IE5 and Windows 3.1

[Sylphan]

Just an information post. In case anyone else is using an old old computer, this might be nice to know.

Netscape 4.08 does not work with EQTraders. It's actually possible to get a screen once in awhile if you navigate the error messages correctly, but that's a nightmare. I imagine version 4.72 might work, but that doesn't run on Windows 3.1.

But now I've installed Internet Explorer 5.01 and it does work. Highly recommended. I kept Trumpet Winsock instead of switching to Microsoft's winsock though, just because 'if it aint broke don't fix it'.

I'm posting this from a 486-33Mhz computer with 8 MB of RAM running Windows 3.1. With graphics off in the browser, all the left-side menu items on the main site show as text so that works well. Searches, recipes, etc. display fine too. But on the message board only some of the buttons have text.

[Ngreth Thergn]

Well, the boards are somnoene elses software (not mine) so I am not into changing it, sorry.

The reason the old netscape will not work is the style sheets used extensively, they would jsut cause problems all over I expect. and the bit of javascript code (not much) would also cause havoc.

[Lothay]

The site and the boards use CSS, which aren't implemented fully in the earlier versions of Netscape.

Javascript is also used heavily on the boards (drop-down menus, and various other tools) and again use features implemented after that early version of Netscape. IE 5.0 also has a broken implementation of CSS and exibits very strange behaviors. It might be possible to recode the style sheets to protect IE 5.0 from itself II do so for some other sites, but the hacks are rarely elegant, and might not solve the issues you're having), but it's an ugly mess. I don't expect to make Ngreth hack the style sheets for something like less that 0.0001% of the user-base.

If you insist on using or are otherwise limited to early versions of Netscape or IE less than 6.01, and Windows 3.1 (shudder), there really isn't much hope for backwards compatibility. It would be a real nightmare to code the main site to not use CSS, and the boards are a liscenced application. Chaning the code for the boards just isn't going to happen.

It's good to know that most of the site functions in a useable fashion for you.

Edit: Added more information about IE 5.