Browser Compatibility and Hints

You may access the Media Catalog Search from here.

You may access the Order Form from here.

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Recommended Browser Versions and Setup
Problems with Early Versions of Netscape on Older Macintosh Computers
Specific Browser Problems
Reporting Browser Problems

Recommended Browser Versions and Setup

We recommend the following browser versions: Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 or better, or Netscape 3.0 or better. Additionally, JavaScript should be enabled and cookies supported and enabled.

If you are using a different browser (or have JavaScript turned off) some of the non-essential order form features will not be available:

Automatic placement of the cursor in the field you are most likely to modify when the order form is displayed.
Automatic login to the Medianet Options page when accessed via the button on the Order Form.

More features using JavaScript functionality are likely to be added in the future. We do though intend to support earlier versions of Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer as long as they are widely used in our client base.

If you are using a browser that does not support cookies (or have cookies turned off) the order form will not function. In this case you will notice that you are asked to log in every time you return to the order form. For more information on cookies, see the section on Internet Security in Microsoft's Web Tutorial.

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Problems with early versions of Netscape on older Macintosh computers

There have been some problems with accessing the online order form using older Netscape browsers (1.x and 2.x) on older Mac platforms.

One problem was the users encountered JavaScript errors. In Medianet Web 3.2 we added exception code to our CGI scripts to suppress the JavaScript for early Web Browsers so once 3.2 or better is installed on such sites, users will no longer see the warning. See above Recommended Browser Versions and Setup for details on JavaScript.

Other sites with these early versions of Netscape have reported Netscape freezing or crashing their computers, or other problems with loading the order form web page. These problems seem to be environment-specific: they do not occur at every site using these versions of Netscape. Because of this, it is difficult to determine the cause.

From an Internet search we have found that earlier versions of Netscape on Macintosh computers have been known to have trouble loading certain sites, especially feature rich sites. Some of the suggested solutions are:

Ensure the preferred memory allocation for Netscape is at least 6000. If problems persist, try 8000. This can be done via Netscape's file menu: choose file then get info.
Apple also suggests increasing the size of the Memory Control Panel's disk cache from 256K to 1024K.

If problems persist there is a very good FAQ on Netscape on the MAC at:

www.ufaq.org

If you find any magic bullets that we should include in our hints, please pass them on to us.

Upgrading to a more recent version of Netscape may also solve any problems with the online order form. Upgrading to the latest version of Netscape requires System 7.6.1 or later, BUT earlier versions (3.x) are also available for Mac's with older operating systems. Netscape browsers are available for download at www.netscape.com:

Choose the Download link at the top of the page
Choose Netscape Browsers from the Download box.
Click on the appropriate version for Netscape 4.x, or choose Netscape Product Archive in the Download Netscape Browsers and Accessories section, for older versions of Netscape.

When you encounter problems, it is important to get as much information as possible to Dymaxion, to help us track and isolate the cause. Please use the standard questionnaire Medianet Web Browser Problem Questionnaire as a guide to reporting these types of problems.

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Specific Browser Problems

A warning box asking whether a cookie should be accepted appears.

The order form relies on cookies to keep track of the current state of your order. Choose Yes/Ok on this box.
If you do not want to see this box you must turn off the "warn before accepting cookies" option in your browser.
- In Netscape this is accessed by clicking on the Edit menu and choosing Preferences. The "warn before accepting cookies" option is in the Advanced section of the preferences box.
- In Microsoft Internet Explorer this is accessed by clicking on the View menu and choosing Options . The "warn before accepting cookies" option is in the Advanced section.

The login page indicates that cookies are not available on my machine.

Cookies may be turned off in your browser. Check your browser cookie settings. If you change your cookie settings, you may need to close and re-open your browser to get the new settings
- Internet Explorer 6.x:
  - Select Tools
  - Select Internet Options
  - Select the Privacy tab
  - A slider indicates how cookies are handled. The default setting is medium
  - The slider will not be present if custom cookie settings are used. To change custom cookie settings, select Advanced
- Internet Explorer 5.x:
  - Select Tools
  - Select Internet Options
  - Select the Security tab
  - Select Internet
  - Select Custom Level
  - Cookie handling is determined by the option selected in the Cookies section
- Internet Explorer 4.x:
  - Select View
  - Select Internet Options
  - Select the Advanced tab
  - Under Security find the section with the yellow exclamation icon. There will be three options that determine how cookies are handled
- Internet Explorer 3.x:
  - Select View
  - Select Options
  - Select the Advanced tab
  - A button called Warn Before Accepting Cookies will indicate how cookies are handled
- Netscape Communicator 4.x:
  - Select Edit
  - Select Preferences
  - Select Advanced
  - The box labeled Cookies determines how cookies are handled
- Netscape Communicator 7.x:
  - Select Edit
  - Select Preferences
  - Select Privacy and Security
  - Select Cookies to see the available options
It is possible to have cookies turned on in your browser and still not have cookies available. Cookies may be disabled by internet security programs, or various other security measures. Check with your system administrator.

I can't press `enter' on the keyboard to submit my username and password on the login form.

Browsers determine whether or not to allow users to submit a form using `enter' on the keyboard in different ways.
- Older versions of Internet Explorer allow you to press `enter' to submit any form.
- Netscape and Internet Explorer 4.x only allow you to press `enter' to submit forms with only one data element (text field/radio button/checkbox). Thus, because the login form requires both a username and a password, you will not be able to use `enter' on the keyboard to submit this form if using these browsers. You may click OK instead.

In pre 4.5 versions of Netscape, printing the order page or the thank-you order confirmation doesn't seem to work.

The order page is handled in a special way to ensure you do not see dated information when you access it. Older versions of Netscape have problems printing pages that are handled in this way.
Newer versions of Netscape (eg. 4.5 and up) do not have this problem.

The date a title was added to the collection is not displayed when I rest the pointer over the "new" icon.

You must turn on the "ToolTips" option in your browser to see the alternate text for an image.
- In Netscape this is accessed by clicking on the Edit menu and choosing Preferences. The "Show ToolTips" option is in the Appearance section of the preferences box.
- In Microsoft Internet Explorer ToolTips are always enabled.

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Reporting Browser Problems

To report browser problems encountered while using the Medianet Web modules, please use the following questionnaire:

Medianet Web Browser Problem Questionnaire