Google doesn't like IE8 | The Coffeehouse

wkempf

Just something I find humorous, that I thought I'd share.

Seems Google doesn't like IE8. For the longest time I've been fighting GMail inside IE8. Periodically, it will just log you off, with no appearant reason. Interestingly, sometimes it goes into a neat little cycle of logging off, auto-logging back on (presumably due to the cookie), logging off, and repeating this whole thing for a few cycles before "sticking" at either logged off or on.

Reader, on the other hand, has worked like a champ in IE8 the entire time. That is, until today. Google updated reader with a "fresh new look" (which, while I suppose a tad faster, which is what they say the reason was for the change, the new look is less pleasing on the eyes). Unfortunately, IE8 hates the new look. The "chrome" displays with the "Loading" display, but the Ajax fails to complete the load and display the feeds. I had to switch to compatibility mode to continue using Reader. I'm guessing Google's done this on purpose Wink

.

Bass
www.spreadfirefox.com/5years/

I don't like IE8 either. Maybe Google and I can be friends.

Harlequin
http://twitter.com/TrueHarlequin

If I use Google as my default search in IE8(Vista Home Premium) I get this:

1) Do search in search bar
2) See results normally
3) Click result, go to another site
4) Click back button in browser
5) Page is white. Search results don't show up. Compatability mode does nothing. Need to re-search to get results.

wkempf

In reply to Harlequin

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 11:27 AM

I get that occasionally as well. It also sometimes happens with the first search, and not just after hitting the back button.

Koogle
I'm a Terminator - Astalavista, Vis7a!

yup...

wkempf

In reply to Koogle

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 12:43 PM

Can't begin to agree. I've tried all available browsers. I find IE to be the best of them. None of them are perfect, but IE fits my needs best.

stun

In reply to wkempf

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 2:13 PM

Please tell me you are being sarcastic, right?

Unless you like waiting for the slow-ass IE to open a new tab, or render a page....

Koogle
I'm a Terminator - Astalavista, Vis7a!

"I find IE to be the best of them."

I feel sorry for you... you tried all available browsers(inc. ones that sill use the IE engine?*cough* Maxthon) ... y-aah, was that like comparing book covers then? .. and concluded that the defaulty IE browser was the best? I guess all I can say is that you must have very limited expectations... the perfect IE user Smiley but I think you, like IE need to raise your standards, because you're both missing soo much! Wink

Cupiditas
Chris Hawkins

In reply to wkempf

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 2:13 PM

IE7 was brilliant. I'm not such a fan of IE8. I've been using Chrome, which seems stable and fast. Not perfect though. I have a thing against Firefox. It's simply the ugliest program I've ever used under Vista. And Safari, well, I used it for a little while but it's chrome is just so far out of wack with the operating system that I couldn't survive. And my favourite keyboard shortcuts didn't work either.

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

In reply to Cupiditas

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 3:52 PM

I'm not too happy about IE8 either. I loved IE7 because it does almost exactly what I need (except for the favorites and feeds syncing, of course), and it feels very lightweight. IE8 (at least, the beta I tried) feels like IE7 with a whole bunch of features I don't need tacked on. I don't care about standards support, so.. why would I install IE8?

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to Bas

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 3:58 PM

What are the new features in IE8? Per-tab processes---that's good for stability. Compatibility mode--that shouldn't bother you. Web slices and activities--the basic concepts are good. The problem is I think all of these things aren't integrated well into IE8's browsing experience. They feel, like you say, 'tacked on'.

I want to be able to translate any text I see or map any address I see, but in IE8 it just feels very complicated and clumsy to do that. The idea of subscribing to microformats like webslices is cool, but the way to discover them on the page is clumsy also. --- and IE8 still has a bunch of haphazard menus stuck to the right of the tabs.

This is a case where Paul Thurott is wrong, and where simple WOULD be better. Its one of the reasons Google Chrome is appealing. If Microsoft could integrate activities and microformats in a way that felt seamless and intuitive I bet you would have no problem.

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

In reply to brian.shapiro

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 4:16 PM

True, per tab processes are one of the things that are pretty great. Compatibility mode.. no idea. Web slices, fun idea in concept, I just don't see any web developers using it. Ebay even requires you to search through a separate page, or the web slices won't work. Activities mean nothing to me. I mean, selecting some text and searching for it on Maps? That's something I'll use maybe twice. Something I'd use every day, like feed syncing? Nothing even remotely like that.

