[Love Calm Quiet]

Couple things got me wondering about what happens when I send links to friends across country and they view it on PCs.

First: Although I don't do RSS (no need for more hyper-flow of info in my life), I discovered Snopes rumor-evaluation feed ( feed://www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.rss ), and went to it in safari... thinking it was just a site (rather than RSS). In Safari it works pretty much like any web page with frames (except for cool search-as-you-type feature).

But as I sent the link to a friend I realized it started with "feed" rather than "http". So I tried it in Mac IE5.2: If I leave the "feed" prefix IE jumps me to Snopes *in Safari* or if I just use www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.rss ...ugh - it just downloads some RSS link-file.

What happens in OTHER systems when they load such a "feed" link? Is it a PITA where they have to search in their Downloads folder or something? Is it any use to send RSS feed links to most users?

Second: I only see IE/PC when I go to Public Library to see how my homepage is displaying on IE 6.
Even though I can get the display to look ok, lots of fonts are anti-aliased (weirdly: Verdana:not; Times: anti-aliased) (2003 Dell Towers with LCD displays). HATE the look of it.
I think I remember that when visiting sister and seeing her PC laptop that the aliasing was more similar to on a PowerBook.

You folks that see PCs out in the business world - does type on most PCs lack anti-aliasing routinely? Or is that just a setting that Library IT dept has botched.

—grateful Mac user

[Oisín]

You can turn anti-aliasing on and off in Windows. By default, it’s off, and many (probably most) users don’t know a) what the hell anti-aliasing is; b) that they can turn it on; or c) how they can turn it on.

It’s also very much a case of habit. I used to use Windows with anti-aliasing turned off, and saw nothing wrong or ugly about it. Then I turned it on (as a step towards making it look more like OS X until I could afford a Mac), and it took about a week until I had grown used to it. In the beginning, it just looked ugly and blurry to me, and was harder to read. Other Windows users still tell me they think text looks horrible on my (and other) Mac because of the anti-aliasing.

[mduell]

Mac IE 5.2 was out before RSS became popular/common, so it doesn't support it. Opera, Firefox, and IE7 all support RSS, but in slightly different ways. if you want Safari-style rendering of the feed in Firefox, you need an extension like Sage.

Assuming the PCs at the library are using the system-wide anti-aliasing (ClearType), it should be on for all fonts. If you have access to the display control panel you can turn it off.

[Chuckit]

I've seen my PC friends drinking Jack Daniels before.

[wdlove]

Sadly Microsoft has monopolistic control.

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by Love Calm Quiet

First: Although I don't do RSS (no need for more hyper-flow of info in my life), I discovered Snopes rumor-evaluation feed ( feed://www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.rss ), and went to it in safari... thinking it was just a site (rather than RSS). In Safari it works pretty much like any web page with frames (except for cool search-as-you-type feature).

I just selected ( feed://www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.rss ) from your post, dragged it to the tab bar and...Safari navigated to the new tab, which was (and remained) blank, both page and URL field. When I tried to close the tab, it opened again, blank. When I navigated to another tab, it would snap back to the blank one.

After a while with that, I thought I'd try typing an URL in the blank field to get out...I typed, auto-complete kicked in, I hit Enter and an alert popped up "Field is blank" or something. The alert kept coming back as soon as I dismissed it, and incidentally, created a series of new windows with the same thing happening. Now I was trapped in a bunch of non-stop new windows and alerts.

Went to Force-quit and it could barely respond or catch up...it finally said "Safari not responding". Well thanks for that, Mr. Force Quitter. Finally I succeeded with a bunch of heroic clicking.

Overall I'd give the experience one and three

RSS is AWESOME!

[andreas_g4]

he, the anti-aliasing topic reminds me of one funny episode of my early Apple promotions:

A wanna-be geek said he would buy the new iMac (15" G4, new at that time) instantly if the screen wasn't so blurred. "Blurred?" I saked.

Yes, in Windows everything was sharp and clear, not on the iMac. By "everything" he meant "fonts". And I really had a hard time explaining what anti aliasing is (and I am quite good at explaining such things…). He only admitted that it was not the display when I took screenshots of a sample text in Text Edit with and without AA, then in a side by side comparison.

