Images don't load properly in IE 5.x

[=?iso-8859-1?B?SXZhbiBC+nRvcmE=?=]

Please take a look at the following webpage:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/gallery_PKU_visit.htm

I have tested with various versions of IE, Firefox and Opera, and for
some reason in IE 5.01 and IE 5.5, the page stops loading after a
couple of thumbnail images, and then never finishes loading. This
problem does not happen in IE 6 and non-IE browsers.

Is there any explanation? The issue does not occur when I view the page
locally (i.e. the files are on my hard disk). Is there some problem
with how the server interacts with IE 5.x in this case? I cannot
identify any problems in the HTML source.

Thanks,

Ivan

 

[Neredbojias]

Please take a look at the following webpage:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/gallery_PKU_visit.htm

I have tested with various versions of IE, Firefox and Opera, and for
some reason in IE 5.01 and IE 5.5, the page stops loading after a
couple of thumbnail images, and then never finishes loading. This
problem does not happen in IE 6 and non-IE browsers.

Is there any explanation? The issue does not occur when I view the page
locally (i.e. the files are on my hard disk). Is there some problem
with how the server interacts with IE 5.x in this case? I cannot
identify any problems in the HTML source.

I suspect that with so much javascript, it's fumbling over itself.

 

[=?iso-8859-1?B?SXZhbiBC+nRvcmE=?=]

I suspect that with so much javascript, it's fumbling over itself.

Actually, the same problem happens if you put the thumbnails directly
into the .htm file, and remove all javascript.

"fumbling over itself" is not very helpful, sorry.

 

[Rik]

Please take a look at the following webpage:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/gallery_PKU_visit.htm

I have tested with various versions of IE, Firefox and Opera, and for
some reason in IE 5.01 and IE 5.5, the page stops loading after a
couple of thumbnail images, and then never finishes loading. This
problem does not happen in IE 6 and non-IE browsers.

Is there any explanation? The issue does not occur when I view the
page locally (i.e. the files are on my hard disk). Is there some
problem with how the server interacts with IE 5.x in this case? I
cannot identify any problems in the HTML source.

If it does not occur locally, try and check without
firewalls/virusscanners.
Also, Fiddler might give you some insight.

And indeed test without the javascript.

 

[Andy Dingley]

Is there any explanation?

You have confused HTML coding with JavaScript programming. The idea of
embedding the whole content for the page (the thumbnails) as JavaScript
statements is a terrible idea - don't do that.

 

[Bergamot]

http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/gallery_PKU_visit.htm

in IE 5.01 and IE 5.5, the page stops loading after a
couple of thumbnail images, and then never finishes loading.

What everyone else said. After that, learn how to properly optimize
images for the web.

47KB for a 133x100 thumbnail is un-freakin' believable!

 

[Andy Dingley]

Is there any explanation?

You have confused HTML coding with JavaScript programming. The idea of
embedding the whole content for the page (the thumbnails) as JavaScript
statements is a terrible idea - don't do that.

 

[=?iso-8859-1?B?SXZhbiBC+nRvcmE=?=]

The reason I posted in this newsgroup was to ask a very specific
question. What I have gotten from most of you so far is opinions and
criticisms about how I implemented the gallery, and about how I have
chosen to use javascript. I appreciate those opinions, but they do not
help me figure out this problem.

To get away from the debate about javascript, look at this page, which
is pure HTML, just with the thumbnails:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/test.htm

In IE 5.x, the pictures still stop loading. The number of pictures that
do load is not always the same. For example, I just tried now -
pictures #2, 4, 6 and 10 loaded, the rest do not, status bar says (23
items remaining...) Downloading.... And nothing else happens.

Do any of you actually have IE 5.x and can you test it to see for
yourself?

IB

 

[=?iso-8859-1?B?SXZhbiBC+nRvcmE=?=]

To take this one step further, here is a very bare-bones page, just
with the thumbnails, and no stylesheets:

http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/test2.htm

Still the same problem in IE 5.x.

 

[Ed Mullen]

Do any of you actually have IE 5.x and can you test it to see for
yourself?

I suspect that may be the problem. I haven't had anything less than IE
6 for years. However, latest Web stats for browsers shows IE5 at 3% or
thereabouts. I'm not sure you should spend too much time on this unless
you have a very specific audience that is locked into 5.5.

--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net
http://mozilla.edmullen.net
http://abington.edmullen.net
A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.

 

[Neredbojias]

To take this one step further, here is a very bare-bones page, just
with the thumbnails, and no stylesheets:

http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/test2.htm

Still the same problem in IE 5.x.

I think it's the dashes (hyphens) in the filename, although having capitals
and constructs like "%20" probably isn't a good idea, either. Simple
filenames will probably solve the problem, and you should, of course, have
tested for that beforehand.

 

[dorayme]

I suspect that may be the problem. I haven't had anything less than IE
6 for years. However, latest Web stats for browsers shows IE5 at 3% or
thereabouts. I'm not sure you should spend too much time on this unless
you have a very specific audience that is locked into 5.5.

You are on safe ground here Ed. You should never spend too much
time on anything.

