Testing on AOL?

haven't seen this question in a while

[vmills]

I just redesigned a small library's web site, and one of the patrons claims he can't acess a dropdown menu (no JS). It's hard to get precise info from him, and I don't think he knows what a "browser" is, but he claims to be using the latest version of AOL. I thought this was equivalent to Netscape 7; is that still true?

Since I don't have AOL, are there any tests I can run to see if I can duplicate the problem? I've tested the site on browsers on PC and Mac, so I can't imagine what the problem could be.

[tedster]

No matter what version of the AOL Browser is being used, there is javascript support. So for some reason, and it could be any number of security settings or applications that are in play including a frewall, javascript is apparently turned off for this user. But it's not a browser functionality issue, I feel certain that javascript is there for this patron, but turned off or blocked, as it is for something like 8%-10% of web users.

Despite a few hopeful beta tests with their Compuserver users, AOL for PC still uses IE as far as I know -- not an embedded browser but rather tapping into the version of IE that is on the user's system. AOL for Mac OSX uses the Gecko rendering engine found in Netscape.

[jalarie]

If you're using script, then you should be using the "noscript" tags to display something for those users who have scripting turned off. Add something like the following and then ask him what he sees:

 <noscript> 
  <b>Note:</b>&nbsp; 
  <font color="red"> 
  You must have javascript to make use of this page. 
  </font> 
 </noscript> 

[vmills]

These menus don't use javascript, but they do use csshover.htc. I haven't seen any problems in the browsers I've tested but perhaps there's a problem with older browsers.

Do I understand correctly from the previous post that AOL doesn't ship with its own browser but uses whatever version of IE is installed on the (PC) computer? Seems odd that someone could keep upgrading AOL but still be using an older browser. . .

[tedster]

Seems odd that someone could keep upgrading AOL but still be using an older browser.

My source for the information I gave is [webmaster.info.aol.com...] and I may be misinterpreting it.

For example, when a user upgrades their AOL software, the install process may also detect the browser version and force a browser update if needed. It's just that, according to that page, there is no EMBEDDED browser in the AOL software.

<edited to fix the link>

[edited by: tedster at 6:44 pm (utc) on Oct. 12, 2005]

[vmills]

Very interesting tedster. Thanks for that link.

[jalarie]

Tedster, your link has the trailing comma as part of the <a></a> content, so it doesn't work.

[tedster]

Thanks -- I fixed it. Gotta watch that when typing in urls on the boards here -- everything starting with http gets automatically linked until there's a space.