Netscape 6.2 ? Hoo -aaH !! 2

fxcolin · Aug 29, 2002

Well, I've been trying to a funky custom-colored form utilizing css. And I'll be damned if Netscape 4.78 would pick it up ! Either it shows a total blank page or it freezes or it takes 2 minutes to render.

You know, trying to do the right thing and make it compatible with older browsers. Anyway fed up and downloaded Netscape 6.2 for fun. And I'll be damned if Netscape 6.2 looked almost identical to IE 5.5 . Holy smokes what an awesome surprise.

So on to my question...
I've decided that on this site, I would like to through netscape 4.7 out the window.
So does anyone have a script to notify old browser users to up-grade their browsers. Maybe a pop-up with a link to the upgrade site ??

I'll probably do a search on google and hotscripts, but curious if anyone here has a good one.

Later, Skater

http://www.chefmedia.ca

http://www.fxstudios.ca

Wullie · Aug 29, 2002

Hi mate,

Do you want to do this server side or client side?

Hope this helps Wullie

sales@freshlookdesign.co.uk

http://www.freshlookdesign.com

http://www.searchit-now.co.uk

fxcolin · Aug 29, 2002

hi Wullie

hmmmm,

good question.
leaning towards server side.
although I'm willing to have a look at anything.

Later, Skater

http://www.chefmedia.ca

http://www.fxstudios.ca

GUJUm0deL · Aug 29, 2002

Try something general, like this:

<script>
if(navigator.appName == "Netscape" && navigator.appVersion < '6') {
alert("Sorry, you have an older version of Netscape. Please upgrade to a newer version. A newer version can be found at:

http://www.netscape.com");

}
</script>
I have not failed; I merely found 100,000 different ways of not succeding...

GUJUm0deL · Aug 29, 2002

BTW, tek-tips automaticaly put an semi-colon deirectly after the

Code:

www.netscape.com

, so disregard that, ok?? I have not failed; I merely found 100,000 different ways of not succeding...

Wullie · Aug 30, 2002

Hi mate,

Server side checks can be done with SSI if you have that available.

There are 2 ways to go about this, either don't show the contents of the site to older browsers, or show a extra note at the top of the page telling the user to upgrade to see the site properly.

The following would stop the user from seeing the site:

Code:

<!--#if expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /MSIE 4/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldIE&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;brtype&quot; value=&quot;msie&quot; -->
  <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /MSIE 3/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldIE&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;brtype&quot; value=&quot;msie&quot; -->
   <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /MSIE 2/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldIE&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;brtype&quot; value=&quot;msie&quot; -->
    <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /Mozilla\/4/ && $brtype !=/msie/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldnetscape&quot; -->
     <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /Mozilla\/3/ && $brtype !=/msie/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldnetscape&quot; -->
      <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /Mozilla\/2/ && $brtype !=/msie/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldnetscape&quot; -->
      <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /Mozilla\/1/ && $brtype !=/msie/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldnetscape&quot; -->
    <!--#else -->
ALL OF THE NORMAL PAGE CONTENT GOES HERE
<!--#endif -->

<!--#if expr=&quot;$browser = /oldnetscape/&quot; -->
<b>Please upgrade your browser at [URL unfurl="true"]http://www.netscape.com[/URL] to view this site properly.</b>
<!--#elif expr=&quot;$browser = /oldIE/&quot; -->
<b>Please upgrade your browser at [URL unfurl="true"]http://www.microsoft.com[/URL] to view this site properly.</b> 
<!--#else -->

<!--#endif -->

Whereas, the following would add an extra line of text to the top of the page if the user was using an old browser:

Code:

<!--#if expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /MSIE 4/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldIE&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;brtype&quot; value=&quot;msie&quot; -->
  <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /MSIE 3/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldIE&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;brtype&quot; value=&quot;msie&quot; -->
   <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /MSIE 2/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldIE&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;brtype&quot; value=&quot;msie&quot; -->
    <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /Mozilla\/4/ && $brtype !=/msie/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldnetscape&quot; -->
     <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /Mozilla\/3/ && $brtype !=/msie/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldnetscape&quot; -->
      <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /Mozilla\/2/ && $brtype !=/msie/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldnetscape&quot; -->
      <!--#elif expr=&quot;${HTTP_USER_AGENT} = /Mozilla\/1/ && $brtype !=/msie/&quot; -->
<!--#set var=&quot;browser&quot; value=&quot;oldnetscape&quot; -->
    <!--#else -->

