Will there be other Internet Browsers for RT?

[kittshelby]

So I was all ready to purchase the Surface RT this Friday. I just searched around about Firefox for W8 and found that it's not going to be available for RT!!

I don't mind using IE10 at all, but this will be a problem since I'm buying this for university and our university website where we can see our marks and stuff only supports up to IE8. It also supports firefox, chrome and some other browsers.

The surface isn't going to be much help if I can't access my grades, submit online assignments, and do online courses on it.

Can someone shed some light about this. Will there be Firefox for RT in the future?

 

[VagrantWade]

So I was all ready to purchase the Surface RT this Friday. I just searched around about Firefox for W8 and found that it's not going to be available for RT!!

I don't mind using IE10 at all, but this will be a problem since I'm buying this for university and our university website where we can see our marks and stuff only supports up to IE8. It also supports firefox, chrome and some other browsers.

The surface isn't going to be much help if I can't access my grades, submit online assignments, and do online courses on it.

Can someone shed some light about this. Will there be Firefox for RT in the future?

Might want to ask Mozilla. If they want to it will have to just be basically a skin for IE10. Same as how it works on iOS.

 

[gzlesk]

Why the **** wouldnt your university support internet explorer 9 and doesnt plan to support internet explorer 10. But it supports the new chrome browser thats comes out every 3 months.

 

[stephen_az]

There probably will be but not anytime soon. Microsoft is locking Mozilla and Google out of some of the key APIs that they insist they need to have a full function browser. They both have access to the Metro/Modern sandbox but want access to the desktop too and Microsoft's position is that the RT desktop is for a limited number of legacy apps and functions. I have some issues with the Microsoft stance as possibly being overly strident but, personally, I consider the Google/Mozilla position to be BS since they have known from the start that RT apps were to be sandboxed in the Metro/Modern component. Granted, I will admit I have developed a deep seated loathing for Google anyway, but my own opinion is they want all of the IE 10 WIN32 legacy APIs so that they can have another source of code and concepts from which to harvest for their own products for which someone else paid the bill. Mozilla is really just a puppet on this one since they are almost entirely dependent upon Google for the revenue to survive.

 

[a5cent]

I don't mind using IE10 at all, but this will be a problem since I'm buying this for university and our university website where we can see our marks and stuff only supports up to IE8. It also supports firefox, chrome and some other browsers.

This sounds really fishy to me. I don't believe a website can support IE8 but not IE10. If it looks right in IE8 it should look just as good on IE10. Are you sure you're not confusing something?

 

[jimski]

How about IE 10 Compatibility Mode. You know, for those older websites.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[kittshelby]

This sounds really fishy to me. I don't believe a website can support IE8 but not IE10. If it looks right in IE8 it should look just as good on IE10. Are you sure you're not confusing something?

It does open and display the page in IE10. The one thing that doesn't work in IE 10 is the side panel, which is used for navigation. So basically I can log in and I can only stay in the home page; I can't navigate to the grades, assignments, etc. areas.

I think they actually do have support for IE 9 cause I just tried with my WP7 and it does work, but it doesn't on IE 10 (I'm using W8 release preview).

 

[kittshelby]

How about IE 10 Compatibility Mode. You know, for those older websites.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

Oh wow, thanks so much! It works! I had no clue there was a comparability mode. Guess the Surface RT will work fine for me now.

 

[inteller]

well it means your university isn't writing standards compliant code because IE10 should support standards based HTML and CSS better than any previous browser.

 

[truffle1234]

NO... only IE10

 

[Blackwood504]

Yes mozilla is making a browser for windows 8/RT.

Firefox for Windows 8 preview, in pictures | ZDNet

I haven't downloaded it yet...but if you have RTM you should try it.

 

[VagrantWade]

Yes mozilla is making a browser for windows 8/RT.

Click to view quoted image


Firefox for Windows 8 preview, in pictures | ZDNet

Not RT. It's just a metro app. It does not support ARM.

 

[Blackwood504]

Not RT. It's just a metro app. It does not support ARM.

According to ZDnet it's not been comfirmed by mozilla yet. So you never know yet. I know Microsoft didn't want any other browsers in the start screen...they may change it or may put limitation on what other browsers can do...

"Mozilla had not confirmed at the time of writing whether it would be making an ARM-compatible version of Firefox Metro."

 

[ruthietootie]

Oh wow, thanks so much! It works! I had no clue there was a comparability mode. Guess the Surface RT will work fine for me now.

Compatibility mode doesn't work for me with some sites. Sites still say that I need to install Flash Player. But of course I can't do that for IE as the download is stopped due to IE having flash embedded. Had to install firefox and its relevant flash player. Sites work now with firefox. Maybe I need to do something more, don't know.

I also wanted a WinRT, namely Surface, but I may have to rethink it if I'm going to have viewing problems with IE.

 

[narv]

Compatibility mode doesn't work for me with some sites. Sites still say that I need to install Flash Player. But of course I can't do that for IE as the download is stopped due to IE having flash embedded. Had to install firefox and its relevant flash player. Sites work now with firefox. Maybe I need to do something more, don't know.

I also wanted a WinRT, namely Surface, but I may have to rethink it if I'm going to have viewing problems with IE.

Surface rt supports flash embedded which does just as well as regular sites however the issue you are having is rt also ONLY allows white listed websites to use the flash player. Try doing a google search for how to edit the whitelist. I can look it up later and post it here if you can't get it setup. You will also need to disable ms auto update of the whitelist or it will clear your entries.

 

[ruthietootie]

Surface rt supports flash embedded which does just as well as regular sites however the issue you are having is rt also ONLY allows white listed websites to use the flash player. Try doing a google search for how to edit the whitelist. I can look it up later and post it here if you can't get it setup. You will also need to disable ms auto update of the whitelist or it will clear your entries.

Thank. Will have to try this out

 

[MNasim01]

Try pressing F12 from your surface and choose comparability mode to be IE8 .. it should work.. I used it like that in my pc .. I am not sure if it work the same way in a tablet though ..
Hope it helps

 

[RTGent]

Running IE 11 under 8.1 Preview here.
My university doesn't "support" many packages and versions that I still run. The staff will, nevertheless, still help with issues and questions. No support just means I have to do my own updating, learning, etc. Glad you were able to move on.