Sin_Shadow_Fox shared a Tampermonkey script to bypass Discourse’s “unsupported browser” block for Firefox 115 ESR, claiming it restored full functionality after official support declined to fix the issue. The script overrides the unsupportedBrowser flag in JavaScript. darkpixlz and RGJ cautioned that Firefox 115 is outdated and that circumventing these checks is unsafe, noting that Windows 7 (the user’s OS) has severe security vulnerabilities.
The core technical dispute centered on whether the site was “broken.” Sin_Shadow_Fox argued the site was unusable without the patch. However, RGJ and david clarified that Discourse uses feature detection for modern CSS and JS capabilities (like :has and light-dark()) that Firefox 115 lacks. While the script hides the block, it does not add the missing features, potentially causing subtle breaks or rendering issues. The developers explained that supporting such browsers would require significant polyfill resources, leading to a high support burden.
Community members like sren-1 compared the situation to the pain of supporting Internet Explorer, urging the community to leave obsolete browser support in the past. Despite Sin_Shadow_Fox insisting the fix was trivial and necessary, david closed the topic, citing Discourse’s official policy to support only the latest stable releases of major browsers. Anonymous users on older browsers can still view content via basic HTML, but interactive features require modern browser support.
Hi, as the email says, Firefox 115 is an older and unsupported version for Discourse. I wouldn’t really recommend using any 3 year old browser regardless of what you want to do with it.. but that warning is kinda in place for a reason. I’m not too sure how well Discourse would work there, but please update your browser if possible instead of trying to get around the wall.
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should
Unfortunately i don’t really have any say in the matter. That’s up to Mozilla. I’m just trying to get Discourse to work because a lot of sites use it and a broken forum serves no one.
Is there a specific reason you are trying to use ESR 115? If not then I would just go download latest.. if you are on an older system with windows 7 or something else, then I would recommend going and downloading Supermium or the Gecko equivalent (which I know exists, I’m just blanking on the name)
Well, it’s not that I’m TRYING to use ESR 115. That’s just what Mozilla says is up to date. Also, yes, I’m on Win7. Specifically home premium but I’m working to find a Win7 Ultimate WAU key to move up a little. But what’s Supermium/Gecko? Is that something like VxKex?
Gecko is the underlying engine of Firefox (like V8 for Chrome), I meant R3dfox.
They are basically just new versions of Chrome (Supermium) and Firefox (R3dfox) respectively, designed to run on legacy systems, like how Supermium can go back to Windows 98 I believe (). If you can’t or don’t want to update to a newer version (because windows 7 is sick), then I would recommend downloading one of those rather than trying to hang onto old Firefox.
Oh! I’ve heard of R3dfox! I’ve actually been considering moving to it for about a year now but I’ve been a bit sketched out by it for the same reason i get sketched out by Linux distros. Still waiting to see how it turns out before i make any final decisions.
Also, 98?! Holy shit! lol. That was my first OS. The idea of anything today running on that is wild.
As for Windows, Microsoft simply hasn’t made anything better IMO so i haven’t upgraded yet.
I would definitely recommend you find a Linux distro and swap to that in that case because of how old Windows 7 is at this point along with the fact we’re going on 7 years of no support soon I believe. There’s plenty of distros to choose from and you’re sure to find something that fits what you’re looking for!!
While Win7 may be old, it’s still as good as most modern OSs. Haven’t had a problem with it in like . . . 14 years? The really funny part is it got MORE stable after Microsoft stopped supporting it, lol. As for Linux Distros, i haven’t found something that matches what I’m looking for. Cachy/Zorin are close but not quite there and “the big three” are far too user unfriendly for me.
Amazing things happen when you don’t use AI to slop code your whole operating system :3
Distrochooser is a great resource for finding one that works for you!! It isn’t a definitive resource because you can always swap desktop environments but it’s a good place to get started for a beginner.
