Bizarre link behavior on Netscape 4.7

[tedster]

I've been increasingly frustrated with Netscape 4.7. In fact, I mostly use it as a "worst case" test for my pages.

Lately I've noticed that links, especially those with target="_blank", can require two clicks before the browser actually contacts the server through the new window. The first new window SAYS it's contacting the server, but contact doesn't happen until I close that window and click again. Then the second new window works as expected.

Has anyone else seen this behavior? Is it a hopeless bug, or a corruption in my browser, or is there a workaround? The weird thing is that this seems intermittent -- say 70% of the time.

[rcjordan]

It's a NS4 bug. I think it has something to do with the browser cache and I most often run across it on pages that use frames, are heavily dynamic, or (maybe) have heavy-duty javascript.

Next time it happens, close all open NS windows, then do Alt+Ctrl+Del (just once) and I believe you'll see yet another 'invisible' NS app still open. You'll have to close that, too (or reboot). As long as this unseen browser is open, you will get some truly bizarre renderings.

[GWJ]

I was wondering. Wasn't sure if I had some form of registry/file corruption but could never pinpoint what was at fault. Very frustrating.

[rcjordan]

It's SO erratic that the average user never believes it is a browser problem, they assume it is bad HTML. This REALLY hurts when it's a client's site -or, as happened to me- a reporter for an online mag that wanted to review the site (Ouch! That still hurts).

Telltale signs I've found so far:
- Cannot paste an url in location window
- Renders about 1/2-way down the page and quits
- Links are no longer activted when clicked

[rcjordan]

PS Tedster is referencing the NS Communicator version number -4.7. NS browser version 4.08 is packaged w/ Communicator 4.7. Can be confusing.

[tedster]

Thanks, rc.

I see that hidden piece of Netscape you're talking about. By the time they got to this version, Netscape had to be the biggest pile of spaghetti code ever written! However 6.0 comes out in the end, it was an absolute requirement that the start over again.

And what a pain when a client (or reporter -- ouch!!) doesn't get that it's not your work that's causing the problem. I had a prospect recently who viewed my portfolio with AOL 3.0 on windows 3.1 set at 16 colors. He thought my work was ugly.

[rcjordan]

>I see that hidden piece of Netscape you're talking about

You.. you.. you mean a tip worked?!? Incredible! I was making that up. -Lucky guess, huh?