Difference between servers while code is exact copy (in IE)

[Els]

Hi,

I just discovered something weird in IE with some of my pages, and I
can't figure out what could be wrong.

I've got this page on my host's server:
http://locusmeus.com/test/thumbswraptest.html
And an exact copy of it locally:
http://here.locusmeus.com/test/thumbswraptest.html

In my IE6 under WinXP, the local copy shows the same as in Firefox,
i.e. lightgreen and lightyellow backgrounds behind thumbnails and
captions.
The online copy however, shows these backgrounds as red, which I have
in there to debug - it's not supposed to show, and it doesn't in the
local version, nor in the online version in Firefox or Opera.

So... now I'm wondering if anyone can
a) confirm that I'm not seeing things ;-)
b) explain what causes it?

Can the server itself really have this effect?
The remote server is Apache 1.3.34 on Linux, my local one is Apache
2.0.55 on WinXP.

 

[Steve Pugh]

I just discovered something weird in IE with some of my pages, and I
can't figure out what could be wrong.

I've got this page on my host's server:
http://locusmeus.com/test/thumbswraptest.html
And an exact copy of it locally:
http://here.locusmeus.com/test/thumbswraptest.html

In my IE6 under WinXP, the local copy shows the same as in Firefox,
i.e. lightgreen and lightyellow backgrounds behind thumbnails and
captions.
The online copy however, shows these backgrounds as red, which I have
in there to debug - it's not supposed to show, and it doesn't in the
local version, nor in the online version in Firefox or Opera.

Doesn't seem to be a server issue. Seems to be an IE bug in applying
CSS to visited links. I bet that you clicked on a link on the online
copy but not the local copy.

When first loaded both versions (but am I actually see different copies
from here?) look the same in IE6. However, when I click a link and then
go back, the links now have a red background. This does not happen in
Opera.

It seems to me that IE is applying the
a:visited {
background:red; /* for debugging purpose */
}
in preference to the
span.thumb a{
background:#90EE90; /* lightgreen */
}
and
span.caption a{
background:#FFFFE0; /* lightyellow */
}
rules.

In general I would apply colours to a:link and a:visited and only use
pseudo-class-less a selectors for things like display: block and
margins.

Steve

 

[Andrew Donaldson]

Els wrote:
[...]

So... now I'm wondering if anyone can
a) confirm that I'm not seeing things ;-)

You're seeing things For me (WinXP/IE6) the two pages look identical
- green backround, yellow on hover.

Andrew

 

[Els]

Doesn't seem to be a server issue. Seems to be an IE bug in applying
CSS to visited links. I bet that you clicked on a link on the online
copy but not the local copy.

Didn't really click them, but yes, the online version's linked page is
in my cache, while the local one wasn't.

When first loaded both versions (but am I actually see different copies
from here?)

Of course
locusmeus.com is in the USA, here.locusmeus.com right here on my pc,
in Hoogvliet (in the Netherlands)

look the same in IE6. However, when I click a link and then
go back, the links now have a red background. This does not happen in
Opera.

It seems to me that IE is applying the
a:visited {
background:red; /* for debugging purpose */
}
in preference to the
span.thumb a{
background:#90EE90; /* lightgreen */
}
and
span.caption a{
background:#FFFFE0; /* lightyellow */
}
rules.

Ah! Now there's a thought - why didn't I think of that!
I've now set the background colors explicitly for a:link and
a:visited, and that does indeed make a difference:
http://locusmeus.com/test/thumbswraptest2.html
http://here.locusmeus.com/test/thumbswraptest2.html

In general I would apply colours to a:link and a:visited and only use
pseudo-class-less a selectors for things like display: block and
margins.

Yes, I normally do actually - probably why I never saw this problem
before.

Thanks for seeing what I didn't

 

[Els]

Els wrote:
[...]

So... now I'm wondering if anyone can
a) confirm that I'm not seeing things ;-)

You're seeing things For me (WinXP/IE6) the two pages look identical
- green backround, yellow on hover.

Thanks, as per Steve's reply - this means you haven't visited my
homepage before ;-)

 

[Blinky the Shark]

Hi,

I just discovered something weird in IE with some of my pages, and I
can't figure out what could be wrong.

I've got this page on my host's server:
http://locusmeus.com/test/thumbswraptest.html
And an exact copy of it locally:
http://here.locusmeus.com/test/thumbswraptest.html

In my IE6 under WinXP, the local copy shows the same as in Firefox,
i.e. lightgreen and lightyellow backgrounds behind thumbnails and
captions.
The online copy however, shows these backgrounds as red, which I have
in there to debug - it's not supposed to show, and it doesn't in the
local version, nor in the online version in Firefox or Opera.

It's green in both, here. Only difference I see is font size.

 

[Els]

It's green in both, here. Only difference I see is font size.

Difference in font-size?? Not a different setting in your browser?

 

[Blinky the Shark]

Difference in font-size?? Not a different setting in your browser?

I open IE6/XP. I go to one of those pages.

I open a new IE6/XP window. I go to the other page.

They look the same except for font size.

FWIW, this is also true when I veiw the two pages in two tabs in one
instance of Firefox.

I don't know how browser settings would do that.

 

[Els]

I open IE6/XP. I go to one of those pages.

I open a new IE6/XP window. I go to the other page.

They look the same except for font size.

FWIW, this is also true when I veiw the two pages in two tabs in one
instance of Firefox.

I don't know how browser settings would do that.

Separate windows in IE and separate tabs in Firefox, can hold
different font-sizes in the view menu. Are they both set to the same
percentage?

FWIW, there is no font-size set at all in the entire document...

 

[Blinky the Shark]

Separate windows in IE and separate tabs in Firefox, can hold
different font-sizes in the view menu. Are they both set to the same
percentage?

I don't see that in IE, now. I don't know why I saw it before. Or why
I think I did.

But yes, apparently of the two tabs I stuck them in in Firefox, I *had*
changed text size in one of them, earlier, and had forgot about that. I
just reopened FF and don't see that with two fresh tabs.

I'm sorry.

Do you need to punish me now?

 

[Els]

But yes, apparently of the two tabs I stuck them in in Firefox, I *had*
changed text size in one of them, earlier, and had forgot about that. I
just reopened FF and don't see that with two fresh tabs.

I'm sorry.

np

Do you need to punish me now?

You wish! ;-)

 

[Andrew Donaldson]

Thanks, as per Steve's reply - this means you haven't visited my
homepage before ;-)

Yes I have! - with Opera

Andrew

 

[Els]

Yes I have! - with Opera

Well okay then, you're forgiven <g>