Four Browsers

In an attempt to build a website that will function on as many browsers as possible, I have tested the site on four – or more – browsers and have made many adjustments to make it work on all these browsers. To my shame, as I currently have no easy access to other operating systems, all tests were carried out on the Windows XP operating system (mea culpa, mea maxima culpa...). Despite my attempts, I have not been able to enable all features on all browsers. Here are the results of the Fweet jury:

• Firefox 1.0/1.5/2.0/3.0: fully functional; this is my main browser and it is truly recommended (get it here)
• Chrome 0.2: nearly almost fully functional; the current problems are:
  • does not play MP3 files online; instead it downloads an m3u file (which may then be opened in order to play the MP3 file)
  • tooltips do not appear when they are associated with selection-list-items (e.g. shorthands on the "Search Engine" page)
  • the small context-specific help window's size and location are incorrect
• Flock 1.1: fully functional
• Internet Explorer 6.0/7.0: nearly almost fully functional; the current problems are:
  • the "Comment on Me!" button is improperly located at the top left corner of the page instead of the bottom right corner of the screen (but at least it works) [mostly solved in version 7.0]
  • the small context-specific help window's size and location (if changed from the default) are not remembered from one help link to the next [first found in version 7.0]
  • tooltips do not appear when they are associated with either selection-lists or selection-list-items (e.g. shorthands on the "Search Engine" page) [solved in version 7.0]
  • some advanced HTML symbols and characters do not display properly (e.g. on lines [292.11-.12] of the Finnegans Wake text; e.g. the option-switching arrow hyperlinks on the result page summary paragraph) [mostly still unsolved in version 7.0]
  • unlike other browsers, a table is displayed only when all its rows have been downloaded, resulting in a delay until elucidations start appearing on screen, annoyingly noticeable when there are many of them [first found in version 7.0]
  • bulleted lists (such as those on the "Thinkamalinks", "Catalogue" or "Site Map" pages) are not indented properly, unless every single bullet is individually indented (as on this page) [still the same in version 7.0]
  • new windows do not necessarily open fullscreen, which may be inconvenient for some pages intended to be viewed fullscreen (the only feature on this site that is supposed to open in a small window is the help feature associated with labels on the "Search Engine" page) [still the same in version 7.0]
  • quite slow, compared to other browsers [exacerbated in version 7.0]
• Netscape 8.0/8.1/9.0: fully functional, but versions 8.0/8.1 require the user to manually change site controls for this site, otherwise the help system of the "Search Engine" page grossly malfunctions (version 9.0 does not suffer from this drawback); to do this:
  1. click on the shield-like "Site Controls" icon on the tab of a Fweet website page (such as this one) and select the "Advanced" tab
  2. uncheck (turn off) the "Open requested pop-ups in new tab" check-box
  3. click on the "Manage Trust Settings" button, then on the "Advanced..." button
  4. check (turn on) the "Move or resize existing windows" and the "Raise or lower windows" check-boxes, then click "OK" twice
• Opera 8.5/9.0/9.2/9.5: almost fully functional; the current problems are:
  • tooltips do not appear when they are associated with selection-list-items (e.g. shorthands on the "Search Engine" page)
• Safari for Windows 3.0/3.1: nearly almost fully functional; the current problems are:
  • the context-specific help system on the "Search Engine" page does not function properly; if a link is clicked upon when the help window is already open, the window closes and does not reopen (this bug can be bypassed by clicking twice on every link) [still unsolved in version 3.1]
  • does not play MP3 files online; instead it downloads an m3u file (which may then be opened in order to play the MP3 file) [mostly solved in version 3.1.2]
  • tooltips do not appear at all on the "Search Engine" page [mostly solved in version 3.1, but tooltips still do not appear when they are associated with selection-list-items (e.g. shorthands on the "Search Engine" page)]
  • some advanced HTML symbols and characters do not display properly (e.g. on lines [292.11-.12] of the Finnegans Wake text) [still unsolved in version 3.1]
  • new windows do not necessarily open fullscreen, which may be inconvenient for some pages intended to be viewed fullscreen (the only feature on this site that is supposed to open in a small window is the help feature associated with labels on the "Search Engine" page) [still the same in version 3.1]
  • altogether surprisingly slow, compared to other browsers [mostly solved in version 3.1]

If you have any information about other browsers, other versions, and/or other operating systems, please send a comment. If you encounter any technical problem, please send a comment. Do not hesitate!

If you have arrived to this page from the tutorial page, be forewarned that the guide waiting for you there has grown rather testy by now.

[Site Map] Last Update: Sep 3 2008