karzilla: a green fist above the word SMASH! (Default)
Karzilla, Destroyer of Bugs ([staff profile] karzilla) wrote in [site community profile] dw_beta2022-10-24 10:43 pm

new beta: canary server

Greetings, beta testers! [staff profile] mark has recently added a new "canary" feature to Dreamwidth which will let those who opt in use bleeding-edge site changes before they get pushed out to everyone.

The way it works is this: when you go to https://www.dreamwidth.org/beta and click the "Site-Wide Canary" button, a cookie will be set in your browser which will direct your traffic to the canary server. It's using the same data as the main site, just (sometimes) a slightly newer version of the site code.

• Things are more likely to be broken on the canary! If something goes horribly wrong, you can clear your cookies to go back to using the main site.

• If you lose the canary cookie for any reason, you'll have to opt out and back in on the beta page to go back to using the canary.


Canary users will see a broad ribbon in the lower right corner of their browser window reminding them that they are on the canary. It looks something like this:

Canary Screenshot


Don't feel obligated to rush out and turn this on - it's mostly going to be useful for site developers - but if you do try it, let us know what you think!
raine: (Default)

[personal profile] raine 2023-12-23 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
Is there a way to turn off that Canary banner after a certain period? It obscures text for me, forcing me to scroll up. Otherwise, it's working fine for me.
kareila: a computer user astonished by a rainbow pouring out of their screen (rainbow)

[personal profile] kareila 2023-12-23 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
You could block the CSS that renders the banner, or opt back out of the beta, but otherwise no. Sorry!
raine: (Default)

[personal profile] raine 2023-12-24 12:11 am (UTC)(link)
No worries; just thought I’d ask. Thanks!
pangolin20: A picture of a green parakeet in a tree. (NRSG)

[personal profile] pangolin20 2024-04-28 11:31 am (UTC)(link)

I do want to note that you'd probably need to block the banner twice. At least with uBlock Origin I can block the visible banner, but there's still an element there that keeps you from clicking and such, which disappears when you block again.