On the whole, Web designers and programmers are a hard-working, industrious bunch, but some seemed determined to make Web browsing as difficult as possible. When you spend a lot of time online, bad design and poor programming can start to seem like an epidemic. Here we’ve diagnosed three of the epidemic’s most persistent symptoms, and provided cures.
Symptom: A Site Requires Internet Explorer 6 or Better
Cure: Spoof IE in Safari
It’s not as common as it once was, but now and again we still come across sites that require Internet Explorer 6. The worst of these won’t even let other browsers in the door. Instead, enterprising Mac users see only a notice telling them to come back with a PC.
Fortunately, you can usually sneak past these blocks by disguising Safari as IE. The key to doing so lies inside Safari’s Debug menu. The menu is hidden by default, but it’s easy to reveal. Launch the Terminal (/Applications/Utilities), type defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1, and press Return. The next time you launch Safari, select Debug > User Agent > Windows MSIE 6.0. Safari will then identify itself as IE6 to any website that asks. If the site’s architect used any IE-only code (ActiveX, anyone?), things may not work correctly, but at least you can get your foot in the door.
Safari swaps identities faster than a secret agent once you’ve enabled the mighty Debug menu.
As an alternative, you can install a Safari plug-in called Safari Enhancer (donationware), which makes it easier to activate the Debug menu so that you can trick any website into thinking you’re using IE when you’re really surfing Safari. Once you download and launch Safari Enhancer, you can select which browser you would like websites to think you’re using under the Function tab. In the drop-down menu under “Safari should identify to websites as,” select Internet Explorer 6 (Windows).
Safari Enhancer also bumps up the font size in the bookmarks sidebar, lets you specify the search engine used in the search bar, and more.
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Symptom: Pop-ups Appear When You Hover Over Certain Links
Cure: Block the Offending JavaScript in Firefox
Beyoncé isn’t the only person who likes bling. Website operators seem crazy for it too. Some of our least favorite examples are thepage previews that pop up as thumbnail images when you hover over a link. Snap, the company responsible for this, allows you to turn off this feature by installing a cookie in your browser. It’s a gracious gesture, but it only works as long as you keep the cookie. If you’re a privacy-conscious user who deletes cookies every so often, a more permanent solution is to block the JavaScript responsible for the effect. In Firefox, download and install the free Adblock Plus extension from Mozilla’s extensions library. Then go to Tools > Adblock Plus and create a new filter with this text: snap.com/*
Snap’s preview pop-ups should never appear again. This technique doesn’t stop with Snap, of course. You can use Adblock Plus to block any annoying JavaScript or advertisement. Just isolate the source and then filter it out.
JavaScript effects can be cool, but Web designers tend to abuse them as well. Quarantine annoying scripts in Firefox using Adblock Plus.
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Symptom: A Webpage Displays Text That’s Too Small
Cure: Set a Minimum Text Size
Reading onscreen is hard enough, and it doesn’t help when designers try to cram far too many words into a small space. You may already know that Safari or Firefox can increase the font size on any webpage with a simple Command-+ (that’s the plus sign), but you can save yourself the trouble by setting a larger minimum font size, which will apply to all the pages you visit.
In Safari > Preferences > Advanced, check the box next to “Never use font sizes smaller than” and use the drop-down menu to select the font size of your choice. In Firefox > Preferences > Content, and select a larger size from the drop-down menu below Fonts & Colors. Your eyes will thank you.
You don’t have to have a single gray hair to appreciate larger type online. Safari’s preferences can help.
