We're seeing confusion, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, about unfairly limited Blogger / Google support policies.
Why can I not Follow my favourite blog, without using a Google account?
and
Why must I upgrade my computer, to be able to use Chrome?
Some blog owners and readers take the support policy limits personally, as if Blogger / Google is punishing them - or their readers - for not using the right account to login, or not upgrading their software.
Every different account host - and every different browser or operating system - requires more unique code, that must be provided by Blogger / Google, in their libraries.
Blogger / Google are trying to make their products efficient and stable.
Blogger / Google is trying to make their applications and browser more stable. More stable products yield happier users, and more users.
Complex code libraries, caused by the need to support every different non Google account (previously supported by Blogger), and every different operating system of every age, cause Chrome and Followers to be slow and unstable. Slow and unstable applications and browsers yield unhappy users, and less users.
More complex code libraries require Blogger / Google to spend more time updating their code, for every change made outside Google.
Which choice makes more sense?
- Less complex applications and browsers, less time spent maintaining less complex code libraries, more customers, more satisfied customers.
- More complex applications and browsers, more time spent maintaining more complex code libraries, less customers, less satisfied customers.
My money says Door #1 makes the most sense, from a business viewpoint.
Efficient and stable applications require effort by users, as well as coders.
Blogger / Google simply can't support every different non Google account in their applications, and every different browser and operating system, and maintain a business. People who want to use Blogger and Google have to make some effort, and help Blogger and Google to help them.
Blogger cannot support non Google accounts, and provide an efficient and stable Followers gadget.
If you try to update Chrome - and you see advice
Sorry, you can't update Chrome, using this operating system.
or if you (or your readers) try to Follow your blog, and see
We're sorry, the site owner has blocked you from joining this site.
Neither refusal is Blogger / Google being petty, and forcing you (or your readers) from having unlimited choice, capriciously. This simply represents Blogger / Google making a tough choice, and trying to provide efficient and stable products, for their customers who are willing to make some effort.
Some blog owners do not understand the need for #Blogger and #Google to support use of a limited range of non Blogger / Google products, in their various features. Support policy for products like the new Followers gadget, which now supports only Google accounts for Following - and Chrome, which supports only newer versions of Windows operating system - are not understood.
We have a small but vocal group of blog owners, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, who report that they are unable to use Post Editor, to upload photos.
When trying, they get an errorDo you want to open or save resumable (1.61kb) from www.blogger.com?
Right now, it appears that the problem is common to older versions of Internet Explorer.
The blog owners willing to provide details, about their browser, appear to be using Internet Explorer V8 or V9.
It is possible that the owners having a problem with IE V9 are using Blogger with Compatibility View enabled - which effectively gives them IE V8. Noting that Internet Explorer V8 is considerably out of date - and is now not supported by Blogger - it's possible that the primary cause of the problem simply involves use of IE V8 (or V9 with "Compatibility View").
We have a Problem Rollup Discussion, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, where we are requesting details from everybody who is experiencing this problem.
While we wait for action by Blogger Engineering, everybody experiencing this problem is strongly urged to contribute their details to the Rollup Discussion. Problem diagnosis being as it is, any one person, contributing their details, might contribute the one essential detail that leads to successful diagnosis of the problem.
Alternately, you might consider upgrading Internet Explorer - or disabling "Compatibility View", for "blogger.com".
We have numerous blog owners report that they cannot access their Blogger dashboards. Every time I login to Blogger, I get We're sorry, but we were unable to complete your request.
When reporting this error to Blogger Support or on the Blogger Help Group, please:
Describe what you were doing when you got this error.
Provide the following error code.
bX-w7tr63
What should I do?
The only answer here is to replyDon't use Internet Explorer V11.
In Blogger Help: Compatible browser and operating systems, we notice, quite conspicuously, the absence of Internet Explorer 11, from the table.Blogger works with the following browsers and operating systems:
The most current version of Internet Explorer listed is V10, with the annotation* For best results, turn off Compatibility View.
If you have a computer with Internet Explorer V11, you're going to need a third party browser - Chrome or Firefox. Otherwise - sorry - you won't be able to use Blogger.
