Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: 20th June 2003


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Introduction
Over the years of providing support for IBrowse², the mailing list(s) have seen many questions asked repeatedly. A list of these, especially in relation to IBrowse² 2.3 and IBrowse 3.0, has been compiled and made available on the IBrowse² website, a snapshot of which has been included below for your convenience.

Where applicable, some of the answers have been slightly modified to reflect sections in the documentation that can be used with regard to the answer, or in some cases, the question may have been moved entirely if no longer applicable to the documentation.

F.A.Q.
Does IBrowse² 2.3 support Flash ?
No, but Flash support is currently in development for the next version of IBrowse.
Does IBrowse² 2.3 have a working Plugin API ?
No. Stefan decided not to do any more work on the API for the 2.3 release, otherwise the release would have been further delayed. He is aware of the interest in the Plugin API, and it has been made a priority for the next release.
Is IBrowse² 2.3 free to registered users of 2.2 ?
Yes. Just download the demo from IOSPIRIT and either install over your 2.2 installation, or copy your IBrowse2Key file to your 2.3 directory.
Does IBrowse² 2.3 support CSS ?
No, but CSS support is in development for IBrowse 3.0.
Is the release of IBrowse² 2.3 in AmigaOS4 the full version ?
No, it's a special OEM version for AmigaOS4 - not as restricted as the demo, but not the full release.
IBrowse² 2.3 was announced as being PPC in AmigaOS4, is that true ?
No. There appears to have been some confusion with the announcement originally made by Amiga Inc. Stefan never licensed a PPC version of IBrowse² 2.3 for AOS4.
So will IBrowse² 2.3 be PPC at all ?
No. IBrowse² 2.3 will be 68K only. There are no plans for a PPC version of 2.3 at this time.
What about the future, will IBrowse be going PPC only ?
No, as long as there is a market for 68k versions, IBrowse will continue to be released in a 68k format. However, from IBrowse 3.0 onwards, a PPC native version will be available.
Why has the development of IBrowse² 2.3 taken so long ?
Stefan took up skydiving :)
I know IBrowse² 2.3 is free to registered users of 2.2, but I'd still like to donate something to Stefan to show my support. What can I do ?
Stefan does not ask, or expect anything for 2.3, but as many users have expressed a desire to contribute something, we are looking into ways for you to do so, if you wish.
I don't use Miami, so I can not use MiamiSSL - is there another way to use secure connections in IBrowse² 2.3 ?
Yes. AmiSSLv2 was enhanced and worked on in parallel with IBrowse² 2.3 by Stefan, and is available to all from IOSPIRIT's IBrowse² download page.
Does that mean I'll be able to access my bank/supermarket/online shopping site/any other site requiring SSL ?
Potentially yes, but it will depend on other requirements as well. IBrowse² 2.3 doesn't support CSS or Layers, and as there is no Java Virtual Machine in AmigaOS3.x or AmigaOS4.0, it will also not support Java.
What?! I thought Java was entirely overhauled and improved for IBrowse² 2.3 ?
No, thats JavaScript, not Java. The two systems are entirely different and NOT related in anyway other than by the four letters J, A, V and A.
When will IBrowse² support Java then ?
When it's available for AmigaOS3.x and/or AmigaOS4.x. Programming IBrowse in itself is a huge job, so the task can't be taken on by the IBrowse Development Team as well, unfortunately.
My bank/supermarket/online shopping site/any other site requiring SSL currently complains that my browser doesn't support 128bit encryption. Will IBrowse² 2.3 support this ?
AmiSSLv2 and MiamiSSL both support 128bit encryption. The error message reported on these sites are, in 99% of the cases, bogus. The site often checks what your browser identifies itself as, and also what features it supports. If it doesn't support feature "xyz", then it's usually assumed not to be IE or Netscape, and therefore can't possibly support 128bit encryption, which is of course rubbish. Sometimes spoofing as a different browser will help this, sometimes it won't.
So what about spoofing then, has that been improved ?
Yes, the spoofing has been improved, the spoofstring follows the same format as Netscape, Mozilla & Internet Exporer, and reports itself as a higher version of Mozilla than IBrowse² 2.2 did.
Has spoofing been added to the Preferences menu for quick access now ?
No. We know this is a heated area of discussion, but Stefan feels that the option would be open to abuse if it was so easy to access. Although spoofing is sometimes required to fool a site into allowing you to access it, it's not always a good thing to have enabled all the time. Browser detection can be a good thing, as it can enhance a site with extra features the browser supports. Having IBrowse² permanently reporting itself as Mozilla, could end up giving you problems, when sites start assuming you have features you don't. This would result in a lot of people complaining that site "abc" doesn't work with IBrowse², when in fact it does, if it knows you are using IBrowse² and not Mozilla. For this reason, spoofing is seen as an advanced feature for users that know what they are doing, so is not deemed suitable for leaving in an easy access area. A suggestion to solve this situation in IBrowse 3.0 has been put forward.
Well, can we set a custom spoof string instead then ?
No. Again Stefan feels this area is open to abuse - not intentionally, but the format of the spoofstring is such that a slight error will cause all kinds of problems to get it working properly, if at all. Again, a suggestion to overcome this situation has been suggested for IBrowse 3.0.
Why has so much been put off for IBrowse 3.0 ?
Simply, so that IBrowse² 2.3 could be released sooner, rather than later. A line had to be drawn in the feature list at some point, so that a release could happen.
Is there a feature list available for IBrowse² 2.3 ?
Yes. Please see the Introduction section.
I don't want to sift through all the mail generated on the IBrowse support mailing list, is there one just for announcements ?
Yes: For announcements of new IBrowse versions and other significant news and developments, join this list. This list is read-only - you can't post to this mailing list. By it's nature, this list is of course less busy than the discussion/support list, so it's ideal if you want to hear about new releases without having to wade through lots of other messages.
Does IBrowse² 2.3 support graphical printing ?
Sadly no. IBrowse² 2.3 has had improvements made to the printing, but currently only to the postscript printing, which should now print much better. Graphical printing is another big job, and was beyond the scope of the 2.3 release.
Where can I buy IBrowse² 2.3 from ?
IBrowse² 2.3 is available for purchase from IOSPIRIT.
I've found a bug in IBrowse² 2.3, what shall I do ?
Please report it on the IBrowse support mailing list at Yahoo! Groups, or direct to bugs@ibrowse-dev.net.
I've got a suggestion for the next version of IBrowse, what shall I do ?
If you'd like to suggest your idea, mention it on the IBrowse support mailing list, or direct to suggestions@ibrowse-dev.net.
Is there any way to change the settings of the string gadgets in IBrowse², as I've tried every option in MUI and none of them affect it! ?
The preference you need to change in MUI, is that of Newstring. If the Newstring preferences are not listed in MUI, check the spelling of the following file, is IDENTICAL to this, as it is case sensitive: MUI:libs/mui/Newstring.mcp
Info Always check the F.A.Q. page on the IBrowse website for the most up to date questions. This page will be updated with each release of the IBrowse documentation.

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IBrowse² Documentation v2.3 © 2002, 2003 Dave Fisher ~ IBrowse² Development Team Revision 1.0