Update: SCN members using IE 8 on Windows XP

[Former Member]

Currently members can browse SCN via both a http and https protocol.

Once logged in, the protocol is always set to https, and due to requirements, users of IE 8 on Windows XP are not able to log-in.

Please note that by the end of this month, stricter security settings will apply.

As a result, IE 8 on Windows XP users will not be able to access SCN via the https protocol (at all).

For those members who would like to continue working on Windows XP, we advise that alternative browsers will be used.

[former_member46]

Please note that the update will occur this weekend.

Users with XP please use the Firefox or Chrome browsers instead in order to contribute.

See @ for further details.

[Former Member]

Got it.

[Former Member]

Thank you for your comments. An announcement will be posted.

[Jelena]

Adi, I use IE8 and it says 'http', not 'https' on the connection. And I'm able to login using the digital certificate (same as for SAP support with S-user).

Is SAP aware that IE8 still has 17% of the browser market share? There are too many corporate laptops out there that run on XP (mine including). Many companies that are not rolling in cash require the employees to run the laptops "until the wheels fall off".

There have already been issues with people losing access due to S-user change, for example, and now this. Not sure we need to make SCN even less accessible...

[Former Member]

Jelena, first of all - this applies only to those that use IE8 on Windows XP.

This is a security matter, therefore, SCN does not have a say in this. Even though at the moment you are using http, the new protocol will automatically switch from http to https in order to increase security.

However, If you are one those who use IE8 on Windows XP, the best thing to do is either upgrade IE or simply use a different browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

I hope this helps!

[Matt_Fraser]

It has to do with the SSLv3 vulnerability that was recently disclosed and caused such a flap. Most sites using https are switching to a minimum supported protocol of TLS, which is what SCN (and the SAP Service Marketplace, for that matter) are doing. IE 8 doesn't support this, unfortunately, and because it's deprecated, it never will.

Adi, IE 8 is the highest version of IE that works on XP. XP users will need an OS upgrade to access more recent versions of IE, and of course that's more problematic for those in Jelena's situation (where many of my colleagues are, as well, though we are moving users to Win7 just as fast as our understaffed PC Tech team can).

Jelena, are you able to install Firefox? You can run much more recent versions of Firefox on XP, and that should get you around this issue without an OS upgrade.

[Jelena]

Officially we are not supposed to have any other browsers than IE (and 8 is highest for XP). Unofficially- I have to take the 5th on that.

This might be quite an issue for SCN users who work for the public companies, government, etc. who have tighter restrictions. IE 6 is still being used, for cripes sake.

At any rate, why is this not the front page news? I only came across this post by accident and it seems like a rather important announcement...

[Former Member]

Well, I hope Firefox or Chrome will work out for you

[Matt_Fraser]

It is front page news on the SMP, though it should be on SCN as well.

As for "taking the 5th"... lol! As I work for a government entity myself, I am aware of (suffer from) much of this, too. However, we 'officially' started supporting Firefox about a year ago due to another of our mission-critical systems only supporting FF and the absolute newest IE, and of course we still have lots of XP users.

[stephenjohannes]

That being said even if you are say on a modern operating system using a modern browser(Safari on newer versions of OS X), you still may not be able to use SCN and have to install Firefox/Chrome instead.  I haven't tested Safari on OSX lately with SCN, because I gave up hope two years ago that it would ever be fixed.  Then again running XP is something I would personally avoid.  It's too bad they can't give you a windows 7 laptop with a XP virtual machine access for the rest of your work.  Win 7 really does work fine on older hardware(2009 or newer).

Take care,

Stephen

[Matt_Fraser]

That's right. I use a Mac at home, and I can't get SCN to work on Safari, so I use Firefox. At work I'm on Win7, and I have problems in SCN with IE 10 (though not to the extent I used to have with IE 8 on XP a few years ago), so I use Firefox on Windows as well for SCN, but IE for most of our internal (read, SAP) web applications.

[Jelena]

Adi Krysler wrote:

Well, I hope Firefox or Chrome will work out for you 

Thanks but I'm not sure will be so lucky.

[Former Member]

Adi,

Please keep in mind that out here in the real world of SAP's customers, not only are a lot of us still on IE8 (or even earlier releases), we are also blocked from installing any other browser. I suppose I will have to wait and see what happens.

Gretchen

[JimSpath]

What about those with IE8 on Windows 7?  My company has moved everyone off Windows XP, but the IE upgrades are incomplete.

[Former Member]

This applies only to IE8 on Windows XP