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Groups > alt.comp.software.firefox > #13237
| From | VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> |
|---|---|
| Newsgroups | alt.comp.software.firefox |
| Subject | Re: An annoying state of affairs |
| Date | 2025-04-30 19:57 -0500 |
| Organization | Usenet Elder |
| Message-ID | <1dq652bscolmc.dlg@v.nguard.lh> (permalink) |
| References | <5c15d17484dnews@triffid.co.uk> |
Dnews <dnews@triffid.co.uk> wrote: > Good day folks, > An annoying state of affairs has presented itself for my dear wife. > > She's been using Firefox on MS Windows for many years, and recently a > couple of sites she uses will not work with firefox. > > She's communicated with them and they say their sites have been tailored > to work with 'MS-Edge or Google Chrome for a smoother and better > experience for the users', and so she should use one of them. :-( (Crap). > > I have a vague recollection there is a setting in About:config Preferences > to spoof/make Firefox appear to be another browser, like Edge. :-( > > Is there a setting I can use to fix this for her? https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-reset-default-user-agent-firefox This used to work more successfully in the past when web sites were merely detecting which web client connected to them, and using decision blocks to decide which code to use with which web browser. However, as web sites have adopted more advanced HTML and scripting, and because the User-Agent header is deprecated (sites are supposed to test what the web client supports instead of assuming their feature set from what the web client purported it was), this trick has gradually become ineffective. The about:config setting you are looking for is: general.useragent.override Its value is what gets put in the User-Agent header sent by the web client to the web server. As to what you specify for its value depends on which web client you are trying to pretend is Firefox. A list of UA strings can be found at: https://useragentstring.com/pages/useragentstring.php You probably want to use one for Chrome. However, you need to use a UA string that reports a recent version of the web client. Web sites will also place restrictions on visiting them with too-old web clients. If you use a UA string reporting an old version of a web client, the web site may figure that is really what you are using, but they don't support back that version; i.e., they require a later version. Unfortunately spoofing the User-Agent header won't work if the problem is the site using code that doesn't run well or at all under Firefox. My ISP's web site runs excrutiatingly slow, because Firefox has a problem running all the scripts. Meanwhile, Chromium-based web browsers (e.g., Brave) run much faster. The ISP's site is still slow, but I'm waiting a few seconds in Brave or Edge rather than over 5 minutes in Firefox. The lag is so long that usually I figure the site is dead or otherwise unresponsive. My health provider's web site won't paint some screens with Firefox, but work fine with Brave or Edge. My bank's web site is not fully usable with Firefox, but works fine in Brave or Edge. Changing the User-Agent string only works if the site looks at the header to decide whether or not to support the purported web client. If the code or scripts don't like Firefox, lying that Firefox is Chrome won't resolve the problems. Used to be I found about 5 sites in a year that would not work with Firefox. Now I'm finding about 1 per month.
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An annoying state of affairs Dnews <dnews@triffid.co.uk> - 2025-04-30 20:33 +0100
Re: An annoying state of affairs "Alan K." <alan@invalid.com> - 2025-04-30 15:39 -0400
Re: An annoying state of affairs jjb <jjb@invalid.invalid> - 2025-04-30 22:09 +0200
Re: An annoying state of affairs candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> - 2025-05-01 16:00 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs Newyana2 <newyana@invalid.nospam> - 2025-04-30 17:22 -0400
Re: An annoying state of affairs "David E. Ross" <nobody@nowhere.invalid> - 2025-04-30 17:23 -0700
Re: An annoying state of affairs NFN Smith <worldoff9908@gmail.com> - 2025-05-01 12:56 -0700
Re: An annoying state of affairs "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-05-04 15:00 +0200
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-04-30 19:57 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> - 2025-05-04 09:50 -0700
Re: An annoying state of affairs NFN Smith <worldoff9908@gmail.com> - 2025-05-01 12:48 -0700
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-01 22:33 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-01 18:47 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-02 08:00 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-02 05:02 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-03 00:39 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-03 01:51 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-03 07:43 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-03 10:44 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2025-05-03 08:31 +0100
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-03 07:39 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2025-05-03 09:12 +0100
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-03 22:30 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-03 19:18 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-04 02:07 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-03 22:48 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-04 06:40 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-04 05:28 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-04 05:32 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-04 23:56 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-04 21:43 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-04 21:58 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-06 22:42 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-05 07:26 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-05 07:28 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-04 21:41 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-04 17:33 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-04 23:20 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-05-04 15:02 +0200
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-04 12:44 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-05-04 20:11 +0200
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-04 21:36 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-04 17:34 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-04 23:20 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-04 21:48 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-05 07:29 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-05 05:11 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-06 22:44 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs Ken Blake <Ken@invalid.news.com> - 2025-05-07 08:58 -0700
Re: An annoying state of affairs VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-05-03 10:53 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-05-03 22:33 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs Mark Lloyd <not.email@all.invalid> - 2025-05-02 17:36 +0000
Re: An annoying state of affairs sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> - 2025-05-02 14:32 -0500
Re: An annoying state of affairs "Alan K." <alan@invalid.com> - 2025-05-02 17:08 -0400
Re: An annoying state of affairs Dnews <dnews@triffid.co.uk> - 2025-05-04 07:17 +0100
Re: An annoying state of affairs Dave Royal <dave@dave123royal.com> - 2025-05-04 07:59 +0100
Re: An annoying state of affairs Newyana2 <newyana@invalid.nospam> - 2025-05-04 08:20 -0400
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