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question everything

(48,797 posts)
Wed May 8, 2024, 02:29 PM May 2024

Thank you, again, Apple Support for untangling the saga involving Mac, Safari and Xfinity

My browser is Firefox. For many years and is constantly being updated.

While I do get statements and pay online, it is not automatic. I have to hit Submit. Also, as a dinosaur, I print the invoices.

Last month I could not pay my Xfintiy (Comcast) online. After several calls with their robots - just offering me to pay then and there and hanging up on me -I finally got a live person who suggested using a different browser. OK, I have Safari and it worked.

Not this time. Yes, I could pay, but could not print the current statement. Sent me in a loop to finally told me that "something is wrong with my account." OK, will go to Safari. Their main page was completely different. I was faced with "links" which were not hyperlinks. Just sat there. Spouse is using Safari. Which version is yours? 16. something. Mine was... 12 something.

OK, lets try to download the new version. Nut I could not find it anyplace. So I called support. The conclusion was that I needed a new OS software which will come with a new Safari. And we were worried that my iMac, from 2018, I think, may not be able to be updated. But it could. We moved from High Sierra to Ventura. But before that we went all around, changing, deleting modifying. I just did what she told me while she was viewing my screen.

Finally for the download, I had to use two hand to hold Control+Command+R for it to start.

And then I held my iPad camera so she cold view the iMac screen and to continue to direct me. The iMac screen is about 9" above my desk while the iPad is flat so I had to hold it. I tried to find some boxes but they were not enough.

We were on the phone for an hour and a half. She was very patient. At some point I jumped ahead and ended up with all programs on the computer listed, and on the dock quivering. So she said that i would have to have them on a list and delete them one at a time. Thankfully I did what I often do with deleting. Holding the Shift key and deleted them in groups.

She left me while installing the new Ventura which all in all took a couple of hours.

And, the final test - yes, Xfinity was hospitable, I printed the statement and paid.

I am curious of why Safari cannot be updated on its own.

I wonder whether I should have one more browser, Chrom, Bing, or whatever.

Anyway, for any business to allows a support person to be on the line for more than an hour - Kudos Apple. No wonder we have been together since 1987!

5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Thank you, again, Apple Support for untangling the saga involving Mac, Safari and Xfinity (Original Post) question everything May 2024 OP
a while back i bought a dell, big mistake . before that i had a number of pc towers that i loved . had 2 linux boxes AllaN01Bear May 2024 #1
Safari is integrated with the OS. Marcus IM May 2024 #2
I'm kinda sorta in the same boat. Old desktop Mac and can't update Safari.. sucks nt mitch96 May 2024 #3
I use Chrome as a backup Auggie May 2024 #4
This might help with Safari getting stale. usonian May 2024 #5

AllaN01Bear

(23,039 posts)
1. a while back i bought a dell, big mistake . before that i had a number of pc towers that i loved . had 2 linux boxes
Wed May 8, 2024, 02:41 PM
May 2024

never buy a dell again. had 4 hd failures w the dhell . never again. dhell kept giving me the runaround and yes i also bought insurance from staples , they gave me the runaround . got an apple .this is my second appo. i sing the praises of apple care .

 

Marcus IM

(3,001 posts)
2. Safari is integrated with the OS.
Wed May 8, 2024, 02:44 PM
May 2024

They do Safari updates, but those are security updates for the browser.

I am happy with Ventura on my 8 core M1 Mini, very stable. And the ARM CPUs are blisteringly fast.

I'm doing full blown music production so the CPU demand is critical.

Auggie

(31,798 posts)
4. I use Chrome as a backup
Wed May 8, 2024, 03:39 PM
May 2024

I have issues with Safari on occasion. I suspect there's some coding Apple doesn't like or support.

usonian

(13,772 posts)
5. This might help with Safari getting stale.
Thu May 9, 2024, 11:21 AM
May 2024

Besides the customary "UPDATE TO SONOMA" there are smaller updates available

but almost hidden!

Go under System Settings -> Software Updates Available
Look for this, way down at the bottom of the "fabulous features" list.



You may find updates to (for example) Ventura and Safari under More Info...

These no doubt have to do with security fixes.
This will not happen for really old versions of MacOS, which they stop updating.

P.S. in the terminal, you can type "softwareupdate -l" to list available updates.
I won't say how to actually apply them, because you gotta know what you're doing before messing with updates from the terminal.
(It's on the Apple support site, or "man softwareupdate" at the terminal.)


NOW as for compatibility with websites.
A pain in the ass.
An up to date Opera Browser was flagged as obsolete or whatever by a site or two.
I use Opera because it takes almost every chrome extension, which is kinda cool.

I found, for that site, that my semi-functional Safari browser started working fine when I went under Develop -> Disable Extensions for that site. After all, I just wanted to access my account to find the balance, or pay something, rather than surf random sites with ads from hell.

You will have to go to Safari->Settings (used to be Preferences, I recall) and then Advanced, and check Show Develop menu in menu bar to enable this.

Sorry for the complexity, but things keep getting more complex, and Apple sometimes "almost hides" things.
Geniuses, you know.

Good luck.
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