Logging in with Firefox 8? Options

[Darin McGrew]

I find myself unable to log into the HTMLHelp forums with Firefox 8. I can log into the forums with Chrome, but not with the latest version of Firefox. And I can still log into other forums with Firefox 8, just not this one.

Is this a Firefox 8 issue? Can anyone else log into these forums with Firefox 8? I'm on MacOS 10.7.2, FWIW.

[Christian J]

Works for me with FF8 on Windows. What kind or error do you get?

[jimlongo]

I'm logged in right now with FF8 on Mac 10.6.8

[Darin McGrew]

It keeps telling me "Welcome, Guest" after I log in as myself. I'm noticing a few other glitches. I wonder if my copy of Firefox has gotten corrupted somehow. I've already tried disabling all my add-ons.

[jimlongo]

I just tried again, I don't normally use FF, but everything seems normal. The Welcome is correct, my CP, private messages, etc., all appear to be functioning.

As I said I'm still on SL.

[pandy]

Found a few others with the same problem, but no authoritative solution. Just the usual blah blah about deleting cookies and restarting the browser.

[Darin McGrew]

Just the usual blah blah about deleting cookies and restarting the browser.

Well, I've tried deleting all the htmlhelp-related cookies. I'll look into it more later. Weird...

[Darin McGrew]

I finally figured out the problem. Google Toolbar hasn't worked for a couple Firefox versions, so I uninstalled it. In the process of uninstalling, it badly garbled Firefox's user agent string. A couple other sites were behaving strangely (browser sniffing gone bad). These forums kept accepting my password, but leaving me logged in as the guest user.

I uninstalled Firefox, removed all the config files, and reinstalled Firefox. All is well again...

[pandy]

Are we sniffing?

Sniffing is definitely coming back, but maybe in more intricate ways than back in the day. K-Mel used to work everywhere. Now I have problems with all google related sites and then some. If I spoof all is well. Very 2003.

[Darin McGrew]

If I spoof all is well. Very 2003.

Or perhaps very 2007. There were several sites in 2007 that I still configured Opera to spoof other browsers. Then I switched to Firefox. Now I'm on the verge of switching to Chrome.

[pandy]

I like my bells and whistles. Plus Chrome scrared me when I first installed it, working my hard drives constantly. Also, I'm starting to get uncomfortable about having google power too many areas of my online life. For me it's already google.com (which I don't like anymore with the personalized search that isn't all that easy to get rid of and you have to always check that it's still off, but it's the best SE so what to do?), GMail, Google Maps, occationaly YouTube. Don't want them on my desktop too.

[Christian J]

A couple other sites were behaving strangely (browser sniffing gone bad). These forums kept accepting my password, but leaving me logged in as the guest user.

What kind of script bug would cause a result like that from a garbled UA string? Does Ajax have anything to do with this?

[Christian J]

I'm starting to get uncomfortable about having google power too many areas of my online life. For me it's already google.com (which I don't like anymore with the personalized search that isn't all that easy to get rid of and you have to always check that it's still off, but it's the best SE so what to do?). GMail, Google Maps, occationaly YouTube. Don't want them on my desktop too.

Add to that Google Analytics on more or less every web page these days.

BTW I recently updated my Windows Safari browser, which took several minutes and included Apple Application Support (over 100MB total, IIRC). When I uninstalled the extra bloat Safari no longer started.

[Christian J]

There were several sites in 2007 that I still configured Opera to spoof other browsers.

Another problem is sites that don't sniff but fail silently. I never dare to use Opera on e.g. ecommerce sites, due to broken confirmation pages. OTOH a similar thing happened with Firefox lately.

[pandy]

There was no option about installing Apple Application Support (whatever that is?) I was just about to upgrade, but maybe better not then.

I can get and use Telia's E-ID (electronic identification crap used for filing your tax return online and things like that) with an old FF, but not with K-Mel with the same or newer gecko version. Smartness all over the place. My bank surprisingly enough accepts any browser I happen to use though.

Google is getting more and more obtrusive. I've kept the Google bar for IE out of habit (it used to be good). Now and then it installs the desktop search without asking, even though I initially said NO.

[Christian J]

There was no option about installing Apple Application Support (whatever that is?)

No, it seems to be a bundled required component:

"if you uninstall your Apple Application Support [...] your Safari for Windows 4.0.4 (or higher version) will no longer launch ... because several essential program files [...] will have been uninstalled."
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2353930

I was just about to upgrade, but maybe better not then.

I wonder if it makes sense to keep Windows Safari even for site testing? There might be special quirks in its KHTML engine, OTOH there are so many versions of each engine around these days that you can't test them all anyway, and maybe the Windows and Mac version don't behave exactly the same anyway.

[pandy]

Don't know, but I would guess there are (minor?) differences. Aslong one doesn't expect perfect Mac emulation that's OK, I think.

I once had over 80 different browser versions on my HD. I don't anymore. Too many versions released too often these days.