Safari 3.1: Google Reader/Gmail problems; PithHelmet fix; Secure site issues; more
No capitalization in Gmail.
[Thursday, March 20th]
Google Reader/Gmail problems Some users have reported problems with Google Reader and GMail after the update to Safari 3.1. MacFixIt reader Milner Erlank writes:
"I use Google reader through Safari. The reader with all my RSS addresses comes up on the screen and I can access each media item to read the current postings. But clicking on a news item to expand it to the full report fails ? every time. Moreover, when I access my Google Gmail and try accessing certain postings, I get a message that reads: Grrr! A popup blocker may be preventing Gmail from opening the page. If you have a popup blocker, try disabling it to open the window. Disabling the Safari pop-up blocker makes no difference."
Martin Johnson adds:
"I've discovered a weird bug when using Gmail in Safari 3.1. I cannot type any capital letters in the body of any message, only lower case. If I try to type caps the cursor jumps up to the subject line and enters them there."
Regarding the Gmail issue -- an inability to type capital letters (the shift key changes the form focus rather than invoking capitalization) -- some users have resorted to typing messages in a separate text editor then pasting the content into Gmail.
PithHelmet fix There's now a fix that will allow PithHelmet -- an ad-blocking tool that's an Input Manager -- to work with Safari 3.1, though we generally recommend against use of input managers.
- In Safari go to the Safari menu and select "About Safari." Note the build number.
- Quit Safari.
- Navgate to /Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins
- Control-click on PithHelmet.bundle, then Show Package Contents
- Open the Info.plist file with TextEdit
- Find MaxBundleVersion and change it to 5550 or 5525, or whatever build number you obtained in step 1.
- Save the file.
- Relaunch Safari.
This fix hasn't been universally successful, and you might still experience stability issues with Safari caused by PithHelmet.
Secure site issues Some users are having problems logging into secure sites after the Safari 3.1 update. Tom Earnshaw writes:
"I installed Safari 3.1 and am now having problems with a secure banking site I frequently visit. I reinstalled using the standalone download, but same problems. Safari 3.0.4 and OmniWeb both work fine."
The first thing you should try if your banking Web site is inaccessible with Safari is enabling the debug menu and changing the Safari "user agent" ID.
Enabling the debug menu can be accomplished with a software like TinkerTool and Safari Debugger, or by entering the following command in the Terminal (located in Applications/Utilities) then pressing return:
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1
You may need to quit then re-launch Safari after issuing this command.
After enabling, and launching Safari, you will see the menu "Debug" on the far right of the menubar. Navigate down to the "User Agent" section of this menu and note the various browsers available as user agents. Try switching to Internet Explorer or Netscape and re-attempting access to your bank
You may also want to try clearing Safari's cache (go to the "Safari" menu inside the application and select "Empty Cache") and deleting cookies (go to the "Safari" menu, select "Preferences" then clock "Show Cookies"). Problematic data in both of these areas can cause problems logging into some banking Web sites.
Finally, try turning off RSS support. This option is also accessible through the Safari Debug menu. Several readers have reported that doing so allows access to otherwise unreachable banking sites.
Of course, using an alternative browser is always an option when secure sites won't work in Safari. Several readers have reported that Firefox successfully loads secure banking sites that fail in Safari.
New window function broken MacFixIt reader W. Fritts reports that his copy of Safari no longer responds to links with the "target="_blank" option,
"Safari 3.1 no longer responds to links with the "target="_blank" option in the link providing for opening the link in a new window. Even with the User Agent set to 3.0.4 it still won't respond to any link containing that feature. It will open in a new window if the contextual menu is used. I've had to go back to 3.0.4."
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
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