What's the reason for the empty comments, lately? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by rufus@discuss.tchncs.de to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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In the last few weeks, I frequently see some empty comments. It's just the username and no text beneath.

Is there a deeper reason behind this? Do people nowadays strip away the text instead of deleting a comment? Or did some script surface that 'makes the internet forget'? First I thought people did this before deleting a comment and the deletion just didn't get federated. But I scrolled through some older posts and they also still have comments like that, so that can't be it. Right?

Can anyone educate me?

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[-] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 42 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

hmmmm ive seen image-only comments viewed like this on lemmy when sent from non-lemmy platforms

example

[-] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 22 points 4 months ago

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 31 points 4 months ago

that's empty.

[-] JetpackJackson@feddit.de 10 points 4 months ago

Empty here too.

[-] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 months ago

Empty when viewing from Voyager

[-] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 8 points 4 months ago

Empty for me on Jerboa

[-] jadedwench@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Empty on Sync.

[-] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 months ago

Empty on Thunder.

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 13 points 4 months ago

This comment does not show an image when viewed on lemmy.world. The image is also missing viewed on lemm.ee. The original Mastodon post does have an image.

[-] aodhsishaj@lemmy.world 33 points 4 months ago

[-] whotookkarl@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 19 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

If I delete my post/comment, I first edit it to be blank because it can take way more time to actually delete the post/comment than just editing it. They'll appear as just a completely blank post (not even any unicode spaces or weird shit like that). I started doing this after seeing other users doing the same for the reason I mentioned.

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 4 months ago

Ah, thanks. Maybe there's a few people like that out there.

[-] whotookkarl@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

I usually replace it with a period to try to make it easier to differentiate from posts that were only an image that didn't load

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Is it just blank on the website? The apps I use at least have the decency to put a "broken jpg" icon as a stand-in when an image doesn't work.

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[-] scottmeme@sh.itjust.works 10 points 4 months ago

Are you able to read this text?

I haven't seen any issues on jerboa

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Sure. I can read 99% of the comments normally. Thx I'm gonna try Jerboa again and see if I can reproduce it.

[-] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 6 points 4 months ago

Same. I've gotten a few replies with a blank comment. It's weird.

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 months ago

Fair enough. At least I'm not getting crazy...

[+] downpunxx@fedia.io 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

[deleted]

[-] 4z01235@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago

I can't see any gif, using Boost.

[-] Chozo@fedia.io 10 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

For some reason, attachments to comments posted from Kbin/Mbin don't seem to appear for Lemmy users.

[-] andrew_s@piefed.social 5 points 4 months ago

'Bin follows the same format as Mastodon for inline images, which is different from Lemmy.
Mastodon puts the details for an inline image inside an 'attachment' field, with nothing in the 'content' fields, whereas Lemmy doesn't use an 'attachment' field at all for them, and includes the HTML for img src in the content.
It's always been the case that Mastodon didn't show images from Lemmy comments. I don't know if the reverse is a new thing or if it's always been like that.

[-] mozz@mbin.grits.dev 5 points 4 months ago

Isn't ActivityPub a wonderful protocol

[-] e-five@kbin.run 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I don't know if the reverse is a new thing or if it's always been like that.

Here's a comment in a lemmy issue describing mastodon images not appearing in lemmy from last year. Since the issue was closed three days after 0.19.3 released I had expected it to work in the next version 0.19.4, but it appears that was not the case.

Edit: While I'm here, I noticed piefed also doesn't support it, so was considering opening an issue to support attachments, but I imagine there wouldn't be much desire to do so until mastodon integration is more of a real thing? though I think other software does it, like Plemora/Akkoma/Iceshrimp, I didn't check but did see the code for it being discussed for plemora at least

[-] andrew_s@piefed.social 4 points 4 months ago

Re: your edit - please feel free to open an Issue for PieFed about it. It's MBIN content in Lemmy's communities, so it's something that needs attention (we should show it, even if Lemmy doesn't). I'll have a crack at fixing it next time I'm working on the code.

[-] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 8 points 4 months ago

Can't see it on desktop web.

[-] mozz@mbin.grits.dev 2 points 4 months ago

The procedure I use for posting from Mbin is:

Try to just attach direct from the source with ![](https://whatever)
If that doesn’t work, attach the image to the message and save
And then edit the message and insert the self hosted image using that same markdown

Thus it’ll show on both mbin and Lemmy.

[-] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 4 points 4 months ago

They're like the dragon scroll, they reflect as much of your true destiny as you're able to see in yourself.

[-] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 4 months ago

I haven't noticed this. I'll keep my eyes peeled though. We're both on tchncs so if it's a replication thing we should both see it.

I use Alexandrite as my frontend if it turns out that it matters.

[-] mtchristo@lemm.ee 4 points 4 months ago

Are you using the eternity app ?

Cause I have noticed deleted comments showing up as blank. While on the web version the show up as "deleted by Creator"

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 4 months ago

Yes. I have like 3 different apps but I regularly use Eternity. I think you're right and a decent part if it is Eternity. Like half of the empty messages show up in other apps or the web interface. But not all of them. I don't quite think it's just deleted messages. Some others are definitely there and also don't show up in Eternity... Maybe it's a combination of factors. Honestly I didn't quite pay attention when I was using which app. I'm still trying to figure it out. But this definitely seems to be part of it.

[-] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Sometimes when I'm randomly banned from speaking for no good reason at all, I test to see if I'm still banned by typing 'A' & deleting it. This account has been muted for a week & it looks like it's finally lifted. For now.

My stuff still shows up as 'deleted by creator'. I've noticed the blanks, too. I use Sync for Lemmy.

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Hmmh. I guess Lemmy should display that kind of information more prominently. But there isn't much progress UI wise... Guess you could just look it up in the modlog. Or do it like that 😆 Thanks for the report anyways.

[-] MelastSB@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago

[-] jet@hackertalks.com 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Yeah, that's a bracket but very close to being invisible.

[-] mihnt@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 months ago

I can see the character it creates from Firefox flatpak.

[-] MelastSB@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago

An empty quote seems to work, at least on sync

[-] neme@lemm.ee 3 points 4 months ago

Probably same reason as here: https://lemm.ee/post/35007837

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 4 months ago

Hmmh, not sure. I think broken images show up with some character. But that post also has one comment that shows empty in one App and text plus a picture on a different App. I think I need some time and figure out what it does on the computer.

[-] aodhsishaj@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

[-] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 months ago

I had a comment removed from c/veganscomplaining or whatever their community is that showed up like that when they censored it.

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 months ago

Well that shouldn't happen. I guess it's technically possible because I can also change my own comments and they're not signed or anything... But changing other people's comments is kind if lying and being disingenuous. Either it's a technical issue, or your comment was so offensive that it warranted an exception to the rule, or the mods/admins don't know what is right and what is wrong.

[-] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 months ago

Nah it wasn't that bad, like I didn't say slurs or anything but I did say some pretty non-vegan shit lmao so I get it. Still though that may be why some posts are blank, I doubt I'm the only one.

[-] asm_x86@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

[-] rufus@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 4 months ago

It's a hashtag. Pretty much invisible but I can still see it.

this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2024

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