amd64/121951: Javascript bug in _amd64_ version of Mozilla-Firefox

[Mike Meyer]

The following reply was made to PR amd64/121951; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Mike Meyer <mwm at mired.org>
To: Bill Squire <billsf at cuba.calyx.nl>
Cc: FreeBSD-gnats-submit at FreeBSD.org
Subject: Re: amd64/121951: Javascript bug in _amd64_ version of Mozilla-Firefox
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:45:42 -0400

 On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:52:30 +0100 (CET)
 Bill Squire <billsf at cuba.calyx.nl> wrote:
 > >How-To-Repeat:
 >     goto: <http://maps.google.com/> and note there are NO maps -- anywhere
 >     100% repeatable -- problem has developed over the past six months.   
 
 maps.google.com works fine for me on 7.0-RELEASE/amd64.
 
 >     goto: <http://slashdot.org/>, login and try to "Retrieve more of ...."
 >     (at the bottom of the page)
 >     Try to set preferences or any other 'ajax-style' window 
 >     100% repeatable -- has developed over 1/2 a year. 
 
 Can you create an account to demonstrate this, as they have chosen to
 block bugmenot.
 
 >     Other very minor failures at various sites: (highly variable)
 >     Launching video at various news sites (non-flash) usually implies 
 >     manual loading into a mediaplayer or 'carefully timed manipulation'.
 >     BBC, CBC, VARA, VPRO etc. Note: Some sites, particularly in the US, try
 >     to prevent non-Windows usage. (This may or may not be related to this.) 
 
 In my experience, most sites on the internet are buggy to some degree
 or another. In particular, almost *all* of them are sensitive to what
 should be minor variations in the client configuration. The closer you
 are to the authors standard configuration (almost inevitably a
 slightly dated version of IE on a similarly dated version of 32bit
 Windows in their out of the box configuration with the server on the
 local lan), the more likely things are to work for you. Three of your
 own suggested fixes are "Run something more like what the author
 runs":
 
 >     Run the Linux32 version -- Usually works well.
 >     Run the native 32bit version on an i386 (athlon-xp) or
 >     Run the 32bit version under emulation on amd64. (in a jail)
 >         (Both the real and 'emulated' i386 work error-free.)  
 
 So, you might try:
 
 1) Creating a new users with all software configured to it's default state.
 2) Remove any system-level config info for the relevant software.
 3) Reinstall said software. If you're compiling from source, reset the
    config to the defaults.
 
 As to the other fixes, they may be good advice, but aren't things that
 can be done in the FreeBSD source tree.
 
 >  >Fix: 	
 >     Some sites should be aware of this and perhaps write better scripts.
 
 Personally, I decided the barbarians had won 15 years ago, and gave up
 the fight. But good luck with it.
 
 >     Turn off javascript when practical
 
 Good security advice. You should also restart the browser after each
 site to kill xss code.
 
 >     Learn Javascript-2.0!  
 
       <mike
 
 -- 
 Mike Meyer <mwm at mired.org>		http://www.mired.org/consulting.html
 Independent Network/Unix/Perforce consultant, email for more information.