Support Community website doesn't work well

Question

Level 5

5,210 points

Support Community website doesn't work well

I thought this particular community was about the Support Community itself and not a catch all for every problem with iPhones, iPads, iMacs and whatever. It destroys my sense of order!

Anyways, I'm still having problems with the website. I'll write out an answer to someone's problem, and I get the red bar with an error. Or if I read a thread, then click on "discussions" or the Community, I just get a blank page. I have to then back completely out of the Support Community, and re-enter, which will fix the blank page issue. But whatever discussion in which I was trying to post will still give me an error. To fix it, I have to quit Safari, re-enter the Support Community, find the discussion, the reply again.

This will work for a few discussions, then the problem happens all over again.

I know that Firefox doesn't do this, but why on earth should I use Firefox to use Apple's own Support Community. This is quite annoying, and seems like a very silly way to run this place. Let's not even discuss why these forums don't allow me to use the inline spell-checking that works on nearly every other website, an important and valued feature of OSX.

Are there any recommendations, short of moving to Firefox for the Apple Support Communities to fix this problem? Are you +10,000 point users running into the problem (since you must be like me, stopping by for a couple of hours to help out)? Tell me what miracle preference change will fix this. PLEASE.

I have very few problems with Safari these days. The only website that I can recall that is giving me CONSTANT issues is this one, and that's just plain ridiculous.

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 16GB, 1GB video, 1TB drive

Posted on Mar 10, 2013 12:41 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

John Galt

Level 10

140,948 points

Mar 10, 2013 12:57 PM in response to OrangeMarlin

It happens, but not very often. No one seems to care.

To fix it, I have to quit Safari, re-enter the Support Community, find the discussion, the reply again.

That's what I do.

Reply

Answer 2

OrangeMarlin Author

Level 5

5,210 points

Mar 10, 2013 1:00 PM in response to John Galt

John Galt wrote:

It happens, but not very often. No one seems to care.

To fix it, I have to quit Safari, re-enter the Support Community, find the discussion, the reply again.

That's what I do.

Well that's not the answer I want!!! 😢

It's good to know that others are having this. It's frustrating to quit Safari, then re-enter. It's happening to me frequently. On some days, I have no problems. But today, every reply I make requires me to quit and restart. That's just ridiculous.

Reply

Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

140,948 points

Mar 10, 2013 1:12 PM in response to OrangeMarlin

When this occurs one workaround is to go to Apple's main page > Support, and click the link to Communities. That will bypass the need to quit Safari, launch it again, log in again, and find the thread. However, the blank page problem is guaranteed to occur again shortly thereafter - meaning, after reading or posting a few more times.

Reloading the page does not help. Clearing caches does not help. "Show Page Source" reveals a completely empty page; no content.

Evidently it is a bug in Safari, or Jive, or both.

Reply

Answer 4

OrangeMarlin Author

Level 5

5,210 points

Mar 10, 2013 1:16 PM in response to John Galt

Yeah, I do go back to the main Support page, and start over again. But what I've found is that when I get the error that I can't post (it's in a red bar, can't remember what it precisely says), only quitting and restarting will allow me to post there. But I might be able to post a reply in another thread.

It's random, to be honest. Cannot figure out some common reason for me to have this problem.

So, I presume Jive is the basis for the design and coding of these Communities? I've complained about the lack of spell checking for years (using feedback to Apple). Wish they would fix that along with our current problem.

Reply

Answer 5

John Galt

Level 10

140,948 points

Mar 10, 2013 1:25 PM in response to OrangeMarlin

So, I presume Jive is the basis for the design and coding of these Communities?

Yes, and just like Java and Flash, Apple did not create Jive and I presume they have no control over its development. Apple's ability to fix its problems may be limited, or zero.

Reply

Answer 6

seventy one

Level 7

27,424 points

Mar 10, 2013 3:55 PM in response to John Galt

Actually John, some of us do care. Safari has become a pigging nuisance in many ways and of all the browsers we should be able to count on, Safari is the one we are least able to rely on.

Let me ask a question. Why, when I'm in a thread I have linked to via the e-mail notification system, do I have to sign in and then have to play 'hunt the thread' because I've ended up in the Apple Communities lead page? It's totally illogical.

I want to support Apple and use Apple based procedures and browser because by doing so, in my own little way, I am helping to further the Apple presence. I just wish Apple would reciprocate.

Reply

Answer 7

OrangeMarlin Author

Level 5

5,210 points

Mar 10, 2013 5:54 PM in response to seventy one

This support community is the first stop for many people having problems with Apple's products. I come here a lot, when I can't figure something out. I've been contributing on and off for 10 years, and this is the worst it's been.

I mean there are even dumb little things that are messed up on this website. For example, you can't edit the products you have, so if you upgrade from OSX 10.8.1. to 10.8.2, you have to actually delete the old one and create a new product, like an iMac. Now I keep mine up to date, because if I post a question, I don't want someone (like me) to say "update your OSX."

