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browser incompatibility unacceptable

D

danredwing

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 26, 2007
89
0
Portland OR
I've been awfully frustrated with Mobileme...I used to be able to check my .mac account from work on my network machine which runs Internet Explorer 6. I'm now getting a "browser incompatible message when I try to log in to mobileme.

Seriously, the website isn't all that complicated and I've never had an issue with any other website from my work computer before. Because I work for a bank, the whole system is locked and I'm not able to install one of the newer browsers.

Anyone else having this same problem? I've already contacted Apple directly and left feedback here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

If you know of a workaround, I'd appreciate it!

Dan
 
DeaconGraves

DeaconGraves

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2007
1,289
2
Dallas, TX
Anyway you can contact your IT department and ask them to upgrade the browsers?

Seriously IE 6 is getting old. An IE 7 upgrade shouldn't be out of the question (all browser prefs. aside)
 
BillyBobBongo

BillyBobBongo

macrumors 68030
Jun 21, 2007
2,535
1,139
On The Interweb Thingy!
It says on the Apple website that you'll be needing Firefox or Safari I'm afraid, since IE7 isn't working fully with it!
 

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DeaconGraves

DeaconGraves

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2007
1,289
2
Dallas, TX
BillyBobBongo said:
It says on the Apple website that you'll be needing Firefox or Safari I'm afraid, since IE7 isn't working fully with it!
Click to expand...

Look closer. You were checking under the Mac requirements. (Where there is no IE7)
\

EDIT: Nevermind. I should look closer. Although the OP should at least be able to access the page.
 
D

danredwing

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 26, 2007
89
0
Portland OR
No ability to upgrade I'm afraid. Banks are notoriously slow at upgrading software for security reasons. they'll upgrade all 30,000 machines at the same time...sometime.

I understand what the official word is from Apple, I just think that it is ridiculous. there is nothing revolutionary in their web interface...in fact it is much less sophisticated than gmail and google calendar which run on pretty much any browser without issues.

Dan
 
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ihabime

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2005
480
1
danredwing said:
No ability to upgrade I'm afraid. Banks are notoriously slow at upgrading software for security reasons. they'll upgrade all 30,000 machines at the same time...sometime.

I understand what the official word is from Apple, I just think that it is ridiculous. there is nothing revolutionary in their web interface...in fact it is much less sophisticated than gmail and google calendar which run on pretty much any browser without issues.

Dan
Click to expand...

Actually, both gmail and google calendars had huge issues with safari when they were first released.
 
DarkHeraldMage

DarkHeraldMage

macrumors 6502a
Oct 5, 2007
878
0
Fort Worth, TX
Okay, here's a rather convoluted way to get it to work:

1) Go to PortableApps.com and download the Firefox version found there. It wants you to install on a USB drive, but just pick a folder on your computer and have it do so there. Since it's not actually "installing" per se, but merely extracting to that folder, you won't violate any restrictions placed on the system by the bank IT.
2) Find the program within the folder and create a shortcut to it within your QuickLaunch toolbar on taskbar so you can launch firefox easily in the future without navigating to that folder (since it won't be in the start menu)
3) Make sure you go into the advanced settings and check your network connection. For me at least, I had to change it to automatically detect proxy settings before it would pick up my work's network.

This should enable you to have firefox instead of IE 6. :cool:
 
L

levitynyc

macrumors 65816
Aug 19, 2006
1,124
3,708
IE 6 is so insecure and ******. I am so surprised that a bank of all places would have you running it.
 
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ihabime

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2005
480
1
benmrii said:
That was an issue with Safari, though, much more so than Google.
Click to expand...

And this is probably an issue with IEs Non-standard rendering or javascript. For years IE pushed it's own standards on web sites, remember those annoying little "Best viewed in internet explorer" tags? Finally web designers are moving toward real standards and I find it quite funny that IE is being left out in the cold.
 
benmrii

benmrii

macrumors 65816
Nov 14, 2007
1,091
4
FL
ihabime said:
And this is probably an issue with IEs Non-standard rendering or javascript. For years IE pushed it's own standards on web sites, remember those annoying little "Best viewed in internet explorer" tags? Finally web designers are moving toward real standards and I find it quite funny that IE is being left out in the cold.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm looking at this from more of a logical stance than a deep knowledge of the inner-workings of web browsers and their differences. But when Google's calendar and gmail were released they worked on 90% of all browsers. At MobileMe's release it only fully works on two. Coupled with the ongoing reality of Safari still being a pretty subpar browser compared to Firefox (and others, that's just what I use primarily), I'm inclined to believe the issue was with Safari.
 
G

gt9228a

macrumors newbie
Jul 13, 2008
23
0
newappleboy said:
Okay, here's a rather convoluted way to get it to work:

1) Go to PortableApps.com and download the Firefox version found there. It wants you to install on a USB drive, but just pick a folder on your computer and have it do so there. Since it's not actually "installing" per se, but merely extracting to that folder, you won't violate any restrictions placed on the system by the bank IT.
2) Find the program within the folder and create a shortcut to it within your QuickLaunch toolbar on taskbar so you can launch firefox easily in the future without navigating to that folder (since it won't be in the start menu)
3) Make sure you go into the advanced settings and check your network connection. For me at least, I had to change it to automatically detect proxy settings before it would pick up my work's network.

This should enable you to have firefox instead of IE 6. :cool:
Click to expand...

The IT Department wont even let USB sticks to be used. I can plug it in but cannot access the drive or run any programs off it, unless I find a hidden way to do it I am not familiar with it. I was going to use portable firefox but that may be out of the question.
 
