Suggestions

Hmm

If you go to the Microsoft Website it tell you that 1E 9 is ONLY available for VISTA or WINDOWS 7

I use XP and IE8

Dan, are you really saying that if I wish to use this Website with IE in future, then I will need to buy a new Computer? My Laptop is only about 4 years old :-( :-(

Up until today I have had no real problems but twice today I had the dreaded error message and it was very very slow moving between boards. I have not had similar problems at other website. Even I am now concerned.

Microsoft no longer supports IE7, I think, but I know that a lot of people still use it because they prefer it to 8 and to 9.

Jax, you can revert to 7 or to 8; I did: go to windows update and undo the upgrade :)

I will mention it to him when he gets home Joy thanks

I'm using a Vista laptop that is about two and a half years old. which now needs replacing as far as I'm concerned so is it 7 or 8???

To check if it is internet explorer 7, 8 or 9, jax:

when you open a new whatever it is called (shows how computer literate I am!) http://www.google.co.uk/ will be at the top - click on Help at the top then click on About Internet Explorer and you will see windows internet explorer 7 or whatever number it is.

................. and so where does that leave me?


I have MORE problems when using Firefox, the most up-to-date version, than using IE6

..................... which Dan has so maligned.

Like all programmers (and I know many of them), only the latest and best is good enough for him (and them).


I did not find Dan's postings at all helpful!


Most of us cannot afford to buy new computers every year, or new programs every 6 months.


Nor should we be expected to do so.


It is GR's responsibility to its paying members to ensure that the maximum number of them can access GR quickly and easily.

Not forgetting that the vast majority of members are probably the free members who joined because of the ease of use of the family trees.


It is, of course, my fault that I prefer IE6 to any of the others

................... but I do have Mozilla Firefox (latest version as stated), and that is NOT WORKING FOR ME with GR.


and that is one more reason why I stick with IE6




so let's have some real solutions to our problems, not programmers decisions as to what WE should all be using.



BAH HUMBUG!

Current browser versions are IE9 for Vista & Windows 7, IE8 for Windows XP. IE6 is defunct. Web developers hated it too and most were glad to see the back of it.

As IE6 (and to an extent IE7) are no longer fully supported, it is also potentially dangerous to continue using them as your PC is open to possible malicious attacks.

I use Firefox for 99% of the time, Ver 8 being the latest full release, and find it perfectly stable. Ver 9 beta also works fine (for the more adventurous, that is.....!)

If bookmarks don't work, the chances are the bookmark is out of date, not the fault of the browser. Delete it and create a new one. For example, GR changed the program names for the Community board pages a while ago - it was when the additional boards were introduced - and this meant some older bookmarks no longer worked. I remember having to change some of mine at the time.

It might be helpful to members, especially those having problems, if GR could confirm which browsers and versions they have tested with.

IGP


How many times do I have to state that I tried using Firefox for GR months ago, and gave up?


It would throw me off the site every 5 minutes or so, not to mention taking 2 or 3 tries to open the site. I will grant you that it was easy to move around within the site ................ if I didn't mind having to re-enter every few minutes!

That was no matter whether I used Bookmarks OR Google

That is why I went back to using IE6

I'm not exactly a dinosaur .............. I do use Firefox for other sites that work better with that browser than with IE6, but this is not the case with GR


I KNOW that IE6 is out-dated ............. you yourself have told me often enough, to the point of boredom

................ but it happens to work for me, for many of my sites.

I believe I do still have the freedom to make that choice?


As for the bookmark being out-of-date ................... I have re-done it once for GR ................... and it must go out-of-date every day or so, if that is the reason for not opening the site until the second try!.



It seems that you always have an answer ........ but it is always an answer that suits you, not necessarily others.


I am thoroughly fed up with GR at the moment.


This has all gone on far too long.


It is at least a year since we first started having major problems with the site.


It was February when I joined Facebook out of desperation ............ because that seemed the only way in which to capture the attention of GR staffers re problems.


it really is beyond belief that any site accepting money for memberships would continue to be apparently unable to fix problems.


Mayhap one of the reasons for that is that they have long blamed OUR browsers and servers for any problems. I have pms and emails going back literally years telling me that I was at fault for whatever problem I was reporting



............... and I think we have all been in the same boat.


The difference then was that it would be one problem at a time


Now, it is a veritable waterfall.