Apparently, IE V11 contains too many internal changes, for Blogger Engineering to update the dashboard utilities, so IE V11 will be reliably usable - Compatibility View enabled, or disabled. Blogger has simply decided to not support IE V11, until they can properly update.
Like the predecessors, "bX-rjv21c" and "bX-sf96g4", this bX code can be cleared only by action of the blog owner - who must use a different browser, to access the Blogger dashboard.
We're seeing an occasional report from blog owners, trying to access the Blogger dashboard, using Firefox.I am trying to update my blog, and I get an error WARNING UNRESPONSIVE SCRIPT
A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the script now, open the script in the debugger, or let the script continue.
I'm using Firefox, and I need help here!
This has been a problem, for a few years - just a very low volume has been reported.
Mozilla Support has acknowledged the problem.This error is telling you that Firefox thinks that a script may be running out of control and would make Firefox hang if nothing is done. The script could be something on a web page you're accessing, in an extension you installed, or even Firefox itself.
And, they provide a rather well defined procedure for diagnosing the problem.Some problems with Firefox are caused by extensions, themes or hardware acceleration. This article will help you determine whether one of these is causing your problem and, if it is, describe how to make Firefox run normally again.
If you follow the troubleshooting procedure, you'll observe that the focus is on add-ons and extensions. The non responding problem will generally be solved by disabling programs which provide protection by examining each script, on a one by one basis. You'll end up disabling any filters, that prevent the Blogger dashboard scripts from loading and / or running.
In this case, you'll be better off knowing what security products are resident on your computer, and in your browser - and possibly, what changes have been made, recently.
Once again, this is not a problem that Blogger Engineers can fix, on their own.
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For several weeks, we've seen a steady stream of problem reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about the latest monolithic error in Blogger history.
bx-hg9hg2
From several conversations with Blogger Support, it now appears that this latest error code (and a few similar ones) is related to Internet Explorer, and the use of Compatibility View. Apparently, Blogger Engineering has finally updated Blogger so it is compatible with Internet Explorer V11 - and having done so, has made it incompatible with V11 using Compatibility View.
The simplest way to resolve the bx-hg9hg2 is to reset Internet Explorer.
Many Blogger blog owners may be using Internet Explorer for more than just Blogger blog maintenance - and may not appreciate the possible effect on access to other websites, caused by a browser reset. In this case, it may be better to Edit the Internet Explorer settings, and remove Blogger from Compatibility View.
To edit Compatibility View, you use the browser Tools menu, and select "Compatibility View Settings". Select any or all entries referencing "blogger.com", and hit "Remove", then "Close".
Having either reset Internet Explorer, or edited the Compatibility View list, you may next need to restart Internet Explorer.
A third possibility would be to use a different browser, until Blogger Engineering resolves all issues with IE V11 and Compatibility View. This may not happen immediately, however - and some blog owners may prefer to use IE in general. Advice to "Use a different browser" is not always appreciated, by every blog owner.
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Those Blogger blog owners who continue to use an older browser, and who have decided to check out the New Blogger GUI (2011), may be familiar with the ominous adviceYour browser is no longer supported by Blogger. Some parts of Blogger will not work and you may experience problems.
If you are having problems, try Google Chrome.
Some of you have opted to check out the New GUI, even when faced with the warning - and have been faced with a cold reality.I mistakenly clicked on the "Try the updated Blogger interface" link and now I just have a blank screen because my computer is outdated.
Having seen a steady flood of the latter complaint, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, Blogger recently released a non GUI Recovery process.www.blogger.com/opt-in-new-ui.g?useNewUi=false
The latter URL, and its mirror imagewww.blogger.com/opt-in-new-ui.g?useNewUi=true
can be used by anybody, as a non GUI procedure to move back and forth between the Classic and New Blogger GUIs. Unfortunately, not everybody can do this.
When the New Blogger GUI (2011) was first introduced, it was optional. New Blogger blog owners, and other Blogger account holders, would get the (currently available) Classic GUI by default, with the offerTry the updated Blogger interface
at the top of the dashboard. When in the "updated Blogger interface", we would see the reassuring link to Switch back
at the top of the blog list or dashboard.
