Daddy Clanger (imc) wrote,
Daddy Clanger
imc

Annoying web sites #759

Perhaps it's because I'm perverse, or perhaps it's because they didn't start packaging Firefox for Fedora until FC3 and we've been using Netscape and (later) Mozilla suite at the lab since before Firefox was invented. Anyway, the browser I'm using at the moment is Seamonkey, which is what would have been version 1.8 of the Mozilla suite if they hadn't decided to stop developing it and concentrate on Firefox instead. (At the lab we're still on Mozilla 1.7.13.)

Anyway, this browser is built on the same codebase (rv:1.8.0.6) as Firefox 1.5.0.6, and so — as far as browsing the web is concerned — it should be pretty much the same as Firefox. You can even install Greasemonkey on it (although there are an annoying number of Firefox extensions that don't work on Seamonkey).

The other, really perverse, thing about my browser is that it has JavaScript switched off. This has saved me from all manner of cross-site scripting and other JavaScript attacks, pop-up windows, aggressive advertising, and other nasties; it also makes the browser marginally less likely to crash or to consume 100% CPU. Sadly, I had to give in some time ago and run a second (meant to be temporary, but it has turned out to be fairly permanent) browser in another window that has JavaScript (and cookies) turned on. I try to use this only as a last resort, and when I do I'm frequently glad that I don't have to put up with all that nastiness in my everyday browsing.

Earlier, someone gave me a link to meez.com. I hope they'll forgive me for mentioning it here.

The link I've just given is their help page; it's entirely text based and I can read it using Lynx (the text-only browser). I can't read it in my normal browser. Why not? Because they have chosen to put up a big banner mithering me to turn JavaScript on, and have deliberately hidden all the other content.

It's worse than that. Although it is possible for me to view the help text in my JavaScript-enabled browser, if I attempt to view the home page or a user's profile, it shows me the content for five seconds and then obliterates it with a message that my browser is not supported. Why not? Because it's not called "Firefox" or "Internet Explorer". But I could see the content five seconds ago, you stupid people!
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