Hotmail & Linux problems?

[suskewiet]

I actually copyd my mails from hotmail to gmail with an HTTP connection for hotmail and IMAP for gmail. I simply followed instructions here: How to Transfer and Move Hotmail to Gmail » My Digital Life
This has the advantage that no 3rd party is involved and is thus more secure.

[ken_yap]

Aside from the first and second parties who are also third parties. (Sorry, Groucho.)

[StevenJ61]

I solved this problem already. I was very angry with Microcr*p to for doing that. Use playonlinux from the yast installer. It is in the repos. You can use that to install Internet Explorer 6. It works great! Will fool MS into thinking you are not using linux and you can still access your hot mail! Works great too and actually somewhat faster than IE6 in Windows Xp!

[growbag]

Originally Posted by 6tr6tr

You can't. They don't allow POP for non-paying users.

I've gotten the new hotmail to work (not well, but it does work) in Opera and Firefox but only by doing this:

* In Firefox, go to about:config and change UserAgent from "SUSE" to Firefox.

* In Opera, go to "Manage Site Preferences" under content, and add one for "live.com" and under the Network tab, choose "Identify as Firefox"

It will work. Not perfectly (and when doing a new message, you'll get the "thinking" cursor forever, you MUST hit the "X" stop button to stop the browser loading or you can't type in a message), but if it's necessary, you can do it.

Thanks for that information 6tr6tr, it works perfectly for me. Opera was OK in the interim, but it does some very odd things with fonts ö_Ö.

I really don't think it was a malicious thing that Microsoft did to stop *nix users as my Windows version of Firefox works perfectly from my Vista partition.

(did I REALLY just defend Microsoft there? I must be coming down with something nasty! ).

In fact it seeing as it was the string "SUSE" that caused the problem, maybe we should be looking elsewhere, maybe Linux distros need to simply keep it as the default rather than changing it?

I'm not sure what the Windows version of Firefox has in it's settings, but it would be interesting to find out.

Just trying to be level headed about the problem .

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by growbag

In fact it seeing as it was the string "SUSE" that caused the problem, maybe we should be looking elsewhere, maybe Linux distros need to simply keep it as the default rather than changing it?

I'm not sure what the Windows version of Firefox has in it's settings, but it would be interesting to find out.

This could be, ... although where is the content of the "user.agent" defined? Is the "user agent" the browser application? or is it the Operating System? Is this a case of Microsoft using their monopolistic position to implement (and try to impose) their own standard for what should go in the "user.agent" field?

Anyway, your point is a good one.

I note on the office PC, with firefox running on winXP, in the about:config:

• general.useragent.extra.firefox = Firefox/3.0.1
• general.useragent.local = en-US
• general.useragent.security = U

[smith_jc]

I have had this problem for weeks. I finally found this on the Firefox forum today.

This solution for Ubuntu users works fine for me.
Believe it or not. It is just that Firefox on Ubuntu Linux uses 'Ubuntu' as vendor string and not 'Firefox'. So, people as Hotmail: Just also recognize Firefox if the vendor string is not equal to Firefox. It would be much easier if providers such as Hotmail would just rely on plain HTML rather than testing against zillions of agent strings.

So here is the solution for Ubuntu:

(taken from
Linux users are blocked from using hotmail through Firefox)

Linux users are blocked from using hotmail through Firefox

Tested with Ubuntu 8.0.10 and Firefox 3.0.4. Apparently, Microsoft does not like strange browsers roaming about.

The solution was simple:

1. In Firefox URL address bar enter about:config
2. Press Enter
3. Confirm that you will not be naughty
4. Locate the entry general.useragent.vendor
5. Double click on it and change it to Firefox (in my case the original value was Ubuntu as Ubuntu issues and maintains Firefox releases/updates to Ubuntu users).

I have SUSE, not Ubuntu but I did it and it works. Problem solved. Seems IN THIS CASE it is NOT a Microsloth screwing with us issue at all (although it would not surprise me)

[Sagemta]

Originally Posted by StevenJ61

I solved this problem already. I was very angry with Microcr*p to for doing that. Use playonlinux from the yast installer. It is in the repos. You can use that to install Internet Explorer 6. It works great! Will fool MS into thinking you are not using linux and you can still access your hot mail! Works great too and actually somewhat faster than IE6 in Windows Xp!

Let me make sure I got this right, you get this from the repos(Packman no less)& you installed IE6? I've been with linux for a long time, where does one get a dl'd of IE?

[malcolmlewis]

Originally Posted by Sagemta

StevenJ61;1894320 Wrote:
> I solved this problem already. I was very angry with Microcr*p to for
> doing that. Use playonlinux from the yast installer. It is in the
> repos. You can use that to install Internet Explorer 6. It works
> great! Will fool MS into thinking you are not using linux and you can
> still access your hot mail! Works great too and actually somewhat
> faster than IE6 in Windows Xp!

Let me make sure I got this right, you get this from the repos(Packman
no less)& you installed IE6? I've been with linux for a long time, where
does one get a dl'd of IE?

Hi
It's been available here for a while too
http://www.tatanka.com.br/ies4linux/page/Main_Page

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm guessing the free download from
crossover will also run it....

--
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.0 x86 Kernel 2.6.25.18-0.2-default
up 2 days 8:54, 2 users, load average: 0.13, 0.25, 0.33
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 177.82

[Sagemta]

Oh!
So that's what he was talking about. Yes indeed I've had IE4Linux in every distro I've used (Never Know when you'll need it). The way that was written I thought he used that playonlinux to install the real IE6.
Thanks Malcolm.
I have tried that & sometimes use IE4Linux all you need is wine.

[geoffro]

This works just change SUSE to Firefox and you don't need IE

Geoff

Originally Posted by smith_jc

I have had this problem for weeks. I finally found this on the Firefox forum today.The solution was simple:

1. In Firefox URL address bar enter about:config
2. Press Enter
3. Confirm that you will not be naughty
4. Locate the entry general.useragent.vendor
5. Double click on it and change it to Firefox (in my case the original value was Ubuntu as Ubuntu issues and maintains Firefox releases/updates to Ubuntu users). )