Blogger has now taken the next step, to making the New GUI (2011) simply The GUI. The "Switch back" link, at the top, is now gone. If you want to go back to the (former) Classic GUI, you find the gear icon at the top right of the blog list or dashboard display. Clicking on the gear, you'll see a more robust pulldown menu, with the selection "Old Blogger interface".
An alternate way to move forward would be to use the New GUI Use URLwww.blogger.com/opt-in-new-ui.g?useNewUi=true
If you are trying the "updated Blogger interface" from an out of date browser, you may not be able to access the gear icon. In this case, you may find the Classic GUI Recovery URL useful.www.blogger.com/opt-in-new-ui.g?useNewUi=false
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In general, it's good to be adventurous - but not always. Sometimes, listening to our friends, to be adventurous, gets us into trouble. We're being urged to "Try the updated Blogger interface", by our "friends" - aka Blogger - in our Classic GUI dashboard. Blog owners who are still using an older browser, that's admittedly unsupported by Blogger, may find themselves with a problem, when they "Try the updated Blogger interface".
Clicking on the link, to "Try the updated Blogger interface", you'll find yourself viewing a rather monolithic and ominous warning.Your browser is no longer supported by Blogger. Some parts of Blogger will not work and you may experience problems.
If you are having problems, try Google Chrome. | Dismiss
Now, you're at a point of no return. If your browser is current, you can always take a look at the New GUI, then click "Old Blogger interface", behind the gear icon - and you'll be none the worse. If your browser is out of date, when you get to The New GUI, you may not see the gear icon (or anything else).
If you cannot use the "Old Blogger interface" menu item, you can use the Blogger Classic GUI Recovery URL.www.blogger.com/opt-in-new-ui.g?useNewUi=false
One day, though, you will need to move forward.- Install Chrome, or a different browser at current version, then switch back.
- Upgrade the current browser.
You have to move forward, eventually. Don't wait, forever.
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Last week, I issued my annual reminder to blog owners, to consider their blog holiday decorations with care. That reminder mainly focuses on the more controversial issue of blog hijacks, and computer hacking. Besides the long term and subtle computer hacking, your readers, visiting your blog decorated with the latest animation, will have a more immediate and obvious problem to consider - browser freezes and other computer overload problems.
Besides the blatant blog hijack threat, there's another challenge from the animation, for you to consider. The animation - falling hearts / leaves / snow - requires intense processor activity. Every time one heart / leaf / snowflake changes position on the screen (ie, "falls"), the processor has to redraw the screen, with the heart / leaf / snowflake in the new location. Similar to one Designer Templates problem, many computers will run a bit slower when displaying a blog with decorative animation.
People who publish blogs, that are appropriate for these decorations, tend to have readers who may not have purchased a new computer for a couple years. Older computers tend to be marginally able to deal with the load generated by the latest browser updates and other newer software - and adding animation on your blog may be just too much extra load.
Similar to the effect from blog owners who install automatically playing background music, your visitors may decide that reading your blog makes just too much trouble for them.
If people stop visiting your blog, because their browsers freeze up, you'll need to revisit your decorative decision. Maybe, thinking about it now is a better idea.
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The Winter Holiday season is approaching, and this week we're seeing queries by some blog owners, getting ready.Why do my readers see a search display - instead of my blog?
andHow do I make it snow on my blog?
and a few owners, and visitorsWhy does my browser freeze or lag when viewing this blog?
Many blog owners, who publish craft, family, and personal themed blogs, just have to make their blogs reflect their holiday wishes for their readers. Only later, they may re think their decision.
Some of us in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken remember this season last year, though not fondly. Many blog owners, having previously decorated their blogs with Falling Leaves (Thanksgiving), Falling Snow (Christmas), and later Falling Hearts (Valentines Day), found themselves spending time in the forum, asking why nobody could see their blogs. The answer that they found was that their blogs, previously decorated with the Falling Leaves / Snow / Hearts animations, were redirecting their readers to websites which were not relevant to their readers interests or needs.
