Prepping for main sale melee.Browser preference? Smartphone?

[Jenifersteppat]

Hey everyone. I am doing as much reading prepping for the main sale melee as I can. Experienced buyer or computer geniuses I seek advice. I can buy from my Mac or my iPhone. Is one better than the other? When I bought tickets to the Portland regional I was only successful once I gave up on the Mac and used my iPhone. My other question is, if I use my Mac is there a preferred browser? I usually use Firefox but Safari sometimes. Thanks for any input!

[Captain Goddammit]

Use your Mac, absolutely do not use your smartphone.

[Jackass]

Throw the playa dice, let it ride!

[BBadger]

I've always used my desktop computer. I tend to think it would have more reliable network latency, and I'm more familiar with desktop browsers. It probably doesn't help that my mobile network is T-mobile though.

The mobile sites are an unknown to me, so for something like buying a ticket with limited quantities I don't trust them. Having access to my browser cache saved me my tier-1 spot in the queue in 2011 too.

I think I used Firefox or Chrome for buying the tickets (Firefox on Linux last year, previous years on Windows). I doubt it really matters. I do close and reopen Firefox before using it though, because of Firefox's memory fragmentation with long sessions, but it probably won't matter for you.

[Popeye]

I have used Firefox for years now with no problems but there was a recent upgrade (to 44.0.2 on Mint) that added a tracking blocker that would not let me into my Profile. I thought it was a password issue at first. If you have problems look to the left of the site URL and you will see a padlock and a shield. Hover over the shield and left click then "Disable Tracking Protection" and you will be ok.
Note: both AdBlock and Privacy Badger show no tracking by Burning Man Eplaya etc. It seems to be Firefox BS causing the problem.

[Jenifersteppat]

This is great info. Thanks for replying! Knowledge is power.

[Luigi]

I like the laptop. Have all your profile, passwords, ticket fly stuff loaded and ready to pull the trigger. Then the internet connection will drop......

Luigi

[cranberries]

Use your Mac, absolutely do not use your smartphone.

I'm curious, could you elaborate on why you recommend not using a phone? I'm asking to gather data, not to disagree per se because perspectives/experiences are different.

This year during the pre-sale I was curious and I opened the Ticketfly site on my laptop and phone at exactly the same time (in fact, laptop a few seconds before my phone), I got through the queue faster with my phone. I have an HTC M9 and a macbook and I run chrome on both. If it's relevant, I live in Canada (Alberta) and my mobile provider is Telus. I already had my Ticketfly account info loaded on both browsers.

[Captain Goddammit]

Because it says not to right on Burning Man's official ticketing page.
https://ticketsupport.burningman.org/cu ... -can-i-do-

[LowePro]

I use Chrome with no problem. Don't speak Apple so can't advise you further on that, but more pro-tips:
The Bman ticket info doesn't specifically tell you that you need a ticketfly.com account. You can get a head start if you set up your ticketfly.com account set up now, with current phone, address etc completed. Last year some people got snagged when the ticketfly didn't have a complete profile. On sale day, get all your user names and passwords together in advance, log in to Ticketfly a few minutes before the sale actually starts. Then launch into the sale however Bman tells you to and follow the instructions closely.
But, I did all these things last year and still didn't get a ticket, so good luck!

[Raoul]

I've used a Mac desktop (Mini and Pro) with Firefox and have never had any issues. Not sure how much it matters, but to elaborate on some of the previous comments, I open three different tabs in my browser. One is logged into my Burner profile; one is logged into my TicketFly account; in third, I copy/paste the URL for the link with my code from the confirmation email from Burning Man. As soon as the clock strikes noon PST, I hit enter in that third browser tab (the one with the URL copied/pasted). Could be that none of it makes that any difference and I should add hopping on one foot while chewing gum to the ritual. Good luck!

[Jackass]

Hopping on one foot, chewing gum, patting the top of your head and rubbing your tummy counter-clockwise...It's the best shot we got

[ACfromSAC]

Holy effing potential panic. I just realized that I'm on call for jury duty next week. EFFFFFFFF!!!!!!

[dustyfux]

What Raoul said, while connected to a T-1 line.

[MikeGyver]

I used my phone while I was at work last year and had no issue. I didn't get a ticket from the main sale, but had the same experience as other people that used their computers. It all comes down to preference.

[trilobyte]

Any browser should be fine, a mobile device may work, but is not recommended. At issue is the way mobile networks work. They tend to drop out or cut out more frequently, either because of radio signal issues (the nature of the technology) or by network design (depending on the mobile carrier). If the network thinks the page is not doing anything, it may shut down the device's transceiver either to conserve battery life or data usage. In a situation like that, you could wind up losing your place in the queue... and you'd have to start again at the back of the line.

In something like the pre-sale when there wasn't really any significant wait, there isn't an issue. The main sale will have very significant demand, and the majority of people who get through will spend some time in a waiting room queue.

[Skuzzy61]

If you are using a Windows laptop, or desktop, load the browser, then exit it, Then reload it.

Windows goofy memory management will store the first load into its cache for later use. Then when you start it again, it will copy everything it needs from memory and not the disk. Makes everything a tab bit quicker. Not much, but it could be the difference between being 10th inline and 10,000th in line, given how fast the line builds.

Oh damn,..i just lost my edge,....or did I?

[TT120]

Pro tip: Call your credit card company and let them know you're fixin to make a large purchase so they don't deny it thinking it's fraud.

[Jovankat]

Because it says not to right on Burning Man's official ticketing page.
https://ticketsupport.burningman.org/cu ... -can-i-do-

That's for the low income application though, it's not the same system as purchasing tickets.

I know folks who bought their DGS tickets with their phones so it does work, technically, Trillo is right that on main sale day with the extra traffic the limitations of cellular tech could cause problems though so a real computer is the best bet.

[mudpuppy000]

I've used a phone in the first OMG sale, whenever that was, but not since. Cell/wifi signals always seem flaky for me so I'd rather use a hardwired computer.

[Ratty]

Congrats Jennifer

[Jenifersteppat]

Congrats Jennifer

Thanks Ratty! Still cannot believe it.

[Jenifersteppat]

For the record, I used my Mac and Firefox and followed the directions.