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Display problem: Quick Reply and image display

M

Mr.Amiga500

Experienced Member
Joined
May 27, 2008
Messages
480
Location
Canada
I've noticed recently that a few things have stopped working on this forum. Whenever I click Reply or Reply With Quote, I get a squashed useless box on the side of the screen as you can see in this screenshot:
View attachment 3629

Reply and Reply With Quote was working fine until a couple months ago.

The second problem is with displaying images. I can see the thumbnails, but when I click on them, I get a small box which expands to a fadeout that displays nothing. This too, was working until a couple months ago.

Probably a recent site update changed the Javascript or something to use modern features which are not supported by my browser (Firefox 2.0). Unfortunately, I can't update my browser because that is the latest version available for my OS. Since this is a site for vintage computers, it would be nice if older computers could use the forum without problems.
 
Another thing I noticed: It is now impossible to log in using Amiga IBrowse. Why did the "Vintage Computer Forums" get so "vintage computer hostile"?
 
I can kind of see your point, but at the same time, there's no one here that has offered the time to maintain forum software, and so without it being an extreme hassle as such, the only way to keep a safe, stable, and secure forum is to update to the latest. And vBulletin is likely not too interested in making old computers work so much as new ones. The secure part is the most important thing about any Internet-facing server system. If we stuck by an old version of forum software just for the sake of getting a couple old 286s to peruse the forum, and then got caught by a malicious something or other that invaded and wrecked the forum, that wouldn't be good for anybody. So while it's a hoot to get an old machine to display and use Internet content, it's just something that can only really be maintained by Latest and Greatest.

As for your first post, I haven't seen any of the issues you mentioned, so I assume it is the degrading compatibility of Firefox 2.0. I wonder if later versions could be hacked and forced to run on Win9x?
 
Yes, I see your point too and that's exactly the response I was expecting. "Security" is always the reason for "upgrades" that prevent old computers from connecting. It's just sad and ironic that vintage computers can't even log into a vintage forum.

As for your first post, I haven't seen any of the issues you mentioned, so I assume it is the degrading compatibility of Firefox 2.0. I wonder if later versions could be hacked and forced to run on Win9x?
Click to expand...

I don't care about that because I don't use Win9x. I'm using BeOS and Amiga. I can get around the screwed up box by going "Advanced", and can still post as you can see. So that's not much of a problem.

The fact that I can no longer log on and post with Amiga (my first 50 posts here were done with my Amiga) or other old computers is more disappointing. Ironically, I discovered this problem when I was just about to make a thread about using vintage computers to post. I was going to use 4 different vintage computers to post and convince others to post using their vintage computers. Obviously, no vintage computers will ever be able to post here again.
 
This is a valid question which will become more important to forum members as time goes by. It means achieving some way of maintaining the Vintage community and the effectiveness of their gear from being obsoleced by the drive for profits and new gear by the major IT corporations. And there will as most of us know be accommodations we will have to make because of the developments made more for increasing sales profits and PR than basic functionality. So at some point there will have to be two levels of functionality for the VCF or 2 different groups, one of whom is not compatible with the newest computer developments and another which struggles to keep up with all the new developments, despite the obsoleccing of their perfectly functioning computers. Do the financial aims driven by profits determine our own functionality, as history has shown us ? The cars with the biggest fins or gimmicks WILL win usually.

Lawrence
 
Uh, people... I can't help but remind you that computers that are considered "vintage" are typically machines that were designed before the emergence (or even the development) of the World Wide Web, and thus before web browsers became commonplace, let alone the modern standards we have today. The Web is constantly evolving, and that is a good thing, because there is much to be improved to web standards. We can't hold that development back by the absense of up-to-date browsers on certain niche platforms. Please don't take this the wrong way.

In fact, this would be a good occasion to advocate the development of a new lightweight cross-platform standards-compliant web browser tailored specifically towards vintage architectures and platforms, most likely based on the WebKit HTML rendering core.
 
digger said:
In fact, this would be a good occasion to advocate the development of a new lightweight cross-platform standards-compliant web browser tailored specifically towards vintage architectures and platforms, most likely based on the WebKit HTML rendering core.
Click to expand...
For everyone's benefit really. :)

I'm actually amazed at how well the old protocols work. The problem on the web is the push for the latest and greatest. Still, a browser that goes as far as doing CSS is about all that's really needed.

@Mr.Amiga500 how well does your browser deal with the CSS? If you run the VCF pages through a validator you will see that both the HTML and CSS often have a lot of errors. VBulletin has a lot of problems. Perhaps it is not your browser's fault.

Not that it will (or can) be used here, but I wonder how something more friendly and exacting like PunBB looks in your browser.
 
Ha! I can actually log on with my Amiga 3000 now, so my main complaint is now meaningless. The other bugs I can live with. :)
 
Ole Juul said:
@Mr.Amiga500 how well does your browser deal with the CSS? If you run the VCF pages through a validator you will see that both the HTML and CSS often have a lot of errors. VBulletin has a lot of problems. Perhaps it is not your browser's fault.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about my Amiga browser, unfortunately it doesn't do CSS, so most webpages look like crap these days (was fine up to 2004/5 before most webpages converted).


I still think a vintage computer forum should make an attempt to be usable by vintage computers. Otherwise, it's a bit silly. Any equivalent would be a Classic Auto Club with a parking lot that only allows cars to enter if they have electronic fuel injection... or a Black Heritage Centre with a sign out front that says "No Negroes".
 
Mr.Amiga500 said:
I still think a vintage computer forum should make an attempt to be usable by vintage computers. Otherwise, it's a bit silly. Any equivalent would be a Classic Auto Club with a parking lot that only allows cars to enter if they have electronic fuel injection... or a Black Heritage Centre with a sign out front that says "No Negroes".
Click to expand...

Or a paleontology club that only allowed actual dinosaurs as members. . .

There is honestly no inherent attempt to exclude vintage hardware from actively browsing the forums but, by the same token, there is no attempt being made to maintain the forums as vintage friendly. The goal isn't to use them here, it is to foster a community here that encourages this equipment in general.
 
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