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Update: Release Notes 1/12/10


OpinioNate

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I did a test of the network where I work, to try to determine if some geocaching.com issues may be Internet-connection related. Here’s what happened:

 

As I previously mentioned, when I do the “Search for Geocaches” (for the “All Geocaches” results page) on a work computer, the list sometimes fails to appear, and causing a “Not Found” error message. The header from the “All Geocaches” text down to the “Total Records” text with the page links is all that shows up. It happens in about a 1 to 4 fail ratio. Clicking the “Back” button often gets the page to come up.

 

At work, the computers run an old, never-updated Internet Explorer 6, and changes are not allowed -- they’re blocked. Very restrictive. They also have lots of web filtering, proxies, who knows what, to prevent viewing the wrong kind of web sites.

 

But my laptop runs Windows Vista, and the newest IE with all the updates. And I can connect it to the network at work.

 

My theory is that the network where I work is the problem, not so much IE6 itself. By extension, other peoples’ similar problems may be related to their own Internet connections. I’m guessing that bits of data are pulled from various sources to form the Search results page (ads, scripts, databases, whatever). So if some of these diverse sites are blocked or corrupted by the network connection (due to, say, data bottlenecks, proxies or firewalls in the network), the Search results page dies. I’ve kinda-sorta verified this theory. Maybe.

 

When I tested my Vista laptop on that suspect network, the “Search” sometimes gives only the header, from the “All Geocaches” text down to the “New Search” link. It’s about a 1:4 ratio of that, but the Back button doesn’t help. Slightly different results from what the workstations do, and no "Not Found" error. It looks like it MIGHT be the same network thing, with the new IE browser reacting to it differently than it would in IE6.

 

So I don’t know if this is helpful or useful info to anybody. But I thought I’d throw it out there. If you’d like me to do any specific testing, I’ll do that. Or you may want me to explain these results more clearly... :)

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At work, the computers run an old, never-updated Internet Explorer 6, and changes are not allowed -- they’re blocked. Very restrictive. They also have lots of web filtering, proxies, who knows what, to prevent viewing the wrong kind of web sites.

I think you might have something there. I'm in a similar situation here (at work) and the geocaching site is unusable (after the latest changes). It seems to exhibit similar behaviour to the sort you describe.

 

(Edit) I've just checked, and oddly enough, the site now seems to be working OK...for now at least!

(second edit)...unless you go in via this link;

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx

Edited by Happy Humphrey
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I haven't looked through the last week's worth of notes, but this hadn't been reported as of then and it's been bugging me. Every time I log a find on a trackable, the log inserts a copy of the coordinates where it was found on the user confirmation page. It doesn't display this in the logs, just the one spot where you confirm what you just entered. I'm not quite tech savvy enough to add a screen capture here since it's on my local PC not a link (which is what the tool above seems to want), but I'm happy to email it in or add it if somebody tells me how...

 

I use Firefox 3.5.7.

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When I try to edit cache descriptions with scandinavian letters it is almost impossible as letters have became cryptic.. Can't explain more just look at the image. Everything with ä etc. are wrong. I have tried this in IE 8.0.6... and FF 3.5.6. Very annoying problem. :ph34r:

bd9f0b64-e21e-4b89-9ab7-79261ba93af8.jpg

Yep, very annoying. However, using accented characters like åäö instead of th &-codes in html might be causing other problems so it is not sure that allowing them directly in html is the way to go. What this problem really shows is the lack of a simple html editor in the caching listing editor. If there was such an html editor, you would be able to write the text with proper scandinavian letters and then click on a button to create html code for it. It would also solve the problem with beginners not being able to insert images in their cache descriptions because they don't know html.

 

Until this problem is fixed, I recommend you use an external html editor to edit your listings. Then you will also have a backup copy of your descriptions and can try out different things before you upload them to geocaching.com. Personally I use the html editor in SeaMonkey (SeaMonkey Composer, previously Mozilla Composer) and it works great for me. It generates html code that work very well in cache listings, clean and efficient code that renders properly also on GPS devices with paperless caching ability.

Some people prefer the online geoching html editor on this Danish page: http://www.crumlin.dk/geocaching/html/editor/ and it seems to work fine too.

 

However there is a really annoying bug with the new release: The generated GPX files contain strange looking &-code sequencs (& followed by auml; etc) and these files do not render properly on paperless GPS devices like Garmin Oregon!!!

 

iller

Are these matters going to be fixed sometimes in near future? Please explain what problems do letters of our language and in our keyboard (like ÄÖÅ) cause in this system. So that I and many other would undestand this change..

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At work, the computers run an old, never-updated Internet Explorer 6, and changes are not allowed -- they’re blocked. Very restrictive. They also have lots of web filtering, proxies, who knows what, to prevent viewing the wrong kind of web sites.

