Lotus Rock Star :: Microsoft hoses millions of web apps, offers a Microsoft solution

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Well this is nice.

Yesterday after Microsoft Internet Explorer updated to include the new Microsoft workaround to their legal issue, I started noticing significant problems using QuickPlace's ActiveX controls and loading STLinks awareness (related to Sun JVM). At first I had no idea what was going on but after numerous crashes and failures to create pages, I researched it. Microsoft details the software update here. If you happen to use wildly obscure software like Adobe Reader, Flash, Windows Media, or the Sun JVM, your sites will be affected. Sometimes, drastically.

This "Microsoft update" is going to be a huge IBM support issue (if it hasn't already started) for QuickPlace very soon. We have looked at it for just about an hour and are very afraid of what will happen in the coming months. For clarity: this is not a QuickPlace bug, it is a Microsoft implementation issue that affects us all. They have implemented their solution to the patent infringement case loss to Eolas and the University of California in a way that impedes productivity, and makes some stupid decisions about the implementation. I guess they only had three years to think about it.

Symptoms I have seen so far in QuickPlace:

1. All ActiveX controls require you to click on them, press the spacebar, or press enter to activate them before using them. This happens whenever creating a new page for both the rich text and attachment controls. This applies every time (see #5 for maximum suckage).
2. As a result, you cannot drag and drop a file to an attachment until after you click on it to activate.
3. You cannot double-click on a file in read mode to launch it, since the first click activates the control.
4. Same applies for the import control for imported pages - cannot drag and drop until it is clicked.
5. I just discovered that since it must be activated every time, that the following occurs: Create a page, activate the RT control. Add a graphic, activate the add graphic control. Return to the page, you have to activate the RT control again to use it. Same for links, same for styled text.
6. This one you have to love. If you tab into the Rich text control, the tooltip says to "Press SPACEBAR or ENTER to activate and use this control". Well pressing ENTER on a form in edit mode (duh, Microsoft!) attempts to submit the page. This of course would apply to any form, anywhere. NICE FIX.
7. At least once, the ActiveX control that detects whether I have Word, Powerpoint, or Excel failed mid-stream after clicking "New..." and showed radio buttons but no icons or text for the options.

I personally have experienced five hard hangs in IE6 in 2 days. Some relationship is implied...ActiveX or the Sun JVM loading for Sametime Links, or both. Go ahead, browse around, visit a few Flash sites. Isn't this FUN!!!

I am continuing testing including tests on machines without QP ActiveX controls already installed. We are investigating the programmatic options to provide workarounds for the issue to our clients, and I reported it to IBM. Hopefully we'll figure out how to take the Microsoft-centric development fix and make it work for QuickPlace and other affected Domino areas such as view applets.

In the meantime, ramp up the soothing music on your help desk hold lines, IBM.

Comments

1 - Odd. We are fighting some issues this week related to ActiveX problems and STLinks problems in DWA. Though we started getting them after we upgraded our webmail server to 7.0.1. I doubt it is related to the above, though a weird coincedence.

Posted by Ed Fisher At 10:05:11 PM On 03/17/2006 | - Website - |

2 - Are you seeing this in QP 7?
I have been trying to recreate the issues with Qp 6.5.1 but doesn't seem to be as bad for me.

Posted by Steve Smillie At 10:23:30 AM On 03/20/2006 | - Website - |

3 - @Steve: It happens in all versions of QP since they all use one of the methods to embed ActiveX that is prevented by the IE update. Are you sure you have the update? To know, visit a web site with Flash or ActiveX controls. If you mouse over them and they give you a grey outline of the control, you have it.

-Rob

Posted by Rob Novak At 10:59:08 AM On 03/20/2006 | - Website - |

4 - Thanks for the warning, Rob.

Posted by Derek Punaro At 09:10:02 AM On 03/21/2006 | - Website - |

5 - MS is going to be including this *fix* into the automatic security updates. Perhaps as soon as the April release.

As of now, it only applies to XP SP2 users - but that may change.

This not only affects QP, but Notes web views too.

It's going to be ugly.

Posted by Jeff Berg At 07:34:28 AM On 03/23/2006 | - Website - |

6 - STLinks is meant to be broken with DWA 7.01. We experienced the same exact thing but I took a backup of the STLinks folder and over-wrote (From 6.5.4 FP1 to 7.01) and that seemed to work fine. It is a known issue with IBM and they have posted it but their workaround did not work when I tested it out.

Posted by Ajay Mukhey At 11:11:45 AM On 03/30/2006 | - Website - |

7 - I've been testing for the last few days and can't reproduce any of the issues described using our 651 service (no ST links). If I go to names.nsf I need to activate ActiveX controls so am confident my browser has the update. I see your comments to Steve, but can't see why I'm not seeing issues? Does this definately affect 6.5.1 (without ST Links awareness)?

Posted by Toby Leach At 09:01:04 AM On 04/04/2006 | - Website - |

8 - @Toby: As it turns out there are only some places in QP (for most people, and all for others) that are affected. Create a new page. While in the Rich Text control, click the button to add an image. It should require activation. Also check the Logo Artwork control, and try to create a new theme. These are some examples that come to mind, there are more in there.

Posted by Rob Novak At 10:11:49 PM On 04/05/2006 | - Website - |

9 - Thanks Rob, indeed I do see it in those areas.

Posted by Toby Leach At 02:35:03 AM On 04/10/2006 | - Website - |

10 - Rob, have you had problems with quickplace hanging when uploading theme revisions? It happens quite a bit here with just about everyone in our organization. I cannot find any technotes or postings on the quickplace forums. So I'm starting to wonder if it's something with our environment.

Thanks, Cory

Posted by Cory Mattson At 04:11:23 PM On 11/15/2006 | - Website - |

11 - @Cory - No, I haven't seen that one. The upload control shouldn't hang on a theme, in my experience it's been one of the more stable areas for uploads. I see problems with normal pages being uploaded but never have on a theme.

Posted by Rob Novak At 05:15:25 PM On 11/15/2006 | - Website - |

12 - So if I am getting the "Press Spacebar or Enter to activate and use this control" in my webmail when trying to reply or forward an email, what updgrade do I need to install?

After opening an email, when I click reply, forward.. I get that box. Then when I hit spacebar, enter, etc. it puts me directly into the text of the previous email with no page break, from sender, etc.

Anoter issue I am having is that when I try to click on a link embedded in the text of an email sent to me it immediately logs me off of my webmail.

Any thoughts?

Thanks, pt

Posted by PT At 11:15:25 AM On 12/27/2006 | - Website - |

13 - I'm seeing an issue exposing messaging through WebSphere Portal. Leveraging STLinks, the browser will hang causing iexplore.exe and csrss.exe to consume 100% of the CPU leaving the browser useless. This is in IE6 running Sametime 7.51. I'm now wondering if the STLinks is waiting for user input and since this is exposed in Portal behind the UI, the thread waiting for user input spins out of control. Any thoughts or similar situations?
Regards, md

Posted by Matt Dull At 08:30:11 AM On 12/18/2007 | - Website - |