The owners of computers poorly protected against malicious software installation, when redirected from their friends holiday decorated blogs to the hijackers websites, found themselves later consulting their local computer guru. The gurus spent time (not always without expense) removing some unwanted software, installed by the hijackers websites.
The charming thing about the hijacks is that the Falling Leaves / Snow / Hearts gadgets, when installed, did not immediately redirect the various visitors to the malicious websites. This detail appeared to indicate very devious planning by the hijackers, who had waited, patiently, while thousands of blog owners had installed their trickery, before activating the hijack.
This caused some confusion in the forums. A normal part of problem diagnosis - which many of those of you, who have requested help here, may recognise - is the brief and very simple questionWhat changes have you made to the blog, recently?
Most blog owners, naturally, answeredNothing interesting.
Later, when a malicious Falling Leaves / Snow / Heart accessory was identified, with the stern adviceGet rid of that!
The answer would beI installed that 6 months ago! Surely, that's not the problem??!!
Only after large numbers of people had reported problems with their blogs, and we found the Falling Leaves / Snow / Heart accessory on the problem blogs, did we advise everybodyRemove all Falling Leaves / Snow / Heart accessories, from your blogs, immediately.
Besides the blatant blog hijack threat, there's another issue for you to consider. The animation - falling hearts / leaves / snow - requires intense processor activity. If people stop visiting your blog, because their browsers freeze up, you'll need to revisit your decorative decision.
So, as this years holiday season starts, we'll advise everybody to beware of any animated accessory, such as (but not limited to) Falling Leaves / Snow / Hearts. Install any third party accessory with care and discrimination. And remember everything installed, for a long time afterwards.
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It appears that, in their push to launch (in Draft, mostly) New Blogger June 2008, Blogger overlooked one significant challenge. This month, Mozilla released V3.0 of their popular browser, Firefox.
Various bloggers are reporting odd problems using Blogger, and seem to connect the installation of the new version of Firefox with the start of their problems.
Several bloggers have complained that the links that switch between "Compose", "Edit HTML" , and "Preview" modes are inoperative. Other Bloggers are missing toolbar buttons, or find that some toolbar buttons don't do anything. These are scripting problems, that have been observed from time to time.
Note that Firefox V3.0, like V2.0 before it, was a major update. The Firefox V3.0 install doesn't require any complicated procedures - it just goes right over V2.x. Anybody with any experience with computers - either programming, software support, or user support, knows that installing one version of a program right over another (aka "install in place") isn't always the best policy - even if the software vendor lets you do this.
With Firefox and its extensive add-on library (and most add-ons are produced by third parties, not Mozilla), an install in place is not a good idea for major version upgrades (i.e., from V2.x to V3.0). The extent of the changes made in the base product (Firefox itself) make compatibility problems between the base product and the add-ons a very real problem. Even when neither Mozilla nor the third parties intentionally ignore a problem.
If you do an install in place, and carry over your current Firefox profile, and all add-ons, when upgrading to V3.0, you're going to get some problems. Some add-ons, even though they think that they're compatible with V3.0, may not be so for all applications like Blogger.
If you are seeing any of the above mentioned problems with Blogger, and you just casually upgraded over V2.x (installed in place), that may be why you're here. Try a clean install of Firefox V3.0, while you wait for Blogger to read your problem report - maybe you won't need to file one after all.
- If you're running NoScript (which you should be), Export your whitelist.
- Save your Firefox Bookmarks file.
- From Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs, uninstall Firefox (V2.x, if you're reading this soon enough - or V3.0, if not).
- Delete your current Firefox profile.
- Install Firefox V3.0.
- Test Firefox V3.0 with Blogger.
- Install NoScript, and Import your whitelist saved previously.
- Add each additional add-on (that's available for V3.0), one at a time. Test Blogger and other high risk applications after each add-on is installed.
The good news is that NoScript V1.7.4 does work with Firefox V3.0 and Blogger. That's a start, and that's the first add-on that you should be installing. Just install it on top of a properly installed Firefox V3.0.
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