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Mozilla Firefox: On the fly editing and timeout adjustment facilities

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Mark Hobley

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Nov 1, 2009, 7:08:02 AM11/1/09
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I am using Mozilla Firefox. I visit the following website:

https://secure.beepy.co.uk/checkout/

The browser freezes whilst waiting for ssl.google-analytics.com, which
is blocked by proxy.

I need to somehow tell the browser to skip waiting for this connection,
because it is never going to happen, and to continue loading the rest of
the page.

Is there a way to force the browser to skip waiting and load the rest of
the page? (Without adjusting the proxy settings)


Currently the browser waits for infinity for ssl.google-analytics.com.
Can I reduce this to a timeout of around 20 seconds?

or ...

I am thinking that it would be good to have a facility to modify the
page source on the fly here to remove the embedded reference to
google-analytics. I tried saving the page, and editing the html source,
but this throws out the references, and the page no longer interacts
with its source server at secure.beepy.co.uk.

I need to somehow use the modified page without changing the source
reference to file://localdirectory/secure.beepy.htm which is why an
on-the-fly page editing facility would be good here, or is there a way
to edit the page, keeping the references, eg by tricking the browser
into thinking that the locally modified page is coming from
secure.beepy.co.uk?

Would the following features be useful here?

1. Reduce waiting time from infinity to an arbitary number of seconds
2. On-the fly editing
3. Enable locally modified pages to appear as coming from the hosted domain

Mark.

--
Mark Hobley
Linux User: #370818 http://markhobley.yi.org/

Osmo Saarikumpu

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Nov 1, 2009, 10:47:38 AM11/1/09
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Mark Hobley kirjoitti:

> I am using Mozilla Firefox. I visit the following website:
>
> https://secure.beepy.co.uk/checkout/
>
> The browser freezes whilst waiting for ssl.google-analytics.com, which
> is blocked by proxy.
>
> I need to somehow tell the browser to skip waiting for this connection,
> because it is never going to happen, and to continue loading the rest of
> the page.
>
> Is there a way to force the browser to skip waiting and load the rest of
> the page? (Without adjusting the proxy settings)

In a (longish) word: Adblock_Plus_extension:

http://adblockplus.org/en/

Which in, per chance, I just happen to have the following rule:

*google-analytics.com*

which seems to have the silver medal for gathering hits :)

--
Best wishes,
Osmo

Mark Hobley

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Nov 1, 2009, 12:08:03 PM11/1/09
to
In comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html Osmo Saarikumpu <os...@weppipakki.com> wrote:
> In a (longish) word: Adblock_Plus_extension:
>
> http://adblockplus.org/en/
>

It is already blocked at proxy level. The problem is that the browser sits
and waits for a connection on this page rather than continuing.

The proxy filter works fine with other pages that utilize
google-analytics.

I wonder if there is some sort of bug in the browser that affects this
page because it uses https and javascript, rather than conventional
http.

By switching off javascript the page loads ok, but now the submit button
does not work, and I cannot place an order.

John Dunlop

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Nov 1, 2009, 12:12:19 PM11/1/09
to
Mark Hobley:

> Is there a way to force the browser to skip waiting and load the rest of
> the page? (Without adjusting the proxy settings)

You could modify your hosts file, or your system's equivalent, to map that
hostname to an invalid address.

--
John

Mark Hobley

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Nov 1, 2009, 3:08:02 PM11/1/09
to
In comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html John Dunlop <jo...@dunlop.name> wrote:
> You could modify your hosts file, or your system's equivalent, to map that
> hostname to an invalid address.

Yeah. I thought about that. It is a kludge though, and it would not work if
the proxy is remote (like mine is) or if the user does not have the
administrative rights to change the host files.

I think we need a fix to the browser here to skip waiting if the
connection is blocked by proxy. (It skips ok via html, but I suspect not via
javascript, since the web page displays ok if I disable javascript). I have
filed a bug report to request this feature.

David Stone

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Nov 3, 2009, 9:39:07 AM11/3/09
to
In article <llr0s6-...@neptune.markhobley.yi.org>,
markh...@hotpop.donottypethisbit.com (Mark Hobley) wrote:

> In comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html Osmo Saarikumpu <os...@weppipakki.com>
> wrote:
> > In a (longish) word: Adblock_Plus_extension:
> >
> > http://adblockplus.org/en/
> >
>
> It is already blocked at proxy level. The problem is that the browser sits
> and waits for a connection on this page rather than continuing.
>
> The proxy filter works fine with other pages that utilize
> google-analytics.

I think it is most likely a fault with the page that is invoking
the google-analytics script. I had this issue with the user forum
on a magazine I subscribe to. I run FireFox with the NoScript plugin
here, and google-analytics is blocked from running scripts. What was
odd was that there was no indication either from the NoScript plugin
or by viewing the page source that google-analytics was being called;
explicitly allowing scripts from google-analytics fixed the problem.

Long term, the problem simply stopped occurring, so I assume the
web site fixed something at their end. I've run into the same
problem elsewhere, but those were not sites that I was actually
interested in using, so I simply never went back.

> I wonder if there is some sort of bug in the browser that affects this
> page because it uses https and javascript, rather than conventional
> http.
>
> By switching off javascript the page loads ok, but now the submit button
> does not work, and I cannot place an order.

Try using a different browser? There are plenty to choose from!

Mark Hobley

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Nov 3, 2009, 2:08:08 PM11/3/09
to
In comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html David Stone <no.e...@domain.invalid> wrote:
> Try using a different browser? There are plenty to choose from!

Actually. That's a good idea. I'll have a look at that! Cheers.

James A. Donald

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Nov 15, 2009, 9:29:40 PM11/15/09
to
On Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:08:02 GMT,
markh...@hotpop.donottypethisbit.com (Mark Hobley) wrote:

> I am using Mozilla Firefox. I visit the following website:
>
> https://secure.beepy.co.uk/checkout/
>
> The browser freezes whilst waiting for ssl.google-analytics.com, which
> is blocked by proxy.

In your hosts file, direct all unwanted domains to an IP address that
404s everything or issues a permanent redirect to about:blank


--
----------------------
We have the right to defend ourselves and our property, because
of the kind of animals that we are. True law derives from this
right, not from the arbitrary power of the omnipotent state.

http://www.jim.com/

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