Re: Javascript ON when it's OFF

In article <a8b6dcef55.ricp@user.minijem.plus.com>, Richard Porter
<ricp@minijem.plus.com> wrote:
> On 17 Dec 2016 Tim Hill wrote:

> > Hmm. There seem to be problems with both ARMini and ARMx6. What could
> > they have in common which differs from other platforms?

> I'm puzzled because I'm getting the same behaviour on both ARMX6 and
> RiscPC, as I would expect using the same version of NetSurf. Does it
> contain any alternative paths depending on OS version or processor
> type?

Well, I'm not sure there is an HTTP header which would tell me the OS nor
processor type of the machine hosting a visiting browser unless this is
included in the user agent string. Go here with any browser to see what
it is telling the world about itself in its User Agent HTTP header:
http://timil.com/temp/browser.php?version=latest
NetSurf 3.7 #3798 says "NetSurf/3.7 (RISC OS)".

Hopefully, a browser doesn't tell lies in that string or if a user
changes it then obviously it won't be detected OR checks for OS versions
and whatnot can be completely spurious and unreliable anyway. You almost
need Google Translate anyway to know that "...Windows NT 6.1; WOW64..."
is actually Windows7-64.

As I explained, the Calendar page detects the browser name in the
HTTP_USER_AGENT string.
The chunk of the page which does that and generates the welcome message
is here http://timil.com/riscos/calendar/netsurf?version=latest

The purpose of it is to do this:
Find out which Browser is visiting.
If it is NetSurf, Otter or Firefox print a personalised welcome message
then:
Is JavaScript active?
- yes: print one message in RED (using JavaScript)
- no: print in black, another message; If NetSurf, print some more.

As you have a problem with both machines it could indicate that your
network connection could be caching files somewhere incorrectly. Using a
dummy variable appended to a URL will/should force a fresh copy of that
file to be used and not a cached one:
http://timil.com/riscos/calendar/?version=latest

The user could be consistent in not changing the option in both browsers
correctly (!) or your copies of NetSurf (or your hardware) are corrupt
and should be replaced. It seems unlikely that both machines would have
the same problem unless you are running the exact same copy of NetSurf
via Share (as I do). But doing the same wrong thing on both machines
would be possible! After all, someone else with the same version and
hardware as you does not experience the same problem.

Well, back to the page being displayed (wrongly) in your NetSurfs, and
after ensuring that "Disable JavaScript" is ticked in the Content
Choices, what happens when you click on "Set" with Select?
If the Content Choices dialogue closes, is the Disable JavaScript option
still ticked if you then re-open it?

Another thing you could try is deleting whatever cache you have for
NetSurf. Use the Utility !ShowScrap (or into a command window type
Filer_OpenDir <Wimp$ScrapDir>
and then press <Enter>). Delete the contents of WWW.NetSurf.Cache

There there could instead be a software clash so try and remove anything
non-standard. Have you added things such as MouseAxess to both machines?
I deleted that years ago following a tip and lots of supposedly unrelated
weirdness stopped happening

. We just need to find out what's causing yours.

--

Tim Hill

timil.com : tjrh.eu : butterwick.eu : blue-bike.uk : youngtheatre.co.uk