I try to design a site that is compatible with all the current browsers that are in current use so that users will enjoy a smooth, seamless data viewing and data access experience. With this in mind, there are known browser issues because some code applications within this site can push the local desktop or hand-held portable device to their hardware and memory limits.

As with all browsers, numerous update versions are available. It is recommended that you use a current software release. Old versions of Internet Explorer (IE), prior to version 8, are not supported. All versions of IE have compatability issues with many functionalities on this site, specially Google maps, which will not function as designed. See more below.

• Monitor:
  • This site is designed for modern display monitors with resolution width of 1024 or greater.
  • Optimum screen size is 1280 x 1024 with 16 bit color.
  • Internal data containers have a minimum width of 1000px. Insufficient screen width will cause horizontal scrolling to visualize complete data; such may occur on portable laptops.


• Memory:
  • It is assumed that your computer has a minimum of 768Mb installed memory.
  • Insufficient available memory (a portion will already be allocated to your other concurrent processes) may not permit maps and animations to load and display.


• Security Certificates:
  • Secure webpages for the access to NYCMetNet restricted data require an installed security certificate signed by sky.ccny.cuny.edu.
  • When your browser attempts access to these password protected pages, a security certificate will attempt to be loaded into your browser. You must accept and install this certificate in order to proceed.


• Javascript:
  • You are expected to have javascript enabled.
  • Javascript must be enabled for numerous NYCMetNet features to work. It is required for the map displays, satellite image animations, virtual page indexing, time displays, and several other page functions, including the home page show/hide and animation.


• Java:
  • You are expected to have java enabled.
  • Java must be enabled for the Upper-Air animations to work.


• Excel:
  • Data downloads are available as csv files. The download window will give you the option to save the file or to open it with Excel, a helper application. These files can be very large, depending on your data selection, and can exceed the capacity of this program or your available memory. For example, Excel 2000 has a limit of 65,536 rows (2^16), however that limit may be smaller, depending on available installed RAM (computer memory), with a maximum of 1Gb. Starting with Excel 2007, this limit has been increased to 1,048,576 rows (2^20), and can use increased available memory up to the computer's limit.
  • If your version of Excel will not open your download file, you can save the file to disk and open it with another editor to save it in sections. However, it is suggested that you instead change your selection criteria for data download, and download multiple csv files. Not to worry, each download is given a unique name.
  • You can choose to save the file to disk and open it with another larger capacity editor, such as Vim.


• Notepad:
  • Data downloads are available as txt files. The download window will give you the option to save the file or to open it with a helper application. These files can be very large, depending on your data selection, and can exceed the capacity of this program or your available memory. If Notepad is your system default text editor, you will probably want to change that to Wordpad or Vim in order to open larger files that would otherwise crash Notepad.
  • You can choose to save the file to disk and open it with another larger capacity editor, such as Vim.
  • You also may wish to change your selection criteria for data download, and download multiple text files. Not to worry, each download is given a unique name.

Below, some of the known performance quirks of commonly user browsers are noted. This list is provided so that you can better choose your browser platform.

Safari
• Apple Software. Platforms: PC, Mac
  • Javascript executes with lightning speed.
  • No compatibility issues found with version 5.0 & 5.1.2

FireFox
• Mozilla Foundation. Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
  • Javascript executes rapidly, and map area sub-selection is very fast.
  • No compatibility issues found with version 3.6.12 through 18.0
  • The Windtrace Map may evolve slowness to plot wind vectors after multiple historical displays have been viewed due to a bug in releasing memory allocated to canvas. The solution is to refresh the page.

Opera
• Opera Software. Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
  • With version 11.51, Javascript executes rapidly, but with version 10.63, Javascript executes slowly. In all versions, however, map area sub-selection is slow with a strange animated visual effect due to array remapping.
  • Opera's Javascript library has a function limitation which inhibits initial image display in image archive pages. No solution known for this missing function; cosmetic only.
  • With turbo enabled, dynamic pages may not reload. Solution: turn off turbo.
  • No other compatibility issues found with version 10.63 through 11.51.

Chrome
• Google Inc. Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
  • Javascript executes quickly.
  • No compatibility issues found on any version through 24.0.1312.52 m.

Internet Explorer
• Microsoft Corporation. Platform: PC
  • Google Maps are not fully compatible with any version of IE on any operating system. Expect to see faulty displays, and in some cases with Google Maps V3, loss of map background after a drag of map, or a zoom. The solution is to use a Google Maps compatible browser, such as FireFox or Safari. There is no known code workaround.
  • IE does not use javascript, but instead uses js script. IE is the slowest browser tested, even IE 9. Initial map array processing will routinely bring up an alert window stating that the script is slow or not responding during this processing. Please select the 'continue anyway' button; or answer the 'Stop anyway?' question with 'no'. This may be necessary several times before the map will load. Solution: use another browser.
  • Some security settings will inhibit server data transfers resulting in an incomplete page load. Solution: use proper security setting.
  • Some security settings will inhibit secure password protected restricted data webpages, resulting in no webpage access. Solution: use proper security setting; make sure security certificate is installed.

Thomas Legbandt - webmaster