Help With Browser Problems

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CONTENTS:

1. How Your Browser Can Bite
2. Setting Up Your Web Mail

1. How Your Web Browser Can Bite

Most Web Browsers have a cache, or storage area. What is stored here? If you visit a Web page, the page is stored in the cache, along with the URL, or Web address. The cache has a fixed capacity that is set by a menu choice in your Browser. Once this capacity is exceeded, newer Web pages replace ones that you visited earlier. For aa stable or unchangng Web site, this speeds up your Browser's response. However, for a Web site that is changing rapidly, like this FLS site, the cache is a trap, as we explain below.

The trap is that, if a page changes after your last visit, your Browser will go to the cache for an out-of-date copy, instead of to the Web site for a current copy, and you will be using an old version of the page. Here is what can happen:

• Hyperlinks may not work
• Content may have changed

Before visiting a rapidly-changing Web site, or especially if links do not seem to work, you should clear your Browser's cache and reload the page. Actually, your Browser can have two types of caches:

• Disk cache, in which previous pages are stored on your computer's hard disk drive
• Memory or RAM cache, in which previous pages are stored in your computer's RAM or volatile memory. This cache is erased when you close your Browser or turn your computer's power off.

Both types of cache, if present, should be cleared before you visit a rapidly-changing Web site. The exact method of clearing the cache varies from Browser to Browser, and even within Browsers from one version to another, so we cannot give explicit directions. To clear the cache,

1. Look for a menu choice such as "Options" or "Preferences" or "Setup." Instead of being a direct choice, this may be in the "File" menu.
2. Look for button(s) that mention clearing the cache. There may be separate buttons for disk and RAM cache. The button(s) may be in lower-level menus.
3. When you click on the buttons, there may be warning messages about clearing the cache. This is no problem, since you want to reload the pages from the Web site, so click "OK" or "Continue" or whatever option will let you go ahead.
4. If you click a button like "Cancel" you will abort clearing the cache.

You can also configure your Browser not to use cache at all, by configuring the size of the cache to zero bytes. You might want to do this to ensure that you always get the latest version of a Web page. Another reason for disabling cache, or at least RAM cache, is if your Browser sometimes "locks up." If your Browser does sometimes locks up, you can sometimes improve this situation by setting the RAM cache to zero bytes. Disk cache would not affect this situation.

To disable either or both of your RAM and disk caches,

1. Look for a menu choice such as "Options" or "Preferences" or "Setup." Instead of being a direct choice, this may be in the "File" menu.
2. Look for small data entry area(s) for cache sizes, usually in kB (kilo Bytes or 1,024 characters). The data entry area(s) may be in lower-level menus.
3. Click in the data entry area(s). Use the mouse or the keyboard to erase the numbers in there and type in 0 (the numeral zero).
4. Click on the "OK", "Accept" or other button to accept the new values. If there are no buttons like this, try hitting the <Enter> or <Return> key.

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2. Setting Up Your Web Mail

You are no doubt reading this using an Internet Browser such as Netscape or Mosaic. Because we want your feedback on this Web site, we have set up e-mail links so that you can easily e-mail us and tell us how to improve the site. Before you can use these links successfully, however, your Browser must be set up with a valid return address. The instructions for doing this are below. If your Browser is already set up, you can return to the Welcome Page. If your are not sure about whether or not your Browser is set up, you should continue here.

FIRST, we really mean the "must." If your Browser is not set up with a valid return address and you try to use the link, the link will fail, your Browser may lock up, and that could lock up your computer.

EXCEPTION: If you are using this site as part of a demonstration in a setting that is not connected to the Internet, you will not be able to set up the mail address or to use the mail links.

To configure your Browser's return mail address,

• Choose the menu item Options or Preferences or similar title. You may have to try more than one menu item.

Often your Browser will tell you what menu option to choose if you choose the File menu item and then an item having to do with sending a mail message or mailing a document. If your Browser is not set up, you will see a warning message to that effect, hopefully telling you what menu choices to make. If your Browser is set up correctly, you will not get a warning. You may still want to make sure that it has your name and address, not someone else's.

• Choose the item having to do with mail addresses.
• Enter all e-mail information. In various combinations, this can include
  • your full e-mail address
  • the part of your e-mail address before the "@"
  • the part of your e-mail address after the "@"
  • your full or real name
• Click OK and go back to the top of this document and then back to the Welcome page.

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