It was funny to see how he out of a sudden had to go when I said if he wanted to buy the iMac now. (it was around 2500 € for the 800 MHz one…)

[ghporter]

It's cheap Dell displays-they made a batch of 'em and they looked bad to everyone on every computer they were tried with. It isn't Windows OR Internet Explorer. (The one good thing I can say about IE in Windows is that it renders things nicely, if not quickly or "per the standard.")

As for the library using IE on Windows, well it comes with it, right? That means they don't have to lift a finger to make it work, only do a few settings to keep numbskulls from hosing their computers. It would be different if they ran Firefox, which renders much faster (and looks really good, too). You can do all the same security things with Firefox that you can with IE, but you have to want to.

[Love Calm Quiet]

BLUESKY: ?So feed://www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.rss froze your Safari? You on 2.0.3?
Were your 3-thumbs up sarcastic then? Loads in a flash for me (no pun).

ghporter: Is Firefox on Windows better-looking than on OS X? I *really* find their buttons ugly (compared to Safari).

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by ghporter

As for the library using IE on Windows, well it comes with it, right? That means they don't have to lift a finger to make it work, only do a few settings to keep numbskulls from hosing their computers. It would be different if they ran Firefox, which renders much faster (and looks really good, too). You can do all the same security things with Firefox that you can with IE, but you have to want to.

And all the libraries who (unfortunately) still actively prevent the user from using any other browser than IE? I installed (successfully) Firefox on a library computer once, because I didn’t want to use IE, but when I launched it and tried to access whatever website it was I wanted to access, a pop-up message came and told me that I was using an insecure, sub-standard browser that was not currently supported by the network; it then closed Firefox and opened IE instead. I haven’t a clue how (much less why) they did that, but I found the claim that Firefox was an “insecure, sub-standard” browser compared to IE rather tragicomic.

Is Firefox on Windows better-looking than on OS X? I *really* find their buttons ugly (compared to Safari).

It’s not really much better-looking on Windows than on OS X—but it sort of doesn’t have to be, either, in order to appear better-looking. The main GUI of Windows is in the same ‘style’ as Firefox’s buttons and interface, so it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb as it does on OS X.

[ShotgunEd]

on this xp machine i got in work last week, anti-aliasing was turned on by default.

There is however no way to tweak its settings.

Its either on or off.

Its also resolution dependant, at this res, 1280x1024 only sizes 14 and above are smoothed.

Bold type is smoothed at smaller sizes.

Its bizarre.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Oisín

And all the libraries who (unfortunately) still actively prevent the user from using any other browser than IE? I installed (successfully) Firefox on a library computer once, because I didn’t want to use IE, but when I launched it and tried to access whatever website it was I wanted to access, a pop-up message came and told me that I was using an insecure, sub-standard browser that was not currently supported by the network; it then closed Firefox and opened IE instead. I haven’t a clue how (much less why) they did that, but I found the claim that Firefox was an “insecure, sub-standard” browser compared to IE rather tragicomic.

Because they likely have a system policy that only certain apps are allowed to make network connections of any kind. IE is easy to deploy and control from using system policies. Firefox is less so in this regard. You may feel that Firefox is less vulnerable to certain things than IE, but with a properly secured and filtered network, they are basically equal, and it is easier to deploy and manage 2000 copies of IE than it is 2000 copies of Firefox.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by ShotgunEd

on this xp machine i got in work last week, anti-aliasing was turned on by default.

There is however no way to tweak its settings.

Well, you have off, standard, and Cleartype. I'm not sure how anyone can stand having this stuff on. My eyes prefer to focus on things, not leave them blurry. I find that I get headaches when looking at Cleartype all day. You may see jagged edges, but at least my eyes can focus.

[ShotgunEd]

I see smooth edges of screen fonts as a checkbox.

No mention of cleartype in help.

God i love XP.

