Functionality Issue

[Yooper]

I've got an odd problem.

My job requires me to check in Online regularly, but the only thing that the website wants in order to get full access is Internet Exploder 7 or later. They tell me Firefox works but then when I use that, it tells me IE is the only thing that will work.

This sucks.

Any workaround?

I've got a techie friend that tells me that basically, the web designer is incredibly lazy and the site at work should at least work with several browsers, not just one specifically.

Feedback is appreciated as I am an idiot on this stuff.

Thanks in advance.

 

[GamerBear]

What I don't understand is if they tell you Firefox can be used but the site tells you only Internet Explorer 7 works then it looks like IE7 will only work. I have this issue with a college website which only accepts Internet Explorer and nothing else.

Sorry I couldn't give you much feedback, but Internet Explorer is probably the best way you're only gonna be able to go on that site and it functioning 100% on IE.

 

[Paws]

Fire the webdesigner.

 

[dbrebel]

Have you tried the IE Tab extension for Firefox? It will render a web page on a tab using IE. I've found that in probably 95% of the cases where a page won't display or function correctly in Firefox, IE Tab fixes it. And you can set it to always use IE for a particular site. HTH

 

[wirega56]

The web designer is not competent , get paws to fire them

 

[Yooper]

Have you tried the IE Tab extension for Firefox? It will render a web page on a tab using IE. I've found that in probably 95% of the cases where a page won't display or function correctly in Firefox, IE Tab fixes it. And you can set it to always use IE for a particular site. HTH

What is this? I am an idiot when it comes to this stuff.

This sounds promising but I have no idea what a Tab extension is.

(Paws can certainly fire the web designer... )

 

[gsdx]

^ I believe this might be what they are talking about. It's an 'Add-On' for your Firefox browser:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419

 

[tidimus]

While I agree with the heralding of "fire the designer" it could be that he was required to put in code to detect IE, and if it's not IE stop you from continuing. The Addon that gsdx suggested should mask your browser to get through.

 

[Yooper]

Firefox might work if you disguise its identification as being Exploder with this add-on.

This looks promising, but will it work on a Mac?

 

[dbrebel]

I still recommend IE Tab over the other suggested solution because it can deal with pages that actually require IE to function correctly, rather than it just being an identification issue. It's a well known fact that IE tends to deviate from accepted web standards and if that's the real problem, I don't think the other suggestion will help (or at least it might provide only a partial solution).

The link above is correct, but here it is again...

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419

It's really easy to install (30 seconds or so) and use. It puts a little Firefox icon in your bottom status bar and for a page that isn't working properly, you click on the icon and it switches that tab to rendering by IE. If switching to IE helps, you can then right click on the IE icon that now appears in the status bar and tell IE Tab to automatically switch to IE every time you go to that page. The switch doesn't affect any other tabs... they'll still work normally.

This is an extremely popular addon for Firefox, because it handles problems caused by pages coded for IE so well. It has ~26M downloads vs ~5M downloads for the other suggestion (User Agent Switcher), and it has a 5 star average rating from 662 reviews. I've been using it for years and it's simple and very effective.

Hell, these things are so easy to install, if you download IE Tab and it doesn't help, download the other one and try it. And since you haven't checked out addons before, I strongly urge you to do so, because otherwise you're missing out on one of Firefox's most compelling features. The main page for addons even has suggestions to get you started.

Oh, and it should work on a Mac... Firefox addons are OS independent. As long as your OS can run Firefox, you can use any and all addons.

 

[Corny]

I still recommend IE Tab over the other suggested solution because it can deal with pages that actually require IE to function correctly, rather than it just being an identification issue. It's a well known fact that IE tends to deviate from accepted web standards and if that's the real problem

It's also a well known fact that IE tab is a security nightmare.

 

[dbrebel]

It's also a well known fact that IE tab is a security nightmare.

A few minutes of Googling didn't come up with much as far as finding claims of security issues with IE Tab. On the other hand, what I did find is the following quote:

Secunia has issued a total of 0 Secunia advisories in 2003-2009 for IE Tab 1.x (extension for Firefox). Currently, 0% (0 out of 0) are marked as unpatched.

None of Secunia's "multiple vulnerability" advisories for Firefox since 2007 included any mention of IE Tab, either.

For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Secunia hosts the largest database of security information (vulnerabilities, exploits and patches) currently available, and has been a major player in the computer security arena for years.

So I guess I'm not too worried.

 

[Corny]

A-humm..

the addon ITSELF is not the nightmare.

The internet explorer is. So go ahead and query the mighty secunia database for internet explorer advisories.

