JavaScript DoPostBack and other issues in Safari 5.1.4+

Question

JavaScript DoPostBack and other issues in Safari 5.1.4+

Hi all,

A certain bank's web page stopped working for me after I installed Safari 5.1.4. The failure is a blank page or no response when the link calls for runscript:dopostback(...) It was NOT fixed by Safari 5.1.5. The Java test at http://www.java.com/en/download/testjava.jsp fails. I have Java Update 6 installed.

I found this page https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2542056 but it's been a long time ago. I am downloading Java and Safari to reinstall offline, but if anyone else knows about this problem, please let me know.

Thanks!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), Safari 5.1.4 & .5

Posted on Apr 3, 2012 10:16 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Apr 3, 2012 12:27 PM in response to Community User

Java is unrelated to JavaScript, and is currently unsafe to use on the Web because of security issues. You should disable it in your browser settings.

Reply

Answer 2

Apr 3, 2012 12:51 PM in response to Community User

I had what sounds like a similar problem at the Comcast site recently; my version of Safari at that time was - upgrading to 5.1.5 didn't fix the problem. In my case, deleting all of Comcast's cookies seems to have solved the issue.

Good luck

srb

Reply

Answer 3

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Apr 3, 2012 3:06 PM in response to Community User

A certain bank's web page stopped working for me after I installed Safari 5.1.4. The failure is a blank page or no response when the link calls for runscript:dopostback(...) It was NOT fixed by Safari 5.1.5.

I've seen a workaround for the dopostback issues. Not sure how universally applicable it is, though. The basic idea is to try to log in using a different user agent (perhaps try one of the iOS ones):

To get access to the User agents via the Develop Menu, go into your Safari advanced preferences and select "Show develop menu in menu bar":

If you can log in with a different user agent, log out again, and try going in using the default 5.1.5 user agent. Does 5.1.5 perform properly with the dopostback forms now?

Reply

Answer 4

Apr 5, 2012 8:17 AM in response to b noir

Here's what I tried to fix it first: I installed OS X on an external drive. I trashed Safari on my native drive, and installed it from the external. I tried to install Java from the external, but the installer wouldn't let me. So I reinstalled Java running OS X from the native drive. The result was that the Java/Javascript idk test page works now, but the bank page still doesn't. After this I tried everyone's generous suggestions.

Linc: Java is enabled by default in Safari. If it was lethal to use online, why doesn't Apple disable it?

Steven: I tried deleting all my cookies, but that didn't seem to help. Thanks for the suggestion.

b noir: I tried logging in with Safari 4.3.3--iPhone. This resulted in the bank's mobile interface at first. Unfortunately, their iOS interface is unusable to me, perhaps because it is just unfamiliar. I tried the Blackberry agent "BlackBerry9000/5.0.0.93 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/179" and got that interface. But I finished your suggestion first. I logged out, and reset the browser agent to Safari-Mac. Unfortunately, this did not work.

Reply

Answer 5

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Apr 5, 2012 8:26 AM in response to Community User

Java is enabled by default in Safari. If it was lethal to use online, why doesn't Apple disable it?

Because the exploit was only recently discovered. It has now been fixed, supposedly, by the latest Java update, but because Java may have other bugs that aren't yet known, you should still disable it.

Reply

Answer 6

Apr 5, 2012 8:51 AM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks. I just installed the latest Java update. Unfortunately it didn't help!

Reply

Answer 7

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Apr 5, 2012 9:15 AM in response to Community User

That's because your problem has nothing to do with Java, as I wrote earlier. I suggest you try another browser, such as Firefox.

Reply

Answer 8

Apr 5, 2012 9:23 AM in response to Linc Davis

Linc: If my problem has nothing to do with Java, then what is the problem? It can't be the website, because Safari 5.1.4 broke it and the bank says it's not the only one with the problem.

Mr Koch

Reply

Answer 9

Klaus1

Level 9

52,749 points

Apr 5, 2012 9:26 AM in response to Community User

It can't be the website, because Safari 5.1.4 broke it and the bank says it's not the only one with the problem.

Wrong. The bank, and others, have failed to update their websites to comply with Safari 5.1.4.

And Safari is the most standard-compliant browser you can get.

Reply

Answer 10

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Apr 5, 2012 9:38 AM in response to Community User

It can't be the website, because Safari 5.1.4 broke it and the bank says it's not the only one with the problem.

In the sense that the bank's website is not the only defective one on the Internet, that's true. The site is incompatible with your version of Safari. You can use a browser more tolerant of such defects, or you can try updating to the current version of Safari (which probably won't make any difference.) I don't have any other suggestions.

Reply

Answer 11

Apr 5, 2012 9:41 AM in response to Klaus1

klaus1: There is conflicting opinion about this. Some say there is no such thing as a standard-compliant browser (http://www.impressivewebs.com/no-standards-compliant-browser/). Some say that Safari is the worst (http://blogs.technet.com/b/uktechnet/archive/2010/11/02/internet-explorer-9-the- most-standards-compliant-browser-on-the-block-a-guest-post-by-simon-may.aspx). Linc might say Firefox is better than Safari for practical purposes. But the problem is that this bank's website was working, I upgraded to 5.1.4, and it stopped, and I'm not the only one (http://blog.centralnational.com/index.php/2012/03/safari-users-in-online-banking). I appreciate your input, but I'm wondering if you have any real suggestions to help fix this problem.

Reply

Answer 12

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Apr 5, 2012 9:52 AM in response to Community User

Linc might say Firefox is better than Safari for practical purposes.

I didn't say that. I said that Firefox may be able to load this particular defective site when Safari can't. Firefox is generally more tolerant of HTML and JavaScript coding errors than Safari is. Lazy web developers who don't test their code with Safari are more likely to have tested it with Firefox.

People in this forum can't change Safari. Only Apple can change it.

Reply

Answer 13

Klaus1

Level 9

52,749 points

Apr 5, 2012 9:57 AM in response to Linc Davis

Use another browser if that works for you, but:

The bank/s need to read this:

"Safari is one of the most standards-compliant browsers ever built. Thus, your best bet for ensuring your pages render properly in Safari — today’s version and beyond — is to follow web standards. For a great overview of web standards, check out Mozilla.org’s article Using Web Standards in Your Web Pages."

https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Using_Web_Standards_in_your_Web_Pages

Reply