 

But my laptop runs Windows Vista, and the newest IE with all the updates. And I can connect it to the network at work.

 

My theory is that the network where I work is the problem, not so much IE6 itself. By extension, other peoples’ similar problems may be related to their own Internet connections. I’m guessing that bits of data are pulled from various sources to form the Search results page (ads, scripts, databases, whatever). So if some of these diverse sites are blocked or corrupted by the network connection (due to, say, data bottlenecks, proxies or firewalls in the network), the Search results page dies. I’ve kinda-sorta verified this theory. Maybe.

 

I'm in the same situation as you at work: IE6, no changes allowed. Since the updates, if I try to access a cache page, IE stops responding.

 

However, on my home PC, I have a choice between IE6 and Firefox (default browser and the one I much prefer, which is probably why I've never got round to upgrading IE). I've just had a quick play, and GC.com works Ok in Firefox but exhibits exactly the same problem with IE6 as it did at work - IE simply stops responding.

 

Same hardware, same web connection, only thing that's changed is the browser.

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I posted earlier in this thread but not much was said and nothing has changed. Tried to run a query this morning and found that i still couldn't get "ignored" caches into it. I figure that since the button, "Are not on my ignore list" is still available in the query filters, it is a problem. For tptb,,, is there anything in the works to allow us once again to get caches on our ignore list into pocket queries?

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Is there an ETA as to when Firefox and IEv8 will be supported again?

 

I'm getting pretty tired of seeing this: gsbug.jpg

 

Note the problem with the "Visit Log" column and the location and fixed width of the right column.

 

I get this in both IEv8 and the latest Firefox on both XP and Windows 7 Professional. Screen resolution 1600x1200 on 20"FP

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The new look has grown on me - I am now on the I like it side. Good work in hammering it out guys and gals in the development team!

 

Not me.. There is still way too much whitespace but that's probably because of the issue with the "Visit Log" column causing all the rows to double in size.

Also, why should we have to scroll way down to the bottom of the screen to see the rightmost column?

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Is there an ETA as to when Firefox and IEv8 will be supported again?

 

I'm getting pretty tired of seeing this: gsbug.jpg

 

Note the problem with the "Visit Log" column and the location and fixed width of the right column.

 

I get this in both IEv8 and the latest Firefox on both XP and Windows 7 Professional. Screen resolution 1600x1200 on 20"FP

 

Works fine for me in all configurations. (Windows 7, Vista and XP, Firefox and IE8)

Edited by ghettomedic
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The new look has grown on me - I am now on the I like it side. Good work in hammering it out guys and gals in the development team!

 

Not me.. There is still way too much whitespace but that's probably because of the issue with the "Visit Log" column causing all the rows to double in size.

Also, why should we have to scroll way down to the bottom of the screen to see the rightmost column?

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Works fine for me in all configurations. (Windows 7, Vista and XP, Firefox and IE8)

 

Ok, so what are you doing different? This is an issue on my XP laptop (IE8 & FF) an issue on my home PC, Win7 & IE8 and here at my office desktop running XP with IE8.

 

You don't get the row height doubling at the Visit log and the right column being out of allignment?

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Works fine for me in all configurations. (Windows 7, Vista and XP, Firefox and IE8)

Ok, so what are you doing different? This is an issue on my XP laptop (IE8 & FF) an issue on my home PC, Win7 & IE8 and here at my office desktop running XP with IE8.

You don't get the row height doubling at the Visit log and the right column being out of allignment?

Since you're aparently willing to use Firefox, see this thread: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=239866 It'll make you very happy, I suspect.
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Works fine for me in all configurations. (Windows 7, Vista and XP, Firefox and IE8)

 

Ok, so what are you doing different? This is an issue on my XP laptop (IE8 & FF) an issue on my home PC, Win7 & IE8 and here at my office desktop running XP with IE8.

 

You don't get the row height doubling at the Visit log and the right column being out of allignment?

Are you using a non-standard font size setting?

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Works fine for me in all configurations. (Windows 7, Vista and XP, Firefox and IE8)

Ok, so what are you doing different? This is an issue on my XP laptop (IE8 & FF) an issue on my home PC, Win7 & IE8 and here at my office desktop running XP with IE8.

You don't get the row height doubling at the Visit log and the right column being out of allignment?

Since you're aparently willing to use Firefox, see this thread: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=239866 It'll make you very happy, I suspect.

 

Sorry - no. I only use FF as a tool for testing. Nearly every virus/malware I've had to clean from a client machine got thru FF.

 

I use IEv8 and keep it quite well patched thank you.

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Works fine for me in all configurations. (Windows 7, Vista and XP, Firefox and IE8)

 

Ok, so what are you doing different? This is an issue on my XP laptop (IE8 & FF) an issue on my home PC, Win7 & IE8 and here at my office desktop running XP with IE8.