[ghporter]

ClearType only applies to fonts that specifically support it; the XP system can, however, smooth ALL fonts as part of its rendering mechanism (which happens to be the IE rendering engine).

wallinbl is right about the system policy issue. An admin can configure XP to be exceptionally tightly locked down through mechanisms beyond the simple admin/non-admin issue. This is one example.

In a recent PC Magazine they detailed a LOT of methods for doing this on publicly accessible computers-from kiosk machines to library computers to whatever. Why? Ever visit a store with a large selection of alarm clocks on display and operating? Wanna be there when the teenagers' idea of "funny" happens and they ALL go off, either together or at one or two minute intervals? THAT is why-you cannot trust "the public" not to goober up ANYTHING they can get their hands on.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by ShotgunEd

I see smooth edges of screen fonts as a checkbox.

No mention of cleartype in help.

God i love XP.

Control Panel > Display. Go to Appearance tab and click on the Effects button.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Because they likely have a system policy that only certain apps are allowed to make network connections of any kind. IE is easy to deploy and control from using system policies. Firefox is less so in this regard. You may feel that Firefox is less vulnerable to certain things than IE, but with a properly secured and filtered network, they are basically equal, and it is easier to deploy and manage 2000 copies of IE than it is 2000 copies of Firefox.

Hm... I don’t know about Clearwater, Florida; but in Kalundborg, Denmark, the libraries (correction: library, since it’s the only one) don’t quite have 2,000 machines standing around, they only have two.

Still—I wasn’t saying I don’t get why they lock down the computers rather tightly; I do understand that. The thing I didn’t understand was the rather condescending message ‘informing’ me that Firefox is “insecure, sub-standard” browser when compared to IE. That was just plain unnecessary and, well, odd.

[ShotgunEd]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Control Panel > Display. Go to Appearance tab and click on the Effects button.

Aha!!!

Much better.

I right clicked my computer->advanced->settings->->visual effects and just got the checkbox.

I hadn't noticed the button in Display.

Thanks.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Oisín

Hm... I don’t know about Clearwater, Florida; but in Kalundborg, Denmark, the libraries (correction: library, since it’s the only one) don’t quite have 2,000 machines standing around, they only have two.

I just figured that since the city ran the libraries, the city's admins would run the computers.

Still—I wasn’t saying I don’t get why they lock down the computers rather tightly; I do understand that. The thing I didn’t understand was the rather condescending message ‘informing’ me that Firefox is “insecure, sub-standard” browser when compared to IE. That was just plain unnecessary and, well, odd.

If IE is locked down correctly and you're using a default install of Firefox, then IE can be more secure. Besides which, it's probably the same error message for all applications that attempt to open a network connection.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

I just figured that since the city ran the libraries, the city's admins would run the computers.

Ah, I see. No, they don’t do it quite that way. It’s the librarians themselves who run the computers there. Before I came there that one time in 2005, I hadn’t been there for over 18 months, and before that time, all the librarians there were cooty old hats who didn’t know the first thing about computers or the Internet. I think they just had someone from whatever firm they bought the computers from come out and set everything up, and then they left it well alone. Every time a machine got bunked (which was quite often since there was next to no security on them at that time, and lots of teenagers doing stuff on the machines), there would be an “Out of order” sign on it for a week till somebody came out and fixed it. Very efficient

They’d gotten a new librarian there in the meantime, though, who apparently knew sort of what he was doing, and who now ran it a bit more efficiently.

If IE is locked down correctly and you're using a default install of Firefox, then IE can be more secure. Besides which, it's probably the same error message for all applications that attempt to open a network connection.

Perhaps it was... or at least all browsers (since it specifically mentioned the word “browser”). Still, it just seemed plain bitchy and confrontational to me. Why not just say that I was using an “unauthorised” application/browser, which might possibly cause “security issues” and was therefore not allowed? It was more the wording than the content that bothered me.

But anyway, it doesn’t really matter—I haven’t even been there since, as I don’t live in Kalundborg anymore.

[ghporter]

Oisín, that message was condescending because it was MS-centric. They think everything from anyone else (that they haven't bought yet) is garbage. That's why it's fun to tweak their nose by running Firefox, quite aside from the fact that I think it's a better browser.