a really tech question

[danerh]

I've been using apple computers for some time now, but only just recently at work now that i've got a macbook pro. I've had a few hiccups, however most have been resolved, including this one. But please read on...
I'm using internet explorer with cross over for mac in order to access a network information database that neither safari or firefox can gain full access to... they both show the basic info, but cannot edit text in some feilds and other such features that render them useless. Firslty, just for my own curiosity, can anyone explain why this would be; how do safari and firefox, or how does a mac, differ from IE to access information on a network or the internet.
And secondly... could any future updates or versions of these programs fix such a difference (in which case i could hold out and bring my old windows machine along with me to work untill such a time), are there patches or any such thing, or will i have to pay for this cross over software?
I'm sure i've not given you enough info to tackle the problem wholely, but if anyone out there has any idea's or knows ... well anything on the subject, please do tell.
Dane.

 

[mad jew]

Each browser renders a page slightly differently. Some developers refuse to make their sites compatible with all browsers because it's too much work. However, Safari has a small workaround that can enable t to pretend it is another browser (including Explorer). It doesn't always work, but give it a try. First off, you need to enable the Debug menu in Safari by pasting this into Terminal (in the Utilities folder) when Safari is closed.

 % defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1

Next time you open Safari up, it'll show a Debug menu from which you can select Internet Explorer as the User Agent. If ever you want to disable the Debug menu for whatever reason, paste the above code back into Terminal when Safari is closed but replace the final 1 with a 0 (zero).

 

[charkshark]

Each browser renders a page slightly differently. Some developers refuse to make their sites compatible with all browsers because it's too much work. However, Safari has a small workaround that can enable t to pretend it is another browser (including Explorer). It doesn't always work, but give it a try. First off, you need to enable the Debug menu in Safari by pasting this into Terminal (in the Utilities folder) when Safari is closed.

 % defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1

Next time you open Safari up, it'll show a Debug menu from which you can select Internet Explorer as the User Agent. If ever you want to disable the Debug menu for whatever reason, paste the above code back into Terminal when Safari is closed but replace the final 1 with a 0 (zero).

Yes, IE, Firefox & Safari all use different rendering engines, and an overall system of how they were developed. I'd also highly recommend this terminal hacked, proved quite useful for me.