I strongly advise you don't ever use this comparison to a wheelchair user ever again.
You're right. A better metaphor would be to tell a person who can walk on their own, though perhaps with a gait that might be clumsy, especially on these crude floors, to use braces, even going so far as pointing, multiple times, to the braces you have for them to use. Except not considering the possibility that those braces won't fit them, or might damage their legs. I want to be perfectly clear, in case it wasn't: the metaphor, isn't about me being crippled, but about
you telling crippled persons to deal with their being crippled a certain way.I'd switched it from the (obfuscated/shortened by TinyURL) `Tor2Web' gateway pointer to the resource, to the direct one. This might reduce delays caused by a client waiting for that resource to load.
You realise that you can simply upload the avatar image to the forum and avoid all this fuss (over the avatar image, at least)? As I said before, deliberately continuing to use a URL which you know causes issues for other users is unfriendly to the community.
And these are the braces you're pointing to, incredulous at my not using them, considering that somehow unfriendly to some vague `community.' And the metaphor continues: it's difficult to brace and unbrace; it's difficult to change my user-photo that way. And, no, I
don't know that it causes problems. I know that a certain confluence of circumstance, which seems happens to include my user-photo pointer, has been reported to cause problems for other persons. They seem to emphasize my user-photo. Maybe that's what's most visible to them. And sure, similar problems have occurred in the past. This is time, though, is the first time that I'm getting any helpful feedback about what, exactly, the problem might be---so is the first time I even have an opportunity to try something better than random.
I think there's a deeper problem with a certain mentality, where, after something is recognized as a possible answer to a problem---
just use our braces---that would alleviate some difficulties, all other potential solutions are rejected, and very little is done to even try coming to something that might accommodate everyone better. And again, about the vague `community'---unfriendly to
whom, exactly? To everyone? Certainly not: it's not unfriendly to me---unless you're excluding me from the community, but do explain on what grounds, if not arbitrary. To a part of the community? Maybe, but the insistence that it's primarily
my problem, is also unfriendly to a part of the community. Maybe, if you would be so kind, please be more descriptive about what, exactly you mean, rather than using that weasel-word, and, at the least, explain what action, exactly, in what way, exactly, is unfriendly. It's starting to look like maybe you just don't like me for whatever reason.
I am considering withdrawing the facility of using URLs for avatars altogether - it has caused other problems in the past, and most forums don't allow it anyway; but I would have to consult first, as a few other people use it (as I do, in fact).
That seems would be an equitable solution: make it equally difficult for everyone. Force everyone who wants to walk, to use braces. As a temporary fix, until you get better control of the server as you claim to be planning, that might be tolerable.