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Old 22nd Apr 2012, 1:43 pm   #41
Paul Stenning
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

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Originally Posted by Panrock View Post
Yes I know... "Get yourself a computer newer than 16 years old!"
Agreed. I certainly don't support IE6 or anything lower with any of my websites now. Google have dropped support for IE6 too, as have a lot of larger sites. Having to support ancient browsers from the last century just holds things back.

Once I move the search up to the header it may work again for you, but I won't be testing it on anything less than IE7.

Can you install an early version of Firefox or Opera on the machine, or don't they support Win98?

UPDATE: I have just checked and it does work on IE6 surprisingly (I still have a virtual machine with Win2000 and IE6 for testing) so maybe you can find a copy of that for Win98?

I found this from a quick search http://www.oldapps.com/internet_expl...et_explorer=11
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Old 22nd Apr 2012, 1:59 pm   #42
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

Hi Paul.

I used to have Opera on it years ago. This seemed a very lightweight browser. No guarantee it would help now anyway of course. The installation program is long lost now.

To be honest, that old computer is mired in inertia and hasn't been modified for years. It has a 100MHz processor and a whacking 32MB of RAM. I only have five sites listed as 'favorites' on it, most of which are discussion boards like this one. I wouldn't even dream of trying to access Ebay or Facebook...

In future I'll just have to wait until I get to the workshop computer to 'tune in' here, won't I?

Steve
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Old 22nd Apr 2012, 2:03 pm   #43
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

Plenty of old Opera installers on oldapps.com, going right back to 1996. http://www.oldapps.com/opera.php
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Old 22nd Apr 2012, 2:13 pm   #44
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

Wow! That could be a useful site to keep the old thing chuntering on in future. Thanks.
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Old 22nd Apr 2012, 2:55 pm   #45
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

You are going to struggle to run any fully functional browser in only 32MB though. The overhead of coping with the complexity of modern websites is just too great. If you can work out what memory it uses I'm sure some forum members will have some sticks rattling around the junk box. I suspect it will use pairs of 72 pin SIMMs. If you can get the memory up to 256MB or even 128MB you can install Lubuntu, which will give you access to modern browsers like Firefox, Chrome and Opera, though don't expect blistering speed.
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Old 22nd Apr 2012, 10:40 pm   #46
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

Somebody asked me earlier about one particular subject I'd mentioned a few times over the years and the new search facility brought them all up quickly and clearly .

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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 12:30 pm   #47
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

Sorry to go against the grain but I think this has spoiled the site.

I too do not approve of how Google operates and never use their services but the main thing is that my computer now crashes all the time which makes doing anything on the site very difficult.

I appreciate that "computer people" would find changing their "internet browser" a fairly straightforward thing to do but I know next to nothing about computers so am therefore effectively barred from the site. I was nice while it lasted...
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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 1:35 pm   #48
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

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...the main thing is that my computer now crashes all the time...
Sorry to hear that. Are you absolutely certain that this is related to the forum's new search facility? Are you using "vintage" software like Panrock (above)?

If the answer is installing an alternative browser, please take my word for it that this need not be difficult, even for people who aren't au fait with PCs. Have you got a technically-minded friend or colleague nearby who could spare 5 minutes?

I certainly have no problems on my cheap and cheerful 9-year-old PC running Windows XP.

Fortunately, I find the new search facility very useful. Another thing I like about it is that you don't have to wait 15s between searches. Sounds daft, I know, but if you want to try several search terms in succession, things used to be tediously slow with the forum's inbuilt search facility.

Nick.

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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 4:23 pm   #49
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

I'm not sue how old the computer is in "computer terms" - e.g. that very short time frame of usefulness that computer people find acceptable despite the high cost of the equipment. I remember buying it when I moved into the house where I am still living now so that must be about six years ago - is that old in computer terms? it seems pretty new to me.

I have only limited access to the sort of high-speed internet connection that I think I would need to download something as large as a new internet programme - yet another technical hurdle to overcome for the sake of a new feature that I will never use.

