The mystery of the blue vs yellow checkmark.

[Moonbear]

So, shortly after the upgrade, someone had pointed out they had a blue checkmark instead of a yellow one up in their address bar. For a while I still had the old yellow one, then sometimes I'd get a blue one after clicking around PF for a while, etc. I finally solved the mystery of when I get yellow vs blue checkmarks. If I put www in front of physicsforums.com, I get the yellow one, if I don't have www in front, I get the blue one.

Try it and see:
www.physicsforums.com
https://www.physicsforums.com

Now, I'm wondering, what's the difference? Most sites will just automatically redirect you to whichever one you're supposed to use...I think. Should we be using one preferentially over the other or anything?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

The icon has no functional value. It's referred to as a "favicon". Most large websites use them in order to standout in visitors bookmarked website lists. The checkmark is the default vb favicon. Pre 3.5 was yellow, post 3.5 is blue. Why the browser is showing different favicon's when adding or subtracting the www I'm not sure, it might be a cache issue. Anyway, it makes no difference what url variation you want to use to get to PF, and the favicon is purely aesthetic.

 

[Evo]

So, shortly after the upgrade, someone had pointed out they had a blue checkmark instead of a yellow one up in their address bar. For a while I still had the old yellow one, then sometimes I'd get a blue one after clicking around PF for a while, etc. I finally solved the mystery of when I get yellow vs blue checkmarks. If I put www in front of physicsforums.com, I get the yellow one, if I don't have www in front, I get the blue one.
Try it and see:
www.physicsforums.com
https://www.physicsforums.com
Now, I'm wondering, what's the difference? Most sites will just automatically redirect you to whichever one you're supposed to use...I think. Should we be using one preferentially over the other or anything?

It doesn't even apply to IE users. There is no checkmark.

 

[z-component]

Sometimes IE stores favicons and sometimes not. Not sure why.

 

[SpaceTiger]

www.physicsforums.com
https://www.physicsforums.com

They're both blue for me (using Firefox). Like Greg, I would be prone to suspect the cache.

 

[mattmns]

They're both blue for me too, firefox.

 

[Gokul43201]

They're both blue for me too, firefox.

Same here.

Anyone else using Opera ?

 

[Moonbear]

They're both blue for me (using Firefox). Like Greg, I would be prone to suspect the cache.

I've cleared the cache many times...right after there were reports of blue checkmarks (several times following the upgrade actually, because I do silly things like clear the cache in hopes of getting pretty blue checkmarks ). When I got blue checkmarks to appear a few times, I immediately cleared the cache, and it didn't make the yellow version go away on my next visit. Anyway, I changed my bookmark to not include www because I just happen to think the blue version is prettier.

Actually, if I recall, last time I used Opera (on this same computer I use Safari), I had blue checkmarks. I didn't pay attention when I was fiddling with Firefox yesterday (I was fussing more with trying to figure out if there was a way to make the fonts look less hideous on that, and how to change the themes in XP...icky lab computer).

As long as there's no significance to which I choose, that's all that's really important.

 

[mattmns]

MB, maybe that is because you updates your bookmark? Maybe try making a new Bookmark of PF.

Looking at my Bookmarks, my PF Bookmark Icon is yellow, but my Tab Icon is always blue http://img493.imageshack.us/img493/9573/pficons8ge.png

I need to clean up my bookmarks

 

[Moonbear]

I did update my bookmark once I figured out the difference, and cleared the cache since, but I still get the yellow if I include the www part. Weird, huh?

 

[mattmns]

Hmm weird indeed. I just made two new pf bookmarks, one with www, and the other without, and they are both Blue. With firefox though. And now that I clicked on my yellow one, it is no longer yellow

 

[Moonbear]

Well, today's update took care of that problem...no checkmarks at all anymore. All my cute little favicons (now that I know what they're called ) are gone! Just little blue globes for everything. Well, that along with some other bizarre behaviors that arrived with the update that took a few restarts to make go away.

 

[Cosmo16]

uhhh, what little arrows are we talking 'bout.

If they are the one I think they are, they are always blue.