DarkHeraldMage

DarkHeraldMage

macrumors 6502a
Oct 5, 2007
878
0
Fort Worth, TX
gt9228a said:
The IT Department wont even let USB sticks to be used. I can plug it in but cannot access the drive or run any programs off it, unless I find a hidden way to do it I am not familiar with it. I was going to use portable firefox but that may be out of the question.
Click to expand...

If you'll look at step 1 again, I stated that you don't have to install it on the USB drive. You can set the Desktop or My Documents as the install directory and that's where it'll place the folder.
 
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ihabime

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2005
480
1
benmrii said:
Well, I'm looking at this from more of a logical stance than a deep knowledge of the inner-workings of web browsers and their differences. But when Google's calendar and gmail were released they worked on 90% of all browsers. At MobileMe's release it only fully works on two. Coupled with the ongoing reality of Safari still being a pretty subpar browser compared to Firefox (and others, that's just what I use primarily), I'm inclined to believe the issue was with Safari.
Click to expand...

I don't mean to derail the thread, but I can't see how mobileme running on safari and firefox but not IE can be a safari problem. It mostly has to do with IEs refusal to properly implement the Document Object Model properly and it's non-ecma compliant version of javascript(microsoft calls theirs jscript). If you look at this page comparing DOM implementations, trident(IEs rendering engine) Has funky support for DOM 1, minor support for DOM 2 and no support for DOM 3. DOM and javascript are key to web 2.0, rendering pages dynamically and working with layouts in a non-linear way.

It's not that you can't do those things in IE, it's that IE makes you do them in a totally different way. You end up coding a lot of special cases to make things work right. Support for IE will probably come eventually, but I think Apple took this opportunity to dig at microsoft a bit and maybe help out firefox and safari. It doesn't help that sproutcore, the framework apple adopted for mobileme, codes to the standards and doesn't like IE either, but I'm sure that will change.
 
clevin

clevin

macrumors G3
Aug 6, 2006
9,095
1
ihabime said:
I don't mean to derail the thread, but I can't see how mobileme running on safari and firefox but not IE can be a safari problem. It mostly has to do with IEs refusal to properly implement the Document Object Model properly and it's non-ecma compliant version of javascript(microsoft calls theirs jscript). If you look at this page comparing DOM implementations, trident(IEs rendering engine) Has funky support for DOM 1, minor support for DOM 2 and no support for DOM 3. DOM and javascript are key to web 2.0, rendering pages dynamically and working with layouts in a non-linear way.
Click to expand...

well, the problem is, why IE7 is almost ok, while IE6 is not? since there is no significant differences (if ANY) of how IE handle JS and DOM between version 6 and IE7.

javascript support, IE is doing even better than safari http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(ECMAScript)

Apple helps firefox? with mobile me? I appreciate the guess. But I doubt, highly, thats what apple was thinking. Consider SJ previously intended to wipe firefox out of the market ( a nice dream too ).
 
benmrii

benmrii

macrumors 65816
Nov 14, 2007
1,091
4
FL
ihabime said:
I don't mean to derail the thread, but I can't see how mobileme running on safari and firefox but not IE can be a safari problem. It mostly has to do with IEs refusal to properly implement the Document Object Model properly and it's non-ecma compliant version of javascript(microsoft calls theirs jscript). If you look at this page comparing DOM implementations, trident(IEs rendering engine) Has funky support for DOM 1, minor support for DOM 2 and no support for DOM 3. DOM and javascript are key to web 2.0, rendering pages dynamically and working with layouts in a non-linear way.

It's not that you can't do those things in IE, it's that IE makes you do them in a totally different way. You end up coding a lot of special cases to make things work right. Support for IE will probably come eventually, but I think Apple took this opportunity to dig at microsoft a bit and maybe help out firefox and safari. It doesn't help that sproutcore, the framework apple adopted for mobileme, codes to the standards and doesn't like IE either, but I'm sure that will change.
Click to expand...

Your point is correct but out of context. I was responding to a comment made earlier about Google's Gmail and Calendar not working on Safari, expounding on my post earlier in the thread.
 
Antares

Antares

macrumors 68000
Jan 16, 2006
1,721
28
Somewhere in the Milky Way....a little place calle
gt9228a said:
The IT Department wont even let USB sticks to be used. I can plug it in but cannot access the drive or run any programs off it, unless I find a hidden way to do it I am not familiar with it. I was going to use portable firefox but that may be out of the question.
Click to expand...

newappleboy said:
If you'll look at step 1 again, I stated that you don't have to install it on the USB drive. You can set the Desktop or My Documents as the install directory and that's where it'll place the folder.
Click to expand...

Ditto. We're specifically prohibited from connecting flash drives and external drives to our computers without Department Head, VP or IT approval. We're also prohibited form installing any new software or software upgrades without the approval of IT. As for updating IE, I don't know what I would say to IT. IE6 works perfectly for every business necessary reason. Why would I "need" IE7 when everyone else in the department has no issue using IE6?
 
clevin

clevin

macrumors G3
Aug 6, 2006
9,095
1
Antares said:
Ditto. We're specifically prohibited from connecting flash drives and external drives to our computers without Department Head, VP or IT approval. We're also prohibited form installing any new software or software upgrades without the approval of IT. As for updating IE, I don't know what I would say to IT. IE6 works perfectly for every business necessary reason. Why would I "need" IE7 when everyone else in the department has no issue using IE6?
Click to expand...

well, I see your department solved the biggest problem of IE... security.. :)

well, the rules are quite rigid. see if there is any way of spoofing IE6's UA to IE7 and give it a try that way.
 
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