......... and members have been driven away. The number of requests on the Boards is way way down ....... some nights there may be only a couple. That means most of the overseas members have given up posting on the Boards.

More and more people are complaining ....... unfortunately many of them are doing it on threads on other topics ......... sort of "I would comment on this, but it has taken me so long to get on the site", or "sorry I haven't posted in the last few days but it is so slow on here.".

One would have to read every thread, especially the chatty long ones on General or Genealogy Chat, to really see how many people are being adversely affected.

......... and almost every one of those chatty threads on General Chat is also having fewer and fewer posts made to it.


I know at least 2 members who intend to leave within the next couple of weeks ...... both long-time members, but unable to accept these problems anymore .............. and a number of other very long-time members who will not be renewing when their subs become due.



it's hard to believe that a site that was so good could become so bad. :-(



sylvia

When I consider purchasing an item of software there is usually a panel on its packaging advising its recommended operating system requirements, something along the lines of Windows XP, Vista or 7. To me this indicates that the program developers have tested their product to ensure its compatibility with the OS that its potential purchasers are likely to be using including those that may be some years old and may have now been superseded by newer versions.

I cannot recall ever seeing a website saying that their site will only function correctly if its users, paying or free, use the latest version of a particular browser.

Surely it is the responsibility of a website's programmers/developers to ensure that any alteration that is made to their website retains its compatibility with all versions of the browsers that the website was previously compatible with. I would say that this is doubly important where the website in question charges its users a fee to use the website.

It is not acceptable to say that its users should update their equipment or browser simply to be able to continue using a website for which they are paying to use.

The root cause of a lot of GR's current problems leading to the frustration suffered by its users stems from the fact that the site has not taken adequate steps to ensure that its "Revised" source code is compatible with all of the browsers currently commonly in use be its fee paying members.

Hi all,

I would like to claify, we always try to make the pages cross browser so every single page should work with IE7/8/9 and FF and Chrome etc of course we can find some problems but we will try to fix them quickly.

so if you want to use your prefer browser you can, we are not forcing you to move on.

My was just a free suggestion "a good practise" to surfing safely on internet. After all upgrading the browser is completely free.If you want you can following it or not.

Keep in touch for fixes

I have now merged the two message centre threads.

But have you solved the message box problems Phil????

Hi Cynthia,

we have almost finish all the tweaks, so other few days and we will release all the fixes that should solve all the problems that all of you found until now.

Dan

What is the extent of the tweaks you are planning please?

Are they just confined to the Message System or do they also deal with the Browser Compatability Issues applicable to the whole site?

.

let's say there are groups working to improve sections like: tree, message centre, hot matches, performances etc.

because the topic is MC I can say that we will release soon improvements for this sections

I will post this on announcements too.

The last few days has seen some extensive activity coming from some of the senior technicians at brightsolid to try and identify the errors and performance issues occurring on the site. Some of you may have been affected while they tested out these changes and put under heavy load the last couple of days, but progress has been positive so far and we need to continue work on this and get it resolved once and for all.

As a result, while these changes are being tested and retested, and while the new database indexes are still being created for the messages we are unable to roll out the Message Centre patch. This will be rolled out as soon as practical.

Thank you for bearing with us while we try to rectify these issues.
Phil

Thank you, Phil, for that update.

This is my first time on the computer today (Dec 6th, my time), so I am unable to say whether there were any problems earlier.



sylvia

New problem with Message Centre ...... to me, at least.


Using Mozilla Firefox .................

Clicked on Message Centre in order to open 2 pms

Got the following message:-

Server Error
500 - Internal server error.
There is a problem with the resource you are looking for, and it cannot be displayed.




What does that mean, please????????????????????




sylvia

I think GR have changed their timeout message. his is all connected with the performance issues that the site is currently having because the database has grown too large.

It isn't specific to the Message Centre, not to the browser you are using, nor which part of the world you are in or how many users are logged on, it is because it is taking too long for the system to select and sort through all the records required to process the action you have taken.

I get exactly the same when trying to sort through the thousands of names in my Name Summary (which I have reported separately, and they are looking into too)

This is all part of the work that GR developers are trying to sort out. Unfortunately it takes time involving code re-writes and the rebuilding of database indexes as Phil has already mentioned.

We will just have to wait and let them get on with it.

Yes,

I also got that same 500 - Internal Server Message when trying to move within a thread, only about 10 minutes after the one reported above.




sylvia

Check out the announcement board and Phil's update.