[WEB4LIB] Re: Obnoxious IE behavior

[Richard Wiggins]

Yes, but this is actually old news.  RealNames has been around for years.  In fact as I recall they partnered first with Netscape. A proponent might see them as offering a useful service, so that users can type, well, real words instead of complex URLs.  If you don't believe Internet Keywords are useful, you might feel that RealNames and Microsoft are hijacking the DNS and the browser addressing function.

Danny Sullivan wrote about how address bar searching worked when IE 5 first came out:

http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/99/04-ie5.html

RealNames is also pushing their service to help people find Web sites for non-English users:

http://www.nic.ad.jp/en/topics/archive/2001/20010801.html

Remember when the "http://" prefix became optional?  Or when Netscape started appending ".com" if you just typed a single word in the Location box?  A purist would've objected then.  

I think the main problem is that Microsoft changes how IE treats Address field entries with no consultation or advance notice, and, so far as I know, without prominent documentation.  At a minimum they should document the specific steps of the Address box search algorithm, and provide granular ways to turn off the pieces you don't like.

By the way, IE's handling of failed DNS queries changed quietly in a recent service pack.  Now you're taken to MSN Search, which of course is a way to inflate MSN's traffic figures.

/rich


On Wed, 24 October 2001, Andrew Mutch wrote:

> 
> Yes, I recognize it is classic Microsoft:
> 
> "It's not a bug, it's a feature"
> 
> :)
> 
> I just wonder who this serves besides a commercial web service provider and a
> monopolistic company? Surely not our patrons!  Yet another "feature" we have to
> deal with to avoid a bad user interaction with MS.
> 
> Andrew Mutch
> Library Systems Technician
> Waterford Township Public Library
> Waterford, MI
> 
> "A.Helfman" wrote:
> 
> >          But in version 5.5 (I haven't used IE 6), it is possible to turn
> > off this "feature":
> > Tools --> Internet Options --> Advanced --> Settings: Search from the
> > Address Bar --> select "Do not search from Address bar".  Let the browsers
> > browse!  ;)
> >
> > __________________________
> >
> >   Amy W. Helfman
> >   Senior Web Developer
> >   Jewish Theological Seminary
> >
> >   amhelfman at jtsa.edu
> >   212-678-8043
> > __________________________
> >
> > At 11:04 AM 10/24/01 -0700, you wrote:
> > >I just tested, and IE 5.5 does the same thing. I also find it annoying.
> > >FWIW
> > >
> > >Donna
> > >
> > >Andrew Mutch wrote:
> > > >
> > > > The question about the Scout Report brought something to my attention
> > > > that is quite annoying. In IE 6, type in "Scout Report" in your URL bar
> > > > and see what displays. For those without IE 6, the Scout Report web site
> > > > appears in a frame below a frame that includes this text:
> > > >
> > > > "You reached this site by typing Keyword:  Scout Report in the Internet
> > > > Explorer address bar."
> > > >
> > > > with a few graphics and a link to learn more about more about Keywords.
> > > > It turns out these are being supplied by RealNames.
> > > >
> > > > What is most annoying about this is:
> > > >
> > > > 1) This is the URL that appears in the browser URL bar:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > http://navigation.helper.realnames.com/framer/1/262/default.asp?realname=S
> > > cout+Report&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscout%2Ecs%2Ewisc%2Eedu%2Fscout%2Freport&fram
> > > eid=1&providerid=262&uid=30014543
> > > >
> > > > How is this helpful to anyone but RealNames??
> > > >
> > > > 2) The Scout Report site appears in this frame and it isn't immediately
> > > > obvious how to get rid of the frame.  On the right hand side, there is
> > > > an "X" graphic to close out the frame.
> > > >
> > > > This is all around bad behavior in my view.
> > > >
> > > > Andrew Mutch
> > > > Library Systems Technician
> > > > Waterford Township Public Library
> > > > Waterford, MI
> > >
> > >--
> > >Donna Schumann, Computer Application Specialist
> > >Timberland Regional Library, 415 Airdustrial Way SW, Olympia, WA 98501
> > >Voice: 360-704-4542  FAX: 360-586-6838  Email:
> > >schumann at timberland.lib.wa.us

Richard Wiggins
Writing, Speaking, and Consulting on Internet Topics
rich at richardwiggins.com       www.richardwiggins.com