# Stupid corporate intranet hates Firefox **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374 "2004-09-21T20:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/1 "2004-09-21T20:43:46Z")
We have a corporate intranet “solution” here at work where everyone keeps their PowerPoint files and meeting materials. It’s a painful tool, impossible to navigate, and so forth, but with tabbed browsing I think I could almost tolerate it. Yesterday, Firefox 1.0 worked just fine with it, as long as I used the User Agent Switcher to spoof MSIE. Today, their “Customer Support Wizard” redirected me to the “you need MSIE 6.0 or better” page. I already switched to Firefox – how much _better_ do they want? 😃 Anyhow, here’s the deal. I’m using the User Agent Switcher plugin v0.6, and I’ve tried desperately to force Firefox (v1.0) to emulate MSIE 6 and Netscape 4.8, but no luck. I’ve even used MSIE 6.0 (yes, I have it) with websites that show you your User\_Agent data, and copied that directly into a new User Agent for Firefox – no luck. Is there a setting I’m forgetting that makes my masquerade incomplete? Help me, Firefox gurus; you’re my only hope! ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/2 "2004-09-21T21:09:57Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > We have a corporate intranet “solution” here at work where everyone keeps their PowerPoint files and meeting materials. It’s a painful tool, impossible to navigate, and so forth, but with tabbed browsing I think I could almost tolerate it. Yesterday, Firefox 1.0 worked just fine with it, as long as I used the User Agent Switcher to spoof MSIE. Today, their “Customer Support Wizard” redirected me to the “you need MSIE 6.0 or better” page. I already switched to Firefox – how much _better_ do they want? 😃 > > Anyhow, here’s the deal. I’m using the User Agent Switcher plugin v0.6, and I’ve tried desperately to force Firefox (v1.0) to emulate MSIE 6 and Netscape 4.8, but no luck. I’ve even used MSIE 6.0 (yes, I have it) with websites that show you your User\_Agent data, and copied that directly into a new User Agent for Firefox – no luck. > > Is there a setting I’m forgetting that makes my masquerade incomplete? Help me, Firefox gurus; you’re my only hope! I suggest instead that you go to the Mozillazine forums at [Mozilla](http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=38) There are a bunch of ways to “check” for browser compatibility, and you could be running afoul of more than one. You may not be able to solve your problem immediately; like me, you’ll have to curse the idiots who use IE 6-only stuff (especially if they’re unaware that it’s IE-only). ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/3 "2004-09-21T22:02:23Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > Help me, Firefox gurus; you’re my only hope! I find your lack of faith in MSIE disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/4 "2004-09-21T22:05:47Z")
I’m pretty sure there’s an extension which gives you a drop-down menu to choose what the browser identifies itself as to websites. Can’t find it on the Firefox page now, though, so maybe it’s only been done for Mozilla. ---
**Author:** ![Omphaloskeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bcef8e/32.png) [@Omphaloskeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omphaloskeptic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/5 "2004-09-21T22:45:59Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > I’m pretty sure there’s an extension which gives you a drop-down menu to choose what the browser identifies itself as to websites. Can’t find it on the Firefox page now, though, so maybe it’s only been done for Mozilla. It sounds like he’s already spoofing the User-Agent: string, though, which is probably all that those extensions will change. There are plenty of other browser differences that could be used to detect Mozilla, though (like the different versions of JavaScript they use); some of these are probably pretty hard to imitate. You have to look at the source for the page (the one that redirects you to the error page) to see how it’s detecting your browser. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/6 "2004-09-21T22:50:05Z")
> [@Omphaloskeptic](#): > > It sounds like he’s already spoofing the User-Agent :smack: You’re right. I should pay more attention. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/7 "2004-09-21T23:36:30Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > I find your lack of faith in MSIE disturbing. Are you serious? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/8 "2004-09-21T23:37:37Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Are you serious? You don’t realize the power of the dark side! ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/9 "2004-09-22T01:25:50Z")
Have you tried asking whomever is in charge of managing the “solution” if they’re willing to support all of the approved-for-work browsers? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/10 "2004-09-22T11:34:00Z")
Try [Maxthon](http://www.maxthon.com) instead. It is still IE for the most part, except for the horrible bits, and it has a tabbed interface and popup blockers, and the ability to use other plugins etc Not perfect, perhaps, but it may solve your problem. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-corporate-intranet-hates-firefox/265374/11 "2004-09-22T14:58:32Z")
> [@1010011010](#): > > Have you tried asking whomever is in charge of managing the “solution” if they’re willing to support all of the approved-for-work browsers? That’s the bitch of it. I’m government, but the “solution” is maintained off-site by the contractor whose program I’m monitoring. I’m allowed to use Firefox here as long as I keep it patched, but they’re not allowed to use anything but MSIE there. Their tech support team (out in Los Angeles) are then relieved of the burden of supporting any other browsers. They can basically say “Oh, yeah - we don’t support that because it’s not approved on our corporate intranet, so who would be using it?” Oh, and get this: Monday it only worked if I spoofed MSIE. Yesterday it didn’t work at all. Today it works again… but only if I spoof Netscape 4.8. I don’t get it, but I’m happy now that it works again. I’m not going to look a Sith Lord in the respirator, if you know what I mean.