred by most browsers and you were not quite ready with a more stable platform on HTML5? You could have left it for a few more weeks or months just to guarantee that a lot of people don't spend time fencing against their computer installations instead of playing Bridge ;-)

? C'mon, what's your planet? :-) Sorry to express it that way... Why do you think Adobe is constantly updating Flash and forced to do so? The warnings against that platform are weekly records on level nerds do newbies on the web! That's why Firefox does not support it anymore in the recent versions. That is my preferred browser as it should be for everybody. All others have (when unpaid) either spy shamelessly on your privacy or are much more often in constant ennemy fire from hackers. Nice that you reckon Flash is not so trustworthy after all and are preparing to swith to HTML5. I look forward to that and keep my reservations on the quality of the now obligatory version.

I can only underline the critics of web version comparing to win version. It forces you to open security holes because of Flash plug in and it lacks features of the older one. Besides it is slow, clumsy and unstable as you get expelled more often by the server. Sad that administrators are stubbornly denying evidence.

You are not convincing at all. There never happened any intrusion while running the old system. Besides, it is not my private wisdom that Adobe Flash technology is unsafe! Plenty of specialists on the net are all the time warning you. So why build the new platform on a risky, threatening software? Allowing the website of BBO does not solve the problem. Up to date and secure browsers like my Firefox will just not remember it and dissuades any kind of exeptional add ons. I tried access with IE and there you get Advertising from the start. Was that your real intention in changing the platform? I understand that you might have a problem in running the service for nothing, but then tell users that reason first. Kind regards.

Besides I have never been expelled that often by unstable connections before. Of course this is due to the Flash crap, which my system is taught to watch severely.

The switches you suggest for having preferences kept and other facilities means, that you have to open blindage of the system against threats! No way! I am not keen on getting infected only because the new platform relies heavily on Adobe Flash technology which is an invitation for malware and very much obsolete. I cant see no enhancement in this change from an old reliable platform with only a few limitations to something that might become a fatal hole in the firewall. incredibly bad solution!

In my opinion the new FORCED playing platform is a disaster compared to the old reliable one! I feel set back to Yahoo Bridge... Just a few issues very badly misimproved Slow and clumsy, you dont see kibitzers any more, it does not remember ID and password, you have to activate your preferences anew each time you visit, chat is a problem because not always reliable, no random access to table - and many others! Why switch off a good piece of software (old system) with no need or any special campaign coming from users. As for me, I am extremely disappointed.

I beleieve it is extremely boresome to have GIBs forced upon vacant places in the middlo of hands and even during bidding. I can't see no improvement in that. Sometimes they take place, get stuck for quite a time and no way to boot them... Whoever made that change, I pledge for setting back as before.

Seems that catastrophic situation from some days ago is back. No speed in loading players, cards, views etc. Someone knows why?

Let's count how many babies more we will have in 9 months! Remember bbig blackout in New York that sent birth statistics up? :D

I suggest that you walk your dog, even if you don't have one. If nothing else, it's good for your heart :o Roland It would be nice if officials of BBO could send a warning, even if it is only on this newsreel forum to show people that it's their system. It would spare doubting and fumbling on one's own computer...