Odd browser question

[arinlares]

Right now, I'm filling out job applications, and had something odd happen on the Petco website, using FireFox 3.0.1. There was a glitch with Javascript (or java, don't know which is which). If i wasn't using Windows, i probably wouldn't have been able to finish the application, because the resulting page was unreadable. This prompted the question, though, what do you full-time linux users do when something like this happens on a necessary web page? All i did was switch to Internet Explorer (which i find is really slow).

[Kieren]

There are hundreds of different browsers available. Internet Explorer and Firefox are just the two most popular, at the moment.

Desktops in Linux, such as KDE and Gnome, come with their own browsers so if you choose to install Firefox, you will already have two installed and ready to go.

However, some very badly designed websites have been coded to give an error message if you aren't using IE. There is a way to get around this though as some browsers have a setting to tell the website the browser is IE while infact being something totally different.

[GNU-Fan]

Usually, I tell them. Once I had to pass an online language test in order to subscribe to a course and in my Firefox2, the "Next page" button wasn't rendered. So I could just fill out page 1 of 10 and consequently hadn't enough points to pass. I called them by phone and they let me in, busting the online test as a necessity.

But Petco is in the pet food business and the job doesn't demand computer skills, right? Otherwise, a remark pointing out the mistake (in a conciliatory voice, of course) might actually be a plus point for your application.

From my experience, the companies with such incompatible websites are simply not aware of these compatibility issues. They hire some third party developers and are not aware of alternatives to IE, less Windows. It is only by visitors telling them can they become aware of the kludge the developer made. And only if they are aware of it, they will demand it the next time they contract a developer.

My 2 cents.

[arinlares]

so, could i contact customer support on the site? can i fake out the system with FireFox in windows (getting a job to get a comp for linux )? (that last would be helpful). after switching browsers, fortunately, i was able to finish.

[Kieren]

Firefox doesn't come with the option to spoof your browser but there will probably be an add-on available somewhere.

Spoofing probably wont fix your problem as it is probably more to do with the website being coded to work with IE, which is not standard compliant, so most other browsers display as it should be and not how the designer intended it to be

[Roxoff]

I often send site operators like this quite shirty emails telling them I'm being excluded. For employment agencies this is particularly problematic - if you wanted to apply for a job as a Unix or Linux developer, sysop, admin or whatever, you certainly shouldn't be expected to use a crappy browser on an alien operating system to make your application. I have done this on numerous occasions, for example I emailed my football club because their video service is only available to windows users, I emailed Britain's national broadcaster to whinge about Linux support from their online video service, there were several others too.

But in answer to the real question, I'd just wait until I was at work and fill out the page there.

[schwim]

Unless I've misunderstood the question:

I just use IE on linux(IEs4Linux). It almost always gets me through sites that require IE. There was one site it didn't work for(a Wired survey that required windows and IE) and in that case, I closed the browser and unsubscribed from their survey service.

Everyone has a choice to code for proprietary browsers, just like we have the choice not to use the service or site.