Annoying YouTube recent change regarding copy'n'pasting a description

[Thad Floryan]

Until just now (so it appears) one could copy'n'paste the description
of a YouTube video into an email along with the video's URL and send
it to a friend.

As I just now discovered, the description can no longer be copied but
all the comments and other crap on YouTube pages can be copied.

Thinking there was some shit cookie or other google garbage on the
Windows system I was using, I checked using 3 other Windows systems
and two linux systems with all experiencing the same problem.

Can you duplicate what I'm now experiencing? Visit this URL:

It's the trailer for the "EUROPA REPORT" movie. Try to copy'n'paste
just the single "Published on May 18, 2013" line.

FWIW, I checked 10 other YouTube URLs from which I previously could
copy'n'paste the description and I can no longer do that.

I wonder what the YouTube clowns are smoking now and why they think
prohibiting copy'n'pasting a description is a good idea.

I don't see anything in comments on the page source indicating what
it is they may have done or any obvious HTML quackery.

And before anyone asks, I killed all instances of Firefox and started
a new instance and the same problem occurs.

Several years ago I experienced something similar on a for-pay web site
from which nothing at all could be copy'n'pasted and I wished I saved
that URL so as to examine its page source.

Thad

[Rob Warnock]

Thad Floryan <***@thadlabs.com> wrote:
+---------------
| Until just now (so it appears) one could copy'n'paste the description
| of a YouTube video into an email along with the video's URL and send
| it to a friend.
|
| As I just now discovered, the description can no longer be copied but
| all the comments and other crap on YouTube pages can be copied.
|
| Thinking there was some shit cookie or other google garbage on the
| Windows system I was using, I checked using 3 other Windows systems
| and two linux systems with all experiencing the same problem.
|
| Can you duplicate what I'm now experiencing? Visit this URL:
|
| http://youtu.be/w2BfobyYOmU
+---------------

*Ugh!!* I see what you mean. I messed around a bit [I'm using Chrome
under CrOS on a Chromebook], and while I was able to select (highlight)
the *whole* description block... I still wasn't able to "Copy" it.

Oh, well, "View Page Source" still works, and you can still
select/copy/paste stuff from there, e.g.:

Published on May 18, 2013

and:

A unique blend of documentary, alternative history and science
fiction thriller, EUROPA REPORT follows a contemporary mission
to Jupiter's moon Europa to investigate the possible existence
of alien life within our solar system. When unmanned probes
suggest that a hidden ocean could exist underneath Europa's
icy surface and may contain single-celled life ...[trimmed]...

Ugly, time-wasting workaround, but a workaround nonetheless.

+---------------
| I wonder what the YouTube clowns are smoking now and why they think
| prohibiting copy'n'pasting a description is a good idea.
+---------------

Dunno. Maybe if enough people complain, they'll revert it.

Looking at the behavior some more, I suspect it was an
unintended side effect of adding the "feature" [read: bug]
of making the whole text block a clickable object, instead
of just the "Show more/Show less" button.

+---------------
| I don't see anything in comments on the page source indicating
| what it is they may have done or any obvious HTML quackery.
+---------------

I'm pretty sure it's gonna be in the CSS for the various CLASSes
that the several nested DIVs invoke, e.g.:

<div id="action-panel-details" class="action-panel-content ">

or:

<div id="watch-description" class="yt-uix-expander
yt-uix-expander-collapsed yt-uix-expander-head
yt-uix-button-panel">

One of those classes probably disables selection/copying for
the enclosed division.

I'd look for said CSS and the JavaScript that it invokes,
but I'm feeling lazy ATM... ;-} ;-}


-Rob

-----
Rob Warnock <***@rpw3.org>
627 26th Avenue <http://rpw3.org/>
San Mateo, CA 94403

[Steve Pope]

Post by Thad Floryan
As I just now discovered, the description can no longer be copied but
all the comments and other crap on YouTube pages can be copied.

I just noticed this also. Wankers in control.


Steve

[Thad Floryan]

Post by Thad Floryan
Until just now (so it appears) one could copy'n'paste the description
of a YouTube video into an email along with the video's URL and send
it to a friend.
As I just now discovered, the description can no longer be copied but
all the comments and other crap on YouTube pages can be copied.
[...]
http://youtu.be/w2BfobyYOmU
It's the trailer for the "EUROPA REPORT" movie. Try to copy'n'paste
just the single "Published on May 18, 2013" line.
FWIW, I checked 10 other YouTube URLs from which I previously could
copy'n'paste the description and I can no longer do that.
[...]

Sometime within the past several days the problem has been corrected.

Google and YouTube really need a system where the "end users" can
report problems. I would have had to wait until a July 4 BBQ in
Palo Alto to report this problem to an acquaintance who works for
YouTube since I don't have his email address.

Thad

[Bhairitu]

Post by Thad Floryan

Post by Thad Floryan
Until just now (so it appears) one could copy'n'paste the description
of a YouTube video into an email along with the video's URL and send
it to a friend.
As I just now discovered, the description can no longer be copied but
all the comments and other crap on YouTube pages can be copied.
[...]
http://youtu.be/w2BfobyYOmU
It's the trailer for the "EUROPA REPORT" movie. Try to copy'n'paste
just the single "Published on May 18, 2013" line.
FWIW, I checked 10 other YouTube URLs from which I previously could
copy'n'paste the description and I can no longer do that.
[...]

Sometime within the past several days the problem has been corrected.
Google and YouTube really need a system where the "end users" can
report problems. I would have had to wait until a July 4 BBQ in
Palo Alto to report this problem to an acquaintance who works for
YouTube since I don't have his email address.
Thad

Yeah, Google and YouTube are like a black box for feedback. About all
you can do as an Android developer is complain on their developer Google
Group or a Google+ page that they probably don't read. Occasionally a
more SENIOR developer relations staff member would come along and
apologize and explain how the problem happened (often seemingly
embarrassed about it).

[Eric Weaver]

I have it from a couple former Goolagers that Brand G is very skittish
about actually dealing with anything like a live user.

They prefer to run AI programs over masses of email and see what words
pop out of the Bayesian scoring system. Supposedly it saves time and
trouble... Well it also saves them from having to face an actual user, ever.

[Bhairitu]

Post by Eric Weaver
I have it from a couple former Goolagers that Brand G is very skittish
about actually dealing with anything like a live user.
They prefer to run AI programs over masses of email and see what words
pop out of the Bayesian scoring system. Supposedly it saves time and
trouble... Well it also saves them from having to face an actual user, ever.

When I was at the Game Developer's Conference a couple years ago I spoke
to the kid at the YouTube booth in the Expo. He didn't seem to
understand very simple issues I was bringing up. I think they brainwash
these kids into believing that "the Google Way is the the Correct Way."
And of course they swallow it hook, line and sinker. Essentially they
are corporatebots and no longer human beings.