Hello again,
I could have emailed you Dean, but figured this might be handy for others at some point, considering how many different browsers we all tend to use!
Is there a particular browser that works best on this site? I have used FireFox for ages, but am finding that it's not the most dependable on certain sites. Right now, I'm on IE.
I tend to LOVE tabbed browsing--cuz I'm usually doing several things at once when I'm online--hey, I AM a woman! and I DO multi-task!
I look forward to hearing for someone about this! :-) My internet connection/server seems to be going through some upgrades--I hope that's the problem. . . .so I'm almost surprised that I could get this whole post typed at one time!
Blessings!
Moe.
Dean and I toss the ball back and forth on this one, because I use FireFox and really like it, and he prefers Internet Explorer. But I'll let him make his own case for that.
I love the tabbed browsing and the really helpful extensions available for FF, and the scripting for Invisionfree boards appears to be more compatible with FF. However, we test any changes or add-ons first to make sure they work in both browsers. I do notice that we reject more things because of problems in IE.
In the "Help" links, under "Posting Pix", I talk about a couple of FF extensions that make grabbing pictures and hosting them much easier.
The people using other browsers are at this moment fending for themselves, as we don't test on those. However, we haven't gotten any complaints about display or loading problems.
The biggest issue is always the people with a slow-connection or dial-up. There are a lot of graphics on this site, which tends to slow down the page load time. For anyone with that issue, please read the topic in the "Help" links called "Dial-up User Tips". Implementing even part of the suggestons there will speed up your page load time, and make your experience at ZFF less frustrating.
MS-IS vs FF, Opera, Netscape, et al
As usual, a good question, Moe!
Yes, Helena & I do kick it around a LOT when it comes to which browser.
Let it be known that Microsoft is NOT my favorite anything. Most of the time, I resent their software and the mindset that creates it to try and think for me, but not with MY logic or intentions in mind!
I do remember when IE used tabs for a very short period of time. I did enjoy it, but it caused the exact same problems as keeping too many windows open at once. Everything tends to get buggy and unstable. I don't have the experience to say whether that's true or not in FF.
My prime reason for sticking with IE overall is that, like it or not, it is still the defacto standard against all others are judged, and for which the vast majority of sites and software are designed. That means big stuff like anti-virus, anti-spam, data formats, picture handling, and more. The extension of this is that FF & others have to use IE compatible stuff. They have to be designed and built around the same specs! Because of the law, other companies have to handle those things differently and often do it better. No question. But when changes are implemented in IE that affect the handling of data, the others have to then change their software to comply with the industry standards set by Microsoft. And frankly my dear, MS doesn't give a %#$@#. They take care of themselves and the fleas on the tail have to figure it out! Which puts them weeks, months, years behind, sadly.
With the change to the new website, we have tested in all major browsers and you should be fine with all fairly current versions.
We do have a menu issue in the gallery that IE users will be alerted to, but other than that, you should have a good browsing experience regardless of your browser choice.
If you are using a machine with 800x600 screen resolution, you will need to scroll right to see the right sidebar menus. On the message board, you will have an issue with the forum table dropping down, but you will still be able to navigate the forums.
In our new version, our forum is now on a different platform (myBB) and we are self hosting. (Whichmeans we can fix anything that goes wrong, so don't hesitate to ask if you see a problem.)
Any top level browser should perform adequately with the new set up.