My current access is through a machine at work but even that is now unreliable, seemingly for the same reasons. This machine was only installed a month or two ago so there may be other problems. Even under ideal conditions I could never upload pictures from here so it's not really a viable alternative.

A website for vintage technology people that only works with the latest hardware - isn't that a bit self-contradictory?
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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 4:27 pm   #50
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

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A website for vintage technology people that only works with the latest hardware - isn't that a bit self-contradictory?
It actually works with Internet Explorer 6 which dates from the Windows 98/ME/2000 era.... that's hardly the latest hardware. If it's not working on that then the problem is with your computer setup and not with the forum.
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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 4:39 pm   #51
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

Like some other members, the site wouldn't load on my old pc when I tried it at the weekend. It is about 12 years old though (!) and running windows 98 with 64Mb RAM and IE5.5.
I was thinking of upgrading anyway, so this change will spur me on to using another machine half that age

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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 4:47 pm   #52
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

I have an old PC on my bench running W98 and IE4. It's a Dell 266MHz P2, 128MB RAM, 6GB HDD and was my main machine many years ago. It's still very useful for its ISA slots and an OS that allows direct access to the specialised hardware that's plugged into them.

Out of curiosity I've just logged into the forum from that PC. I was getting showers of "script" errors but I was just about able to browse the forum.

I would have trouble whatsover with an old 2GHz P4 running Windows XP or some version of Linux, both cases with Firefox. Machines like this are routinely scrapped by companies. I haven't tried it recently but I have an old Dell laptop P3 450MHz I think, running W2K. I suspect I could use the forum OK from that though it would be a bit slow. Firefox will run on that machine, albeit badly. Might not be the best choice of browser.

Unless Studio263 is in one of those very few areas that cannot get ADSL based broadband at all due to distance from exchange I would suggest that it's time to do something about it. It's not exactly expensive or difficult.

PS: Just tried IE6 under XP. Works OK with the forum

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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 4:52 pm   #53
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

Checked with IE7 and Windows XP - fine. Certainly not the most up to date setup.
Normally I use Firefox for a browser as it takes up much less memory.

Tim,

Firefox is quite simple to install, worth giving it a try.
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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 4:55 pm   #54
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

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Firefox is quite simple to install, worth giving it a try.
I agree, and no doubt people here would talk you through it, if you started a new thread.

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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 6:33 pm   #55
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

I've checked, and my bedroom installation is actually IE5.5. So IE5 seems to be the cut-off point for this site.

It must now be time for me to upgrade to IE6, methinks!
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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 7:42 pm   #56
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

I think the Google search is a great improvement, I find the forum search frustrating

I do agree that it takes up space, but something along the lines of Paul's mock up would solve this problem.

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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 7:50 pm   #57
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

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I remember buying it when I moved into the house where I am still living now so that must be about six years ago - is that old in computer terms? it seems pretty new to me.
That's quite old in computer terms, but more than new enough for what you want it to do. My work machine is nearly 10 years old now and was bottom-of-the-range then, but will display all websites that I want to look at without a hitch.
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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 8:23 pm   #58
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

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... something along the lines of Paul's mock up would solve this problem.
Should be in place in the next few days. I didn't get time over the weekend.
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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 8:45 pm   #59
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Success! I now am writing again from my old machine, having installed brand new 21st century (well, 2001...) browser: Internet Exploder 6! Got it from Paul's recommended site.

It reports the odd 'done but with error on page' on this site, but seems otherwise stable.

Steve

[EDIT made later from my newer machine}: However it only accepted this post using 'quick reply'. Otherwise it baulks and tells me I must type 'at least 3 characters'. The site is now very S - L - O - W loading on the old machine too. But at least it works!
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Old 23rd Apr 2012, 9:37 pm   #60
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Default Re: Google Custom Search

OK, that should work and look better now. There is no Google code actually on the forum now. The search box at the top loads a page at Google with the search results (it no longer adds them onto a forum page) and clicking a link in the search results brings you back here.

This arrangement should solve the issues with older browsers here as everything here is now as before apart from a small HTML form at the top of the page. I don't know if the Google results page will work in older browsers, but if it doesn't just don't use the Google search.

Comments etc welcome.
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