And yeah, the way to discover these things is so... off. I mean, really, a floating icon that appears somewhere? I still have to remind myself when I paste text in Word that I can use the smart tag that appears to set it to the target layout instead of the source layout, and that's been in there since Office XP.

One of the reasons I like IE7 so much is because of the interface. I know a lot of people hate it, but I simply don't see the problem. It looks clean, lightweight, and un-cluttered. Honestly the only thing I'd change about it is move the "add favorites" button to the actual favorites panel. IE8 looks like it wants to keep that clean image, but still expose a lot of features, with floating icons, a massive URL history dropdown, and a search suggestions dropdown that's divided with roughly 5 separators into categories I don't even understand.

And this is over two years since we've been promised a new IE update every nine to twelve months - to keep up with quickly evolving web technologies. More than two years. I just want to know what the culture in the IE team is. Do they really think this is good enough? Why? What on earth is their strategy?

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to Bas

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 4:35 PM

Web slices is a feature that could have a lot of potential if only Microsoft could make them seamless enough that site developers have the incentive to make them.

One useful application, like you mentioned, would be eBay, if only eBay would step up and include them on its regular search pages.

Another could be social bookmarking sites--delicious.com could allow you to make web slices based on a tag or group of tags in your set--so you could have a web slice for a particular tag, showing your bookmarks along with related tags--or a particular tag bundle. That way, a delicious.com web slice on your toolbar could be a quick reference to a certain set of links.

Microsoft could also always create a Live Favorites webslice--or SkyDrive Favorites, if that's where its going. You could then have web based favorites integrated into your browser without a whole toolbar.

There's already one useful web slice, for oneriot.com , which shows you at a glance the most searched topics on the web.

All of these web slices can also be taken out of the web browser and put in other places where microformats are suitable--like in a desktop gadget (or on the sidebar), on a mobile phone, or--potentially--a custom application just for web slices.

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to brian.shapiro

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 5:00 PM

There are other applications that would work the same way as the Live Favorites example. One possibility is a web slice for SkyDrive that shows me a listing of all the folders and albums I have. That way I could have easy access to all my SkyDrive content with two clicks.

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to brian.shapiro

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 5:00 PM

(duplicate)

VB Man
Year of the Linux MCE.

In reply to Koogle

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 12:43 PM

Nice. Koogle, after reading your Avatar caption, it looks like you made the switch. What OS did you go to?

sanatgersappa
Mad About You

Google doesn't like Chrome either. The iGoogle Desktop gadgets don't work with Chrome.

jamie

ie7/vista switches from Aero to Basic when viewing a webpage that has a Java? ticker like:

http://teamppt.com/

* i warned you...

so how is this any different? its a TICKER

Just getting some of their own medicine?

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

In reply to jamie

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 8:17 PM

You're about a year and a half too late with that comment. Aero getting disabled was due to a behaviour of Java 1.5 that was not compatible with Aero (they were locking the primary buffer). It was fixed with Java 1.6, which was released a long time ago. If you have Java 1.6, Aero does not switch off on that page.

jamie

In reply to Sven Groot

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 8:30 PM

ive been running vista for ... 2 years? and that site / switch happened yesterday.

i seem to have java se v 1.42 and then java tm 6 update 4

ps - i hate java - i hate trying to find how to stop it from starting up on taskbar..

but 2 years? guess there must not be that much java thats important.. or tickers Wink

PS - on / off topic... on the Canada website - to see certain things you needed java - i had to do this last week for tory. but then it said (AFTER loading that crapware) that it didnt support IE7. only 6.

Then it listed firefox - i thought - phew - but it was an old version of firefox ( you know firefox... version 2.00X-33 bla bla
so it doesnt work either

all in all... i hate java, firefox versioning madness, (and stephen harper). Smiley

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

In reply to jamie

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 8:38 PM

It seems IE is using Java 1.4 then, with 1.6 (which is somtimes referred to as Java 6) that should not happen. I'm not entirely sure how it selects a runtime. You could just try uninstalling 1.4.

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

In reply to brian.shapiro

#Dec 5th, 2008 @ 5:00 PM

The thing is, I can see many useful applications for Web Slices.. but I severly doubt many websites are even remotely interested in implementing them.

And speaking personally, even if they were, I really doubt I'd use them for more than keeping tabs on the one or two eBay purchases I make each year. If they add another toolbar to IE - and can't be docked next to the tabs or the address bar, for instance - I wouldn't even use them at all.