I’m not sure i need this. That tiny tampermonkey script up there pretty much solves the issue i was facing. I posted it here so other users having the same problem can have a lightweight script to fix Discourse servers throwing up “unsupported browser” errors that lock off the entire forum. And hopeful help the Discourse devs to figure out how to fix Discourse’s backend so that this script won’t even be necessary. But i appreciate the thought, thank you
You’re stating Microsoft used AI to slop code Win7 ?
I’m aware of at least 5 critical issues that are unpatched on Windows 7, that allow for an attacker to take over your computer and/or steal all your passwords.
Please be aware you did not “solve” or “fix” anything, and there is nothing that needs fixing.
You circumvented a check that has been put into place deliberately, because Discourse can show unexpected and/or unwanted behavior on your (ancient) browser. Also, that browser is insecure and your account might get hacked or worse.
No, not really. I was mostly insinuating that the stability and quality of the OS has gone down over the last few years, largely in hand with LLM development being more of a thing. Windows has always been poor software, but Windows 11 has had a lot more security issues in the news and general user frustration than I have seen in other OS release cycles like how there was no K2 for Windows 10, 8.1, or 8. That isn’t entirely to say it’s AI’s fault, but I was mostly making a comment in jest in the post you quoted, it is not too serious or anything I would like to turn into a lengthy debate yet again because it is not in the slightest bit relevant here
Claims about Windows 7’s vulnerability are often exaggerated and typically rely on unfair comparisons (e.g., a Windows 7 install with no protections versus a fully updated Windows 10 system running Windows Defender). Security ultimately comes from tools like VPNs and antivirus software, along with safe practices, rather than the operating system.
On the contrary, i did fix something. Discourse did not work before, refusing to show threads, options, preventing the creation of new topics, etc, and now it does work. And yes, a forum that does not allow viewing or posting is absolutely something that needs fixing. You’re welcome btw
Also, implying intentional sabotage on the part of the developers is an unreasonable claim. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence. Firefox is also not an “ancient” browser, lol. It is a widely used, modern browser that people continue to use every day.
So far, your comments have been dismissive and unhelpful. As this is not conducive to a productive conversation, please refrain from further comments on this thread. Thank you.
I know! I am a proud and happy Firefox user myself.
And I stand corrected, Firefox 115 ESR is indeed still supported, so although it’s ancient in technology terms, it is not insecure (Windows 7 is, but let’s not get into that, this is not a Windows discussion forum after all).
The issue here is that Firefox 115 is not “modern”, feature wise, and it’s up to the discretion of the Discourse team to decide if they want to support it or not. At the risk of speaking on their behalf, supporting older browsers takes up a lot of development resources that can be spent better on building new features and fixing (actual) bugs.
As for features, that’s a conversation you’ll have to take up with Mozilla as they’re the ones that decide what goes into the browser. I can patch features on the user side, but those fixes are external and can get clunky once too many of them stack up, since they aren’t naturally part of the codebase. I stopped trying to get Mozilla to work on specific browser issues a while back due to their shift in priorities over the last couple of years (they’ve been ignoring user requests and feedback for a long time now).
On the “developer resources” point, the workaround here was only about five lines of code. I’ve written longer scripts just to fix smaller UI annoyances (like removing the “Important” section from YouTube’s notification dropdown). If restoring full functionality and accessibility to an entire forum takes less effort than a minor UI tweak, then it doesn’t take “a lot” of developer resources to address. If I were on the Discourse team, I’d just fix it myself.
Anyway, I appreciate the change in tone and that this isn’t turning into a debate. I’ve seen that happen far too often on GitHub. If you’d like to help improve the code I put together or look at ways to implement something similar on the backend, you’re more than welcome to. Just keep the friendlier tone and stay focused on the goal. If you want to discuss Windows 7 or Firefox more generally, feel free to DM me. I’d be happy to talk about the off topic stuff there
). If you can’t or don’t want to update to a newer version (because windows 7 is sick), then I would recommend downloading one of those rather than trying to hang onto old Firefox.