OP, have you tried cutting down the number of images and matching
html in above and identified at what point it fails to work 100%?
Have you done a survey of your names on the server for
capitalization errors?

 

[Ed Mullen]

You are on safe ground here Ed. You should never spend too much
time on anything.

Uh, yeah, but, what about my obsessions? (Oh, no! Must I give up lamb
chops? And grilled asparagus? And expensive guitars? Wait!!!
Bourbon??? Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!! Noooooo ...!)

--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net
http://mozilla.edmullen.net
http://abington.edmullen.net
Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery.

 

[Jukka K. Korpela]

Scripsit Neredbojias:

I think it's the dashes (hyphens) in the filename,

What makes you think so? I've never seen them cause trouble on web pages. I
presume you're referring to the ASCII hyphen, i.e. hyphen-minus; other
dashes and hyphens surely cause problems.

Hyphens cause problems when URLs are presented in print media, since word
processors and typesetting programs typically treat a hyphen as allowing a
line break after it, resulting in ambiguities (is the hyphen at the end of a
line part of the URL or not).

although having
capitals and constructs like "%20" probably isn't a good idea,
either.

They may confuse people, but technically they're safe.

 

[=?iso-8859-1?B?SXZhbiBC+nRvcmE=?=]

Thanks - indeed, it seems the dashes are not the problem.
Here is another test page, there are now no dashes, spaces or capital
letters in the file names, and I also removed the links around the
images - still the same problem:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/test3.htm

 

[=?iso-8859-1?B?SXZhbiBC+nRvcmE=?=]

I suspect that may be the problem. I haven't had anything less than IE
6 for years. However, latest Web stats for browsers shows IE5 at 3% or
thereabouts. I'm not sure you should spend too much time on this unless
you have a very specific audience that is locked into 5.5.

I'm using a standalone version of IE 5 and 5.5 to test. They can be
downloaded from:
http://browsers.evolt.org/?ie/32bit/standalone

I did have my friend test it, too, with a full IE5, and he experienced
the same issue.

You're right abotu the low usage for IE5. Nonetheless, I've tried so
far to make the site work for IE5 (with numerous CSS workarounds), so
if it's possible, I'd like to have this work, too.

I guess I should try "Fiddler", as suggested by Rick?

 

[=?iso-8859-1?B?SXZhbiBC+nRvcmE=?=]

Hmm, it seems I've now identified that there is one problematic picture
- it's the very first one in the series. If I comment this particular
picture out, the thumbnails load correctly. The following page is the
same as test2, but the first picture is commented out:

http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/test2a.htm

Here is the full version of the "problematic" picture:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/gallery/fullsize/PKU_visit/PKU gallery - 01.jpg

Is there anything about this picture that is "strange"?

IE 5.x can read the picture itself fine, but when it is as an <img> tag
inside the .htm, it does not load. Here is just this one thumbnail -
the page does not load in IE 5.x:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/test2b.htm

Thanks for any suggestions,

IB

 

[dorayme]

Hmm, it seems I've now identified that there is one problematic picture
- it's the very first one in the series. If I comment this particular
picture out, the thumbnails load correctly. The following page is the
same as test2, but the first picture is commented out:

http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/test2a.htm

Here is the full version of the "problematic" picture:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/gallery/fullsize/PKU_visit/PKU gallery -%2
001.jpg

Is there anything about this picture that is "strange"?

IE 5.x can read the picture itself fine, but when it is as an <img> tag
inside the .htm, it does not load. Here is just this one thumbnail -
the page does not load in IE 5.x:
http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/test2b.htm

Thanks for any suggestions,

IB

I put your pic up on a different server, at the same time
re-exporting it to jpg in a copy. Just tell me if you see 3
images ok in IE5

<http://members.optushome.com.au/droovies/test/test1.html>

By examining the code and seeing the differences between yours
and mine, the appearance or non-appearance of the image, you
might get a clue as to what is going on.

 

[=?iso-8859-1?B?SXZhbiBC+nRvcmE=?=]

I put your pic up on a different server, at the same time
re-exporting it to jpg in a copy. Just tell me if you see 3
images ok in IE5

<http://members.optushome.com.au/droovies/test/test1.html>

By examining the code and seeing the differences between yours
and mine, the appearance or non-appearance of the image, you
might get a clue as to what is going on.

Hmm... I tried your page in IE 5, it has the same problem, it either
doesn't load at all, or the other time only the picture "two.jpg"
loaded. I guess that's the one that you re-exported?

I'm still not sure what's going on.

How is the "re-exported" picture different from the original?

 

[BootNic]

news: (e-mail address removed)
Hmm, it seems I've now identified that there is one problematic
picture - it's the very first one in the series. If I comment this
particular picture out, the thumbnails load correctly. The following
page is the same as test2, but the first picture is commented out:
[snip]

Is there anything about this picture that is "strange"?

Try to open the image in a text editor. It appears to have a bit of xml
embeded within, same with the large verison of it.

[snip]

--
BootNic Saturday, December 16, 2006 4:31 PM

Why is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least
triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect
how often we have told it to the same person?
*Francois de La Rochefoucauld*