Because any IE vulnerability = an IE tab vulnerability.

 

[dbrebel]

Not all add-ons work with Mac, IE Tab being the most obvious because, as the linked thread explains, Microsoft stopped Mac support years ago and IE must be installed for the tab to work. As well, Active X never ran on Macs.

Another example of add-ons that don't work is one for mouse gestures. FireGestures does, however. There are others that don't work. Of those, not all developers say so in their blurbs.

Yeah, my bad. I'm so out of the loop regarding Macs that I probably shouldn't have made any related claims. Guess I'm more like the fat (but way funnier) guy in the brown suit than the skinny and smug (but really boring) guy who was funnier in Galaxy Quest before he had the stick inserted up his ass.

Sorry for misleading you, Yooper... just trying to help.

 

[dbrebel]

A-humm..

the addon ITSELF is not the nightmare.

The internet explorer is. So go ahead and query the mighty secunia database for internet explorer advisories.

Because any IE vulnerability = an IE tab vulnerability.

Well, given that Firefox 3.0.x (the last version with a relatively long history) had 133 reported vulnerabilities in 2008, 75% of them rated as highly critical and all of them using a remote attack vector, Firefox is hardly invulnerable itself. A better record than IE perhaps, but hardly anything to brag about. The only thing that they might be able to brag about is that they've all been patched.

I'm a big Firefox fan and I'm not defending IE and its issues, but the reality of life is that some websites are poorly designed and require IE to work properly. I'm much more comfortable using Firefox for the 95% of sites that work just fine with it and using IE Tab to access the 5% of sites that don't, rather than using IE 100% of the time and facing all of those vulnerabilities all of the time. Or foregoing access to those IE only sites altogether. But I'd be much happier if Firefox wasn't subject to so many vulnerabilities itself. If they're going to play the "I'm more secure" card, they should be much better than just the lesser of two evils.

Is Firefox with IE Tab a perfect solution? Perhaps not, but it's the best one of which I'm aware. Had Yooper been using a Windows PC rather than a Mac, it probably would have solved his problems with minimal exposure, given that he'd be using it to access his company website. I wish I had a solution for his specific situation, but sadly I don't.

 

[Corny]

FF vulnerabilities are usually quickly fixed. as you said.
therefore = less of a target.

just check what kind of browser most virii use to exploit.

if they are telling the truth:

They tell me Firefox works but then when I use that, it tells me IE is the only thing that will work.

The best solution is to fake the user agent ( the addon that Keeland suggested).

 

[Lukeee]

You should quit. Just looking at the IE logo makes me want to smash my face into a wall. I hate it so much.

 

[Yooper]

*bump*

Bumping this thread for personal reasons. I got everything working fine some time ago, it has just been since my promotion last week that I can't see work schedules...probably the most important part of the job right now. I've got a friend coming over later this afternoon and want to show him this thread.

Thanks for your help, guys.

 

[Yooper]

**UPDATE**

My computer buddy/Rocket Scientist looked at my problem and pronounced it 'unresolvable' without a Windows machine. Apparently (he somehow got into the actual code where I need to go ) and told me what I'm having problems with is a long obsolete code that was even abandoned by Microsoft some 10 years or more ago.

Apparently this code works ONLY on Windows...and a very old version at that.

He believes that sooner or later a web developer will be hired by my Company that will be forced to redesign the website because it is so ancient. Nobody provides support for whatever it is that they are still running.

His belief is that sooner or later Microsoft will 'throw the baby out with the bath water' like Apple did some years ago with OSX and the really old stuff will simply no longer work with the 'new' OS.

I inquired a few days ago at work with the Tech Guy, and he told me some parts of the Company's internal website don't work AT ALL with 'new' computers some of the Managers have been getting lately that replace machines that proudly wore '386' labels on their front panels. He went on to tell me that there are several Store Managers that are currently forced to have an 'old' machine and a 'new' one in their office to get all the reports, etc. that they need.

The workaround, for now, is my buddy is going to give me an old machine of his (he's a Rocket Scientist with a hobby of collecting old computers, so he's literally got a hundred or more in his basement) and set it up for me where all I do with it is turn it on, it will automatically go to the Company website, I can do whatever I need, and not have to worry about viruses, etc. He said because I'm going to connect ONLY to the Company site I won't have to worry about updates, etc. until the Company converts to something a bit more modern.

It's nice to have techie friends.

 

[seven2go]

You'd do EVERYONE a favor to have your buddy nuke their whole fucking network and force them into the current century at least.......