Posts Tagged ‘IE’

Check how webpage looks with Internet Explorer on Linux and FreeBSD with Mozilla Firefox (Netrenderer Firefox plugin)

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

Simulate Internet Explorer in screenshots on GNU / Linux and FreeBSD using Netrenderer in Firefox - Internet Explorer testing tool for web developers on Linux and FreeBSD

I'm not full time web developer. But sometimes, I develop websites too or just had to do some website testing.
I'm using GNU / Linux and BSD as main server and desktop platforms for many years already and hence I don't have regular access to Windows OS and respectively Internet Explorer. In that manner of thoughts it is very useful to have a way to check if a certain website I create displays fine on Internet Explorer 6,7,8 too.

Usually whether I need to test if website displays properly its elements in Internet Explorer I do use the infamous  http://ipinfo.info/netrenderer/index.php – I guess it is almost impossible anyone is developing websites on Linux and don't know it :). Fortunately while I was googling to remind myself about the exact link location to netrenderer, I've stumbled upon Mozilla Firefox add-on extension which does precisely what ipinfo.info/netrenderer/ website does – i.e. renders a website with HTML Web Engine compatible   to most Internet Explorer versions and creating screenshots on how a website would look under Internet Explorer. Of course the plugin is not a panace and since it only makes screenshots whether there are problems with interactivity (Javascript AJAX) of a website on IE will the plugin will be of zero use. However in general it is good to know if at least the website elements are ordered fine.
After the plugin is added in the usual way as any other plugin in FF, you can start using it with keyboard shortcuts:

Ctrl+Shift+F5/F6/F7/F8 – respectively renders the page in IE5.5, IE 6, IE 7 / IE 8 Beta 2

Pressing CTRL + Shift + FX, makes the IE screenshot of site using http://ipinfo.info/netrenderer/

I'm currently running latest Firefox version 16.0.2 and here plugin works, fine I guess on most FF releases not older than few years it should work fine too.

Below is description of the plugin, as taken from plugin website:

IE NetRendered Add-on Description

Adds buttons, tools menu and contextual menu entries to get a screenshot of the current page with IE NetRenderer.

Keyboard shortcuts are also available: Ctrl+Shift+F5/F6/F7/F8 to render the page in IE5.5/6/7/8 Beta 2 (Cmd+Shift+F* on Mac).

Really useful for webmasters which are not using Windows!

You can also access the IE NetRenderer service here: http://ipinfo.info/netrenderer/index.php

Please note that the extension developper is not affiliated with GEOTEK, providing the IE NetRenderer service. You can visit his website here: http://nicopensource.free.fr/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enable TLS 1.2 Internet Explorer / Make TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 web sites work on IE howto

Monday, August 1st, 2016

Internet-Explorer-cannot-display-the-webpage-IE-error
 

Some corporate websites and web tools especially one in DMZ-ed internal corporation networks require an encryption of TLS 1.2 (Transport Layer of Security cryptographic protocol)   TLS 1.1 protocol   both of which are already insecure (prone to vulnerabilities).

Besides the TLS 1.2 browser requirements some corporate tool web interfaces like Firewall Opening request tools etc. are often are very limited in browser compitability and built to only work with certain versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer like leys say IE (Internet Explorer) 11.

TLS 1.2 is supported across IE 8, 9, 10 and 11, so sooner or later you might be forced to reconfigure your Internet Explorer to have enabled the disabled by OS install TLS 1.2 / 1.1.

For those unaware of what TLS (Transport Layer of Security) protocol is so to say the next generation encryption protocol after SSL (Secure Socket Layer) also both TLS and SSL terms are being inter-exchangably used when referring with encrypting traffic between point (host / device etc.) A and B by using a key and a specific cryptographic algorithm.
TLS is usually more used historically in Mail Servers, even though as I said some web tools are starting to use TLS as a substitute for the SSL certificate browser encryption or even in conjunction with it.
For those who want to dig a little bit further into What is TLS? – read on technet here.

I had to enable TLS on IE and I guess sooner others will need a way to enable TLS 1.2 on Internet Explorer, so here is how this is done:
 

Enable-Internet-Explorer-TLS1.2-TLS-1.1-internet-options-IE-screensho
 


    1. On the Internet Explorer Main Menu (press Alt + F to make menu field appear)
    Select Tools > Internet Options.

    2. In the Internet Options box, select the Advanced tab.

    3. In the Security category, uncheck Use SSL 3.0 (if necessery) and Check the ticks:

    Use TLS 1.0,
    Use TLS 1.1 and Use TLS 1.2 (if available).

    4. Click OK
   
     5. Finally Exit browser and start again IE.

 

Once browser is relaunched, the website URL that earlier used to be showing Internet Explorer cannot display the webpagre can't connect / missing website error message will start opening normally.

Note that TLS 1.2 and 1.1 is not supported in Mozilla Firefox older browser releases though it is supported properly in current latest FF releases >=4.2.

