Mobile users now have the option to block unwanted comments on their favorite sites, which allows for faster page loading.
When browsing the web, some web pages can take longer to load than others. Pages with a lot of comments will have more content to load, thus taking longer. Disabling the comments, meanwhile, would speed up the process.
"Shut Up: Comment Blocker" is a new app that, as the name implies, works by blocking comments that are flooding Safari, the mobile browser found in most iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad.
"Shut Up spares you from Internet troglodytes by hiding all comment sections when browsing the web in Safari. You can even set your favorite websites to show comments by default," explains the app's description in iTunes.
The app can be downloaded for free, and it is also available as a browser extension in Chrome or Safari.
Upon installing the app, the next thing that users ought to do is to open the Settings app and find Safari by scrolling down. Once found, users would then have to tap it.
Then, do another scroll to find Content Blockers, and then tap it.
After tapping, users can now enable the app.
"Shut Up spares your sanity and prevents you from getting sucked into this world of hurt, by hiding comments by default," Ricky Romero, designer and frontend engineer, said on the app's personal project site.
To start reading the comments again, mobile users should long-press the Reload button and then follow it up by tapping "Reload Without Content Blockers."
Chrome or Safari users need to do just a single step, which is clicking the Shut Up button that is nestled on the browser's toolbar.
The app's developer claims that Shut Up will rarely block legitimate page content and it will not block comments improperly. Users who are well-versed in Web development are encouraged to send their request for shutup.css on GitHub.
It should be noted that GitHub is just one of those sites that are believed to contain more constructive discussions and are being designed to show comments by default. Other sites that share the same "positive air in commenting" include Reddit, Stack Overflow, Facebook and Dribbble.
In terms of privacy, Shut Up assures users that it will never track or spy on their browsing activity.
"The extension only periodically contacts Steven's server for the newest copy of shutup.css, at which point some temporary diagnostic logs are recorded," said Romero.
Shut Up requires iOS 9 and a 64-bit processor for it to work smoothly. Some of the suggested devices where the app could work well include iPhone 5s or newer, iPad Air or newer, iPad mini 2 or newer and the sixth generation iPod touch.
