Why don't sites support FireFox 3?

IsharaComix · 10-30-2008, 06:59 AM

I'm very confused about Firefox now. I still love it, and I believe it's the best browser ever, but sites don't seem to like it.

Two examples:
~ Every time I log into Hotmail, it says "Please upgrade your browser for a wonderful e-mail experience!" I'm using FF 3.0.3
NOTE: Doesn't happen in Windows Vista.

~ Blackboard Vista (you know, the educational site thingy) doesn't let me run the embedded Java apps, even though I can run my own applets (as in, I put the class file online, embed it in HTML, and it works).
NOTE: Online worked in IE. Didn't even work in Vista FF.

So... uh... what's up? Am I just configured incorrectly? Or is this another example of Anti-Linux bias?

pixellany · 10-30-2008, 07:11 AM

There are still many websites (and web programmers) who do not follow the standards. (And guess which browser has the worst record on not following the standards?)

If you see a site that works with Firefox 2.X, but not 3.X, chances are it will get fixed fairly easily/quickly. In your examples, do they work with 2.x?

Sometimes, you can simply change the "user agent" string---telling FF to tell the webserver that it is IE or something else. To see this setting, enter "about:config" in the URL dialog. When it comes up, enter "useragent" in the filter dialog. Right-click on an entry to change it.

I have had reasonable success with reporting sites that don't work with FF---it costs nothing to report it.

farslayer · 10-30-2008, 08:07 AM

From the Blackboard KB

Quote:

Is Linux a supported OS for Vista?
Linux is not supported by Blackboard for Vista, however, if Java is configured correctly, Vista 3.0.4 works fine with Firefox on Linux

So I would have to ask what java are you running ? and is it configured correctly ?

Code:

user@it-etch:~$java -version 
java version "1.5.0_16"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_16-b02)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0_16-b02, mixed mode, sharing)


it-etch:~# update-java-alternatives -l
java-1.5.0-sun 53 /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-sun

it-etch:~# ls /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins -al | grep java
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root      39 2008-07-23 08:38 libjavaplugin.so -> /etc/alternatives/mozilla-javaplugin.so

and in Firefox URL bar

Code:

about:plugins

Java(TM) Plug-in 1.5.0_16-b02

    File name: libjavaplugin_oji.so
    Java(TM) Plug-in 1.5.0_16

IsharaComix · 10-30-2008, 10:02 AM

Code:

$ java -version
java version "1.6.0_0"
OpenJDK  Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_0-b11)
OpenJDK Server VM (build 1.6.0_0-b11, mixed mode)

$ update-java-alternatives -l
java-6-openjdk 1061 /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk
java-gcj 1042 /usr/lib/jvm/java-gcj

$ ls /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins -al
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root   34 2008-10-18 14:47 libgcjwebplugin.so -> ../../classpath/libgcjwebplugin.so

The issue might be my java web plugin. I need to hunt for the OpenJDK alternative to Java's official one. If I can't find an "GPL-style Free" alternative, I'll just do without.