[WEB4LIB] Revisiting mouse/Netscape problem

[Thomas Dowling]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Julia Schult" <jschult at elmira.edu>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2000 1:12 PM
Subject: [WEB4LIB] Revisiting mouse/Netscape problem


> We have an irksome problem with the mouse suddenly not
> working in Netscape on our public computers.
>
> I checked the archives and found that this list addressed
> the problem back in November 1999.  Unfortunately, no one
> had a solution beyond "migrate to IE" which on our campus is
> not acceptable.  Besides the computer services saying they
> will only "support" Netscape on campus-owned computers,

I've commented before on this kind of "support"--there's stability and
then there's indolence.  Who works for whom here?  For that matter, what
have they done to solve your problem?

> ...when
> we do install IE it screws up other settings.  Notably, we
> use Ewan as our Telnet plugin for Netscape, and IE adds a /
> to the address in Ewan, rendering it next to useless.

<ahem>From rfc1738, the original definition of URL schemes:

3.8. TELNET

   The Telnet URL scheme is used to designate interactive services that
   may be accessed by the Telnet protocol.

   A telnet URL takes the form:

       telnet://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>/

   as specified in Section 3.1. The final "/" character may be omitted.

Sounds like a EWAN problem, not an IE problem.  Since EWAN hasn't been
updated in more than five years, maybe it's time to update the list of
supported software.</ahem>


>
> Question the first:  Has anyone found a Netscape based
> solution to this mouse problem yet?  How come I've never
> been able to find anything about this problem on the
> Netscape site?  And has anyone tried Netscape 6.0 trial
> version?

Netscape 6 is essentially unrelated to Netscape 4: consider it a brand new
product.  For better or for worse, it takes a very hands-off approach to
the operating system, which probably means fewer conflicts with mouse
drivers, etc.

Are you up to date on your mouse and video drivers?  Those would be the
first two things to check.  Then check to see if you've still got the
problem when you turn off your Deep Freeze software.

Thomas Dowling
OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu