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I would like to discuss this "Possible Duplicate" closure.

My question: How to force load desktop version of website?

The "original" question: How can I change the user agent for the stock browser?

My objections are:

  • How to change the user agent and how to load the desktop version of a site are two different questions.
  • Changing the user agent is valid but maybe not the only answer to my question.
  • Because I didn't know that changing user agent can force load the desktop version I wasn't able to find the answer. More and more people will have the same problem and there will be more and more duplicates like mine.

What do you think?

Thanks.

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    Part of the reason we keep around the "closed as duplicate" questions is precisely because people have different ways to search for the same information. The closed questions act as a "gateway" for alternative search terms.
    – ale Mod
    Commented Jun 29, 2011 at 12:14
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    As for re-opening, the standard mechanism is for 5 people with sufficient reputation points to vote to re-open. As a Mod I can do it myself, but there were three other people who also voted to close before I acted. If I re-open it may end up being closed again anyway. I'd like to hear from a few more users about this before acting unilaterally.
    – ale Mod
    Commented Jun 29, 2011 at 12:20
  • The search "gateway" makes sense. There is still the question whether the "original" question (changing user agent) is the only answer to my question.
    – daniel.sedlacek
    Commented Jun 29, 2011 at 12:52

1 Answer 1

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Other than "Find somewhere on the webpage with a 'main site' link and click it," there's really no other answer to your question. There are site-specific methods, such as appending &m2w to a Facebook URI, but those would be impossible to all list in an answer.

Sites that care about the user agent may load a movile version; sites that don't care show the same site to everyone. It's really the only reliable way to determine if someone is using a mobile or not.

I did consider this issue before voting to close, but in addition to above I agree with Al's reasoning: People searching for either version will find the answers, since your question is now linked to mine. If a question came up about using Firefox or another browser to do this, that would not be a dupe since it's excluded from my question.

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  • I agree with you, especially after the search "gateway" explanation. Unfortunately there is a negative emotion associated to the act of closing your question, as if I didn't my homework and didn't check the other questions first, as if did something wrong. Event the sticker says "...covers exactly the same ground...". Maybe it would be worth rethinking the message.
    – daniel.sedlacek
    Commented Jun 29, 2011 at 14:50
  • @daniel.sedlacek That's probably a fair point. I should remember to leave an explanatory comment for my vote, as well.
    – Matthew Read
    Commented Jun 29, 2011 at 15:07

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