If you  have fresh new 4.2 Firefox browser and you want to make sure it is really supporting TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 encrpytion:

 

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste TLS and pause while the list is filtered

(3) If the security.tls.version.max preference is bolded and "user set" to a value other than 3, right-click > Reset the preference to restore the default value of 3

(4) If the security.tls.version.min preference is bolded and "user set" to a value other than 1, right-click > Reset the preference to restore the default value of 1

The values for these preferences mean:

1 => TLS 1.0 2 => TLS 1.1 3 => TLS 1.2


To get a more concrete and thorough information on the exact TLS / SSL cryptography cipher suits and protocol details supported by your browser check this link


N.B. ! TLS is by default disabled in many latest version browsers such as Opera, Safari etc.  in order to address the POODLE SSL / TLS cryptographic protocol vulnerability

Httpwatch a must have web developer and web hosting sysadmin Firefox / Internet Explorer / IPad / IPhone add-on

Monday, December 16th, 2013


Today a colleague of mine referred me to a wonderful Mozilla Firefox (Windows / Mac) plugin called HttpWatch.

HttpWatch is an HTTP sniffer for IE, Firefox, iPhone & iPad
that provides new insights into how your website loads and performs.
The plugin is quite simple it shows you all requests from your Browser to remote server with plenty of Debug information (on the fly). You can see exactly the Commands sent over the HTTP protocol as well as returned request status responce from Web Server (i.e. 200, 300, 400). By knowing the status returned by webserver you can debug odd problems with website authentication as well as oddities caused by proxies you don't know about. Besides showing responce returned on web requests HttpWatch shows also hand-shake of session ID variables. This makes the plugin  precious for Web developers and System Administrators working in Web & Middleware (Linux / Windows based Web Hosting companies)  etc.

HttpWatch is also a must have plugin for anyone looking to optimize a website for speed or for fixingwebsite responce time bottleneck issues. The size of plugin is quite big as of time of writting about 18.2 Megabytes. HttpWatch comes with separate app installer like any other stand alone Windows application.  Unfortunately Httpwatch does not have a version for GNU / Linux. Linux users could use HTTPFox, Google Chrome Developer tools or
Firebug.

Once you have plugin installed to check what's happening with a website access in (Firefox) select Tools -> HttpWatch. You will get a bottom screen new window with deug info.

httpwatch debugging accessed website information - web browser tool to optimize your website

Here is list of some of the many things for which plugin is useful;

  • Records HTTP
  • Decrypts HTTPS Traffic
  • Integrates with Internet Explorer & Firefox
  • Supports the SPDY Protocol in Firefox
  • Standalone Log File Viewer
  • Summary of Recorded Traffic
  • Grouping of Requests by Page
  • Collect Log Files From Your Customers
  • Request Level Time Charts
  • Real-Time Page Level Time Charts
  • Page Events
  • Detects Potential Problems
  • Customizable Data Columns
  • Data Tips
  • Automation Support
  • Advanced Filtering
  • Millisecond Level Timing
  • HTTP Compression
  • Network Level Performance Data
  • Extended Cookie Information
  • Shows Interaction with Browser Cache
  • Raw HTTP Streams
  • Export Data to CSV, HAR and XML
  • Import HAR files
  • Customizable CSV Export
  • Keyboard Accelerators
  • Access to Cached and Downloaded Content
  • Accurately Records Requests and Responses
  • Automatic Recording and Saving

Finally HttpWatch is a plugin to have next to Yahoo's YSlow, FasterfoxFireBug and Firefox's Web Developer plugin

Change Internet Explorer to open in tabs / Force IE Open Links in new tab

Thursday, November 28th, 2013

Internet-explorer multiple opened windows annoying behaviour fix howto picture

If you have to work on MS Windows 7 / 8 with Internet Explorer for the reason websites you're forced to work are only properly working under IE. This is common in big companies like my employer Hewlett Packard or IBM for instance. You certainly have been annoyed by default Internet Explorer 7 / Internet Explorer 8 or EI 9 behaviour to open each new link in separate Windows. By default normal browsers like Opera, Firefox and Google Chrome does not behave in such irritating ways but open each new link in separate tab. If you're like me used to work most of your life with Firefox, this IE behavior can quickly drive you "crazy" so you will look for fastly to change that abnormal browser actions. What makes things with default IE behavior even more messy is the fact that there are sites which automatically open in Separate tab (for they were javascripted) to do so and ones that open in new Window making the whole browsing experience a "pure windows hell".

Thanks God IE new window page popups can be easily changed

1. Open Internet Explorer and Click on
Tools
-> Internet Options

Internet explorer Internet options menu screenshot
(Note: if your version of Internet Explorer is hiding menus press Alt key to make it visualize menus)

2.
In General (tab) select on (Change how webpage is displayed in Tabs) Settings

Internet Explorer internet options change webpage displayed in tabs settings screenshot

3.  Under field When a popup is encountered: Choose radio button of ( Always Open Pop-ups in new tab )

Internet explorer tabbed browser settings Microsoft Windows 8 screenshot

After Apply and OK press finally Pages will start opening in a "human readable" way 🙂 in new Tabs. Hope this hint helps someone. Enjoy 🙂