Tiger Server and Clients- all SWupdates current - WGManaged clients on eMacs
Students build webpages in which are links to .m4a files, exported from
Garage Band. With most students, audio files play smoothly when the link is
clicked. With a small number of students, Firefox presents a dialog offering
to play the file in iTunes or Save to Disk. Apparently Firefox isn't able to
play the file.
I think Firefox and other browsers don't play the files -- they need
to be configured to invoke a Quicktime/WMA/Real etc helper app to do
so, but can do so within the browser window.
So far I have ascertained that the problem is almost certainly something to
do with the managed client and possibly something in the user's library.
When the student logs in locally and mounts his/her home directory manually,
Firefox plays the audio file no problem. Similarly, another user linking to
the affected user's website (in Sites folder) has no trouble getting the
audio file to play. The problem is independent of machine - have tested that
also. The problem follows the affected user and unaffected users can succeed
on an eMac that just failed for an affected user.
Have you checked that user's Quicktime preferences file? That is where
this would be determined and the symptoms would fit because a user
with a network home will have their QT prefs follow them round,
unaffected by other users on the machine.
The question is what would cause Firefox to be unable to play the audio
file? I have tried trashing Firefox prefs and any other possibly related
files in the user's Library, but so far have been unable to change the
Firefox behavior for the affected users.
A QT plug-in may also need to be installed/configured for Firefox.
Any ideas? (And when will Safari be able to play mpeg4 files?)
I have no problems playing MPEG4 files within a Safari window.
