Technical Support and Help
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Browser Compatibility
When I began writing this website in early 1997 I had little knowledge of HTML code and even less about cross-browser compatibility. Now, 10 years on, I have bit more knowledge of HTML and greater awareness of the number of browsers on the market. HTML has become more complex as have the demands of our browsers.
I have access to detailed logs on which types of browser visit the Rods Online website. By far the majority are 'later' versions of Internet Explorer (over 94%), with earlier versions of this, and Netscapes browser making up the greatest proportion of the remainder.
Why is this important? I want to make the Rods Online website an excellent browsing experience for as many people as possible. It isn't a purely altruistic approach though. The greater number of people who see the site as I intend it to be (hopefully well polished and with good use of space) then they are likely to come back and visit again.
A number of alternative browsers have always been available. As more people look for non-Microsoft products I feel more of these browsers will be used to view RoL. Those reading this website at work will likely be limited by the type of browser they can use. For those at home, and with the
interest to try something 'non-microsoft', then a number of links are available below. The Rods Online website is aiming to be compliant with all the following browsers. I currently test it on the top three.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer homepage - most used. Bundled with all MS Operating Systems.
- Mozilla Firefox - open source, fast, easy to use. Free.
- Opera - free download, some adds. Reasonable.
- Netscape - bells and whistles. Free download (as are all). RoL is untested on this browser.
Virus Protection
Although it is possible for web pages to infect systems with viruses, this is currently rare. However it is sensible for all PCs, whether home systems or company owned units, to be protected from viruses with a good quality program. The following all provide very good protection (no program will give you a 100% guarantee against repelling attacks). Remember for them to be effective they should be kept up to date with frequent signature updates.
Some antivirus (AV) software manufacturers include:
The antivirus software you install today will only fight known threats. Check the software manufacturer's Web site regularly for updates, and download them as soon as they become available. Most antivirus programs also offer a way to automatically check for updates when you are online.
Do I Need A Firewall ?
Most computers have a number of hardware and software interfaces which allow your PC to contact the outside world. This may be with a network card, modem or other type of cable. The vast majority of these computers' software is designed and loaded with all the ports 'open' to allow you easy access to these services.
The downside of this is that a (growing) number of people are experiencing attacks on their home or office systems through these ports. Unknown to you, an outsider may be able to access your PC files. Once in they would be able to view almost any file on your hard disk. Files you have worked on can be deleted. System files (which make your computer work) can be deleted. Viruses can be dropped. If you have bought anything on the internet it might be possible for the hacker to look at your credit card details - then use them for themselves.
So - what do you do? First of all - take it seriously but don't panic. Software is available which will allow these ports to be closed and even made invisible to outside attackers. There isn't room, and I don't have the knowledge, to expand on this but a firewall is the answer.
For more information on Firewalls and to test your PCs vulnerabilites to attack go to this site:
For a FREE Firewall which is easy to use and has been recommended by PC Magazine (amongst others):
Refreshing Web Pages
If you feel a page is out of date then please try 'Refreshing' it before mailing me. This can be done by pressing the 'Refresh' button on your browser, by pressing the F5 key on your keyboard or by right clicking your mouse and selecting Refresh.
Some pages on this site are updated frequently. The teams page is an example. You may find that a page you view is older than you expect. This is (usually) not an error on our page but with your own computer trying to do you a favour. Every time you visit a web site the information is kept on your own hard drive. This means if you visit the same site again you don't need to download every image again (a time consuming process). Your PC realises you already have the images and information so uses your own copy (known as the cached or local copy). The problem can sometimes lay where the PC assumes it has the latest copy when it doesn't.
In this case you can 'force' your machine to look for the later internet copy. This is done by pressing the refresh button which looks like the image below in Internet Explorer 5. It will look similar in your own browser and will almost certainly have a tooltip which says Refresh on it.
This website was written for the latest versions of browsers, namely Microsoft® Internet Explorer 7.x, Netscape® Navigator 7.x, the Mozilla family (including Firefox 2.0) and Opera (version depends on OS). If you have problems with the site, either viewing images, updating sections or (especially) with the JavaScript then please let me know in an e-mail. You can e-mail me by clicking here.
If you do have the latest versions of these (you can check by going to Help... About... in the respective browser) and your screen still looks cheap and nasty check the details below. If you are not sure then ask your I.T. Department. If you are a home user then ask your 10 year old son/nephew.
If you wish to try playing with your settings to get the best of your home PC, then try the following 'tricks'.
Screen Resolution
This site is designed to be viewed with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pels.
It can be viewed at lower or higher resolutions.
If you are using a resolution of 640 x 480
pels you may find the text a little overpowering but I'm afraid most users are now at least 800x600.
To alter the screen resolution in Windows 95/98 right click on the desktop, then select properties from the pop-up menu. From the Display Properties settings box which appears click the 'settings' tab. From here the slider near the bottom right allows you to alter the screen resolution. Take heed of any suggestions made, then OK your way through back to the desktop.
Colour Depth
The colours on your screen should be set to at least 16 million colors. You can view it with less but the photos will be very poor quality.
To alter the colour depth in Windows 95/98 right click on the desktop, then select properties from the pop-up menu. From the Display Properties settings box which appears click the 'settings' tab. From here the drop down box near the bottom left allows you to alter the colour depth. 'OK' your way back to the desktop.
Graphics
Most pages of this site contain images. If you wish to view the site correctly images should be turned to 'ON' in your browsers' preferences. This is the default anyway - if you can see the images above and to the left yours are already on. In order to alter the graphics settings, through your Internet Explorer browser choose Options (This varies in location, but look in the View Menu or Tools Menu). In the advanced section tab look down until you find the Multimedia section. Check the box to be sure that the Graphics are set to 'on'.
Sounds
There are no sound files used in this site. Why? Because they are usually pretty huge and you get little benefit. Often, they are annoying especially if repetitive. The only caveat to this is the Video files which sometimes appear via the main page. These are massive files in any case (and are clearly marked as such so that people don't attempt to download them unless they have the necessary hardware to do so). These DO include sound and often this adds to the flavour of the action.
Copyright Notice
Except where marked copyright is held by the author.Permission will be granted for copying of this material individually on request.
Permission is granted to copy images and words for own use or further distribution providing a link is sent back to this site.
http://www.rodillians.co.uk