Reply

Answer 8

rccharles

Level 6

12,957 points

Mar 10, 2013 8:18 PM in response to OrangeMarlin

I think some javascript can be written to turn spellchecking back on. You can inject javascript into any web page. I've been meaning to work on this.

I understand that Jive turns off spellchecking. Spell checking does work on the HTML edit PAGE!!!!!!!!!!

It's very annoying & and easy fix. At least give us an option.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Apple has lots of money. Apple could afford to hire a contract programmer. Apple could negotiate with Jive to have this person work for Jive for free & fix the problems. I think Jive is a small company. Even when working for a large company, I observed that free programmers got things done.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I use TenFourFox a FireFox port & do not thave these problems.

Robert

Reply

Answer 9

John Galt

Level 10

140,948 points

Mar 10, 2013 11:12 PM in response to seventy one

I meant that no one with the ability to fix this problem seems to care. I have offered to help track down this bug, so have others, and that's all we can do.

seventy one wrote:

Let me ask a question. Why, when I'm in a thread I have linked to via the e-mail notification system, do I have to sign in and then have to play 'hunt the thread' because I've ended up in the Apple Communities lead page? It's totally illogical.

It is another of several annoying Jive bugs. All of them have been reported to the site's Hosts, whose ability to effect change is probably limited.

The move to Jive was required since the old Apple Discussions would have collapsed under the additional weight of millions of new members. It is far from perfect and there is a lot about it that needs improvement, but it is orders of magnitude better and more useful than anyone else's support site - see Dell and HP for instance. They are practically useless.

Reply

Answer 10

seventy one

Level 7

27,424 points

Mar 11, 2013 12:17 AM in response to John Galt

Yes, John. It could have been seen both ways. My point emphasised the most basic in interconnectability faults and that is quite unforgivable. Of course, we can't tell what goes on behind the scenes but the time it has so far taken suggests 'not a lot'.

Reply

Answer 11

Number22

Level 1

8 points

Mar 11, 2013 1:36 PM in response to OrangeMarlin

I noticed the same problem with editing my software and hardware computer type.

There is no way to delete the system or computer that one does not use anymore.

Obviously the Apple Support Communities have nothing to do with it and cannot fix this

Apple Webmaster's design error.

Reply

Answer 12

OrangeMarlin Author

Level 5

5,210 points

Mar 11, 2013 2:45 PM in response to rccharles

rccharles wrote:

I use TenFourFox a FireFox port & do not thave these problems.

Robert

We all know that there are workarounds. I can use Firefox and get around it. But, let's look at this logically. This is an Apple Support Community on Apple.com, yet Safari, Apple's browser, has problems with the website. Well, that's just wrong on so many levels.

Reply

Answer 13

OrangeMarlin Author

Level 5

5,210 points

Mar 11, 2013 2:49 PM in response to John Galt

John Galt wrote:

The move to Jive was required since the old Apple Discussions would have collapsed under the additional weight of millions of new members. It is far from perfect and there is a lot about it that needs improvement, but it is orders of magnitude better and more useful than anyone else's support site - see Dell and HP for instance. They are practically useless.

I agree. Even software companies are useless. Try going to the Parallels forum to get real help, and some of the questions are a lot more technical than "why can't I get a WiFi signal on my iPad."

I think that Apple itself has set a standard of excellence, which we all appreciate, or we wouldn't be here. The coding for this website just fails compared to the high standards we expect.

By the way, to reply to my own thread, I just had to quit Safari again. Head. Desk. Bang.

Reply

Answer 14

OrangeMarlin Author

Level 5

5,210 points

Mar 11, 2013 2:50 PM in response to Number22

Number22 wrote:

I noticed the same problem with editing my software and hardware computer type.

There is no way to delete the system or computer that one does not use anymore.

Obviously the Apple Support Communities have nothing to do with it and cannot fix this

Apple Webmaster's design error.

I'm not buying that dude. Not even close to buying that.

Reply

Answer 15

BobHarris

Level 9

53,003 points

Mar 11, 2013 5:03 PM in response to OrangeMarlin

This is an Apple Support Community on Apple.com, yet Safari, Apple's browser, has problems with the website. Well, that's just wrong on so many levels.

So how much money do you think the Jive developers receive from Apple for using Jive? Do you think Apple spends enough money vs all the other Jive using companies, that the Jive owners feel obligated to worry about Safari?

It could even be the Jive developers telling Apple, "It works on other browsers, even WebKit browsers, so it must be Safari's problem".

Apple might reply, how many Safari users really visit Jive forums? Is it worth the effort to focus on making Safari work on Jive vs all the other things on the Safari developer's plates.

If you want Apple to do something, I suggest you actually communicate with them:

BugReporter

<http://bugreporter.apple.com>

Free ADC (Apple Developer Connection) account needed for BugReporter.

Anyone can get a free account at:

<http://developer.apple.com/programs/register/>

Reply