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IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

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Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#41
I don't understand this bug at all. The guy reported the problem with a screenshot that demonstrates absolutely nothing.

  Hey guys! Here's a screenshot of Google looking 
  prefectly normal. Please fix it! And don't say 
  anything I don't like either! (*whine* *whine*)
There's a second screenshot from another user, which does demonstrate a screwed up grid layout. Is that the problem? If so, that should not be described as "legacy mode".

What does the original user even mean when he says legacy mode? Does he mean a Google page where "instant" does not re-render the page as you type your search terms? Who knows? Way to be vague.

In any event, if the user now suddenly has to type the "enter" key, to get completely legible search results, and there's no other side-effect acting as a barrier to the conveyance of information, that is HARDLY a bug. Oh god, an extra key stroke, and it's deliberate obfuscation to the exclusion of "Internet Explorer 11 Users" as second class citizens, as if this somehow violates "their" protected status according to rules of engagement or something.

Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about the quote from the article: > I'll tell you more guys. I've updated to windows 8.1 on my tablet a month ago through MSND subscription and Google search worked just fine. Looks like this problem appeared after public availability of Windows 8.1. So I believe it's something that Google or Microsoft should figure out. How could they have tested as they were not on the list until, what appears to be, the publi…

Google's been on the list well before the public GA release of IE11 to ensure compatibility.

Does this mean microsoft never contacted anyone about compatibility list?

To score some cheap points against a competitor you made your own product inferior. Good Luck with that attitude.

Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#43
post #36
post #26

IE11 normally sends "Trident/7.0" and not "MSIE". Apparently Microsoft has added "google.com" to the Compatibility View List [1], which means IE11 now sends Google a User Agent that does include "MSIE". Google is interpreting this to mean it's an old version of IE, and sending the legacy view. You can manually disable the CVL, but then other sites that Microsoft has determined need old versions of IE won't work. I su…

Why does the entire web community agree that feature detection is the way to go and UA sniffing is bad, but time after time shows that Google does it on nearly all of their products?

Compatibility view doesn't just change the UA string. It actually switches to a different (IE8-like?) engine.

Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#44
post #34
post #26

IE11 normally sends "Trident/7.0" and not "MSIE". Apparently Microsoft has added "google.com" to the Compatibility View List [1], which means IE11 now sends Google a User Agent that does include "MSIE". Google is interpreting this to mean it's an old version of IE, and sending the legacy view. You can manually disable the CVL, but then other sites that Microsoft has determined need old versions of IE won't work. I su…

Two different user agent strings for one version of one browser? That can change at any moment based on a list the site authors don't control? There's no way that'd ever confuse things!

Which is precisely why good web developers never trust user agents. Because they confuse things and cause bugs like this.

It's lazy/incompetent practice, which shouldn't really excusable for such a supposed massive advocate of web standards. MS are no shining example, but it's pot calling kettle black.

Definitely a Google bug - a long standing one

Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#45

"Hey, if we make Google uglier, maybe people will use Bing!" "Probably not, but let's mess with 'em anyway."

Or rather: "Hey, google.com is still serving up a broken UA detected page that hasn't been working on IE11 for over a month now. Let's do the sensible thing for our release and make it work by adding Google to our list of sites that serves non standard content, because it does exactly that."

By not working, I mean, not working at all. If you are lucky it has the whole text you typed and the search button might wake up after 3 or 4 clicks. It is the only site I had problem with using IE11.

Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#46
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google's been on the list well before the public GA release of IE11 to ensure compatibility.

Does this mean microsoft never contacted anyone about compatibility list? To score some cheap points against a competitor you made your own product inferior. Good Luck with that attitude.

Again you're full of assumptions.

We're very proactive in our compat outreach and we've had numerous conversations with sites like Google. Sites like Google are VERY aware of the CV list & the modes they're rendering in; it's not a surprise to them.

Don't assume we're doing something nefarious when it's not the case. We have nothing to gain (and a lot to lose) by breaking one of the top web properties, even if they're a competitor.

Here's a more plausible scenario. Google may have made a change to their SERPs which didn't work great in the docmode that IE11 is rendering it in. Nothing intentional, nothing nefarious on either company's part.

I think that's a more reasonable explanation than the concerns you're expressing.

Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#48
post #29
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who says they use IE for googling? :-)

I've tried switching to Bing (kinda forced on a Lumia) and also sometimes when I can't find what I'm looking for with google. Without fail I've found myself switching back from Bing almost instantly even if I'm stuck with IE.

You probably are in the US. Outside that, bing just cannot find anything.

Anyway i also have a lumia but I set google as search engine in ie mobile

Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#49

This is what I'm seeing in IE v11.0.9600.16384 on Windows 8.1 Pro (x64): http://i.imgur.com/9Vhx1pe.png Enabling/disabling Compatibility View has no effect - it looks just fine to me either way.

Maybe it's been fixed by Google already?

Re: IE11 on Windows 8.1 - Google Search loads in legacy mode

#50
post #26

IE11 normally sends "Trident/7.0" and not "MSIE". Apparently Microsoft has added "google.com" to the Compatibility View List [1], which means IE11 now sends Google a User Agent that does include "MSIE". Google is interpreting this to mean it's an old version of IE, and sending the legacy view. You can manually disable the CVL, but then other sites that Microsoft has determined need old versions of IE won't work. I su…

It's not certain yet which party broke google.com - I've been running Windows 8.1 for over a month and it just broke in the past 24 hours. So either Microsoft pushed a new app compatibility list recently or Google changed their UA detection with the availability of 8.1.
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