[3138] in Release_7.7_team
Re: Netscape 6
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Phillip Long)
Wed Feb 13 18:53:16 2002
Message-ID: <020701c1b4e9$ebbb8800$8f065212@mit.edu>
From: "Phillip Long" <longpd@MIT.EDU>
To: "Bill Cattey" <wdc@mit.edu>, <tregan@mit.edu>, <rferrara@mit.edu>,
<vkumar@mit.edu>, <azary@mit.edu>
Cc: <release-team@mit.edu>, <discovery-council@mit.edu>
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 18:55:31 -0500
Bill:
Good summary of the issues. One of the reasons that we are moving
toward desupporting the Athena port of IRIX is the issue at hand. I'm less
concerned with "Netscape everywhere" and more concerned that our users have
a functional browser. If IRIX doesn't have a Netscape version, we have to
consider an alternative application since no browser for SGI is not an
acceptable outcome. Hence, going with Mozilla on the SGI front seems like
not only a practical approach but the most functionally comparable
alternative to Netscape for that platform.
Regarding the acceptable behavior of a browser when performing a "save
as" - hanging at that point, it is fair to say, is outside the scope of an
acceptable behavior! Clearly this is an issue for your group in testing to
find ways to gracefully rectify this problem in Netscape 6 with AFS. If
OpenAFS rectifies the problem that's great, but what is the time frame for
OpenAFS implementation? I assume we'll get to the point where we need to
upgrade the browser well before OpenAFS is in place. Hence, your team's
determination of the work needed to get Netscape 6 to behave properly in
file saving is important.
One other question: it is my recollection that Netscape v. 4.x has some
problems in providing web access to the library Vera database. Can you
clarify that issue for me?
Thanks,
Phil
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Cattey" <wdc@MIT.EDU>
To: <tregan@MIT.EDU>; <rferrara@MIT.EDU>; <longpd@MIT.EDU>;
<vkumar@MIT.EDU>; <azary@MIT.EDU>
Cc: <release-team@MIT.EDU>; <discovery-council@MIT.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 6:30 PM
Subject: Netscape 6
> I have some preliminary information on the feasibility of going to
> Netscape 6 on Athena:
>
> Apparently SGI IRIX is not considered main-stream enough.
> I can find no reference to an IRIX port of Netscape 6 available
> either from Netscape or from SGI.
>
> Note that although Netscape does not provide a Solaris Netscape 6, Sun
does.
>
> Note also, that the Free Software community is distributing binaries of
> an IRIX port of Mozilla which is functionally equivalent, but has
> "Mozilla" on the box, and not "Netscape" on the box.
>
> Bob, Theresa, Vijay, Phil, Susan:
>
> Judgement call time.
>
> Our SGI Athena systems are supposed to be actively supported until June
> 30, 2003.
>
> I have had conversation with Thresa who feels strongly that if it does
> not say Netscape on the box, it is not an acceptable substitute. I can
> see merit
> to the pursuit of a simple-to-explain strategy: "IS Supports Netscape 6".
>
> I have had conversation with Bob Ferrara who feels that migrating to
> Netscape 6 is a no-brainer, but doing something else requires careful
> consideration. I agree.
>
> The Release Team members I've spoken with feel that migration to
> Netscape 6 is probably not a problem if it were available onall
> platforms.
> But apparently it is not.
>
> I note that there are judgement calls about what is and is not
> acceptable behavior for the web browser when you do "Save As" in AFS.
> My understanding is that Netscape 6 has a problem here where users may
> experience a hangup. That problem may be eliminated by going to OpenAFS
> but that change-over was not planned at all for SGI, and was scheduled
> for July with the Athena release 9.1.
>
> I would like some guidance here.
>
> Who are the right people to discuss timeline, and acceptable deviation
> from "Netscape 6 everywhere"?
>
> -wdc
>