<!--#endif -->

<!--#if expr=&quot;$browser = /oldnetscape/&quot; -->
<b>Please upgrade your browser at [URL unfurl="true"]http://www.netscape.com[/URL] to view this site.</b>
<!--#elif expr=&quot;$browser = /oldIE/&quot; -->
<b>Please upgrade your browser at [URL unfurl="true"]http://www.microsoft.com[/URL] to view this site.</b> 
<!--#else -->

<!--#endif -->

NORMAL PAGE CONTENT GOES HERE

Doing it this way, the user sees no annoying alert box generated by js.

BTW, I have not had time to test all of this but it should all work without a problem.

Hope this helps Wullie

sales@freshlookdesign.co.uk

http://www.freshlookdesign.com

http://www.searchit-now.co.uk

RISTMO · Aug 30, 2002

Doing it this way, the user sees no annoying alert box generated by js.

That could easily be changed to this:
<script>
if(navigator.appName == "Netscape" && navigator.appVersion < '6') {
document.write="Sorry, you have an older version of Netscape. Please upgrade to a newer version. A newer version can be found at:

http://www.netscape.com";

}
</script>

Rick

Wullie · Aug 30, 2002

Rick,

That is ok if the user has js enabled.

You are better keeping as much as possible server side to prevent requiring a certain feature to be enabled on the clients browser.

Hope this helps Wullie

sales@freshlookdesign.co.uk

http://www.freshlookdesign.com

http://www.searchit-now.co.uk

mThomas · Aug 30, 2002

I agree with Wullie that it is better to keep as much scripting server side as possible, especially if you want to make sure that there is a good chance that your scripts will always work. I'm a big proponent of ssi, so I like Wullie's suggestion, and think you will find it more stable than js. There are still people surfing the net with flavors of browsers that have problems with JavaScript. *g* there are people out there who surf with browsers that don't read JavaScript. As many times as I have heard that people actually turn off JavaScript, in fact lots of people do that. It must be pretty boring surfing though.

I have a general rule of thumb, if I can do it server side, I do it server side. If I can do it another way besides JavaScipt, then I need a compelling reason to use JavaScript. Also the js alert boxes, to me, are as annoying as a pebble in my shoe. Doing form required field checking is soooooo annoying when done via js. Well...at least in the way it is normally done using js.

mike

fxcolin · Aug 30, 2002

Thanks everyone for the info !!

Wullie...
I appreciate you taking the time to print all that out

Sweet ! Later, Skater

http://www.chefmedia.ca

http://www.fxstudios.ca

fxcolin · Aug 30, 2002

BTW
you get a well deserved star !

Later, Skater

http://www.chefmedia.ca

http://www.fxstudios.ca

RISTMO · Aug 31, 2002

I use server side for my pages, too, when I can. I was just saying it was possible to achieve the same effect using js. Actually, 11% of the people using the internet have javascript disabled! That's hard to believe. What are they afraid of?--getting a virus?

Rick

Wullie · Aug 31, 2002

Rick,

A lot of people turn IE security to high and this automatically disables js.

Also, most of the people that I know who have js disabled do it because they don't want to see any pop-up windows.

Mike,

What you have to think about is that these people are using an old browser, so most pages are already going to look either weird or boring. [wink]

Thanks for the stars. Wullie

sales@freshlookdesign.co.uk

http://www.freshlookdesign.com

http://www.searchit-now.co.uk

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Netscape 6.2 ? Hoo -aaH !! 2

fxcolin

Technical User

Wullie

Programmer

fxcolin

Technical User

GUJUm0deL

Programmer

GUJUm0deL

Programmer

Wullie

Programmer

RISTMO

Programmer

Wullie

Programmer

mThomas

Instructor

fxcolin

Technical User

fxcolin

Technical User

RISTMO

Programmer

Wullie

Programmer

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