quote:
It only needs to check when I hit refresh,
Sorry, didn't realise that you would be the only person using this feature. Multiply the server load by however many other people are using it.
quote:
and it only needs to check threads that have updated since the last check.
And it can
only find that information by opening up the forum. The information about thread updates is stored in the forum, and is not accessible without looking inside.
quote:
The server has to do more work just to show up all the pages involved.
No, it only has to check one page at a time. And usually threads with new posts are on the first page.
Note that B works pretty much the way the system works now. You open the forum (allowing the server to check the threads) and it puts a new message indicator on any thread that has been updated since you last checked.
The difference is that your method requires the forum to be opened
every time the user updates his list of threads, then again when he wants to actually read the threads.
The current method requires the forum to be opened once, when the user wants to look at the threads, and performs the check for new posts at the same time.