Re: Google sites don't work

[Kent West]

On Mon, Aug 2, 2021 at 7:52 AM Ivan Krylov  wrote:

> > Similar problem here, only with Google sites like Gmail, Docs, and
> > Chat (via a[n?] university/Google system).
>
> Interesting. Do you see any relevant errors if you press F12 and take a
> look at the JavaScript console on the affected pages, compared to the
> unaffected pages? What about the Network tab, any failed requests there?
>
> --
> Best regards,
> Ivan
>
>
When press F12, and then click on the "Console" tab, I get the following,
which means nothing to me:

Some cookies are misusing the recommended “SameSite“ attribute 105
Some cookies are misusing the recommended “SameSite“ attribute 24
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src or
style-src: nonce-source or hash-source specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring ‘x-frame-options’ because of
‘frame-ancestors’ directive.
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src or
style-src: nonce-source or hash-source specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src or
style-src: nonce-source or hash-source specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring ‘x-frame-options’ because of
‘frame-ancestors’ directive.
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “https:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “http:” within script-src:
‘strict-dynamic’ specified
Content Security Policy: Ignoring “'unsafe-inline'” within script-src or
style-src: nonce-source or hash-source specified
Empty string passed to getElementById(). 3 m=b:1168:137

Empty string passed to getElementById(). 6 m=b:1168:137

Empty string passed to getElementById(). 2 m=b:1168:137

Re