 

You don't get the row height doubling at the Visit log and the right column being out of allignment?

Are you using a non-standard font size setting?

 

Nope.. Windows Defaults on all three systems.

Normal size (96 DPI)

 

I guess I can live with the screwed up right column but the Visit Log and additional row height caused by the locked cell is getting OLD.

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I agree that the "visit log" column adding white-space is a bit annoying. When I set the font size a few steps smaller (Ctrl minus-sign) then I get to a point where this problem goes away. I do not have the problem with the right column dropping below the center table. Perhaps you have some screen resolution/ font size combination that is causing this? I tried it with 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024 and cannot induce this behavior on my computer. (I use FireFox 3.0.14).

Edited by Hynr
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I do not have the problem with the right column dropping below the center table.

That happens when the cache description is very short, such as just one or two lines. Then I end up with tons of white space.

 

If Groundspeak would just add a non-breakable space (& nbsp;) instead of a regular space in "visit log" then that problem would go away.

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I do not have the problem with the right column dropping below the center table.

That happens when the cache description is very short, such as just one or two lines. Then I end up with tons of white space.

 

If Groundspeak would just add a non-breakable space (& nbsp;) instead of a regular space in "visit log" then that problem would go away.

The one Zop posted appears to be on the Profile page though.

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I agree that the "visit log" column adding white-space is a bit annoying. When I set the font size a few steps smaller (Ctrl minus-sign) then I get to a point where this problem goes away. I do not have the problem with the right column dropping below the center table. Perhaps you have some screen resolution/ font size combination that is causing this? I tried it with 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024 and cannot induce this behavior on my computer. (I use FireFox 3.0.14).

 

On this machine, it's IE8 and the screen resolution of 1680x1050. (24" Wide screen) Standard font size.

 

If I were having problems on ANY other websites, I would be inclined to play with font size etc but this only occurrs on the Geocaching site and only sinze the changes in the site.

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I did manage to log a cache using IE8 this morning, so it's not all completely broken. Until Groundspeak can find a solution, the method I used was;

1. Google Maps to get the general area of the cache.

2. Wap.geocaching.com search using the coordinates from step 1, which gives you a link to the cache listing.

3. Log the cache using Wap.geocaching.com - this always results in an error page but the log does actually get saved.

 

Sometimes, you can actually see a cache page of sorts on geocaching.com itself, but the behaviour seems to depend on what adverts are also displayed. Normally, you'll have to crash IE8 as it will stick before the page is completely displayed. I guess I can limp along as long as I don't need to display cache details too often.

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I have noticed that formatting is still a problem in the aspect that I have two caches GC1H0X9 and GC1H0YB both posted on the same day. If you compare the two pages one has all the formatting for paragraphs etc while the other lacks it. No matter of changing GC1H0X9 will solve this problem. I have tried to copy paste from one to the other and still get one big paragraph.

 

Just interesting that two caches released on the same day can be so different.

 

Thanks

 

Phil

I have been away and busy with that little Olympic thing here in Vancouver. This weekend gave me the first chance to see if this problem has been solved. I went and visited both caches in question and there is still nothing I can do to get it to display correctly.

Phil

Edited by PhilatSea
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I have noticed that formatting is still a problem in the aspect that I have two caches GC1H0X9 and GC1H0YB both posted on the same day. If you compare the two pages one has all the formatting for paragraphs etc while the other lacks it. No matter of changing GC1H0X9 will solve this problem. I have tried to copy paste from one to the other and still get one big paragraph.

 

Just interesting that two caches released on the same day can be so different.

I have been away and busy with that little Olympic thing here in Vancouver. This weekend gave me the first chance to see if this problem has been solved. I went and visited both caches in question and there is still nothing I can do to get it to display correctly.

PEBKAC. One of them has "The descriptions below are in HTML" checked and the other doesn't.

Edited by Lil Devil
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I have noticed that formatting is still a problem in the aspect that I have two caches GC1H0X9 and GC1H0YB both posted on the same day. If you compare the two pages one has all the formatting for paragraphs etc while the other lacks it. No matter of changing GC1H0X9 will solve this problem. I have tried to copy paste from one to the other and still get one big paragraph.

 

Just interesting that two caches released on the same day can be so different.

I have been away and busy with that little Olympic thing here in Vancouver. This weekend gave me the first chance to see if this problem has been solved. I went and visited both caches in question and there is still nothing I can do to get it to display correctly.

PEBKAC. One of them has "The descriptions below are in HTML" checked and the other doesn't.

 

:P I don't know why I didn't catch that. I have looked and looked at these two pages and compared them till the cows came home and gone back out to the grass lands.

 

Sometimes it takes a clear mind and soemone else to find such stupid mistakes.

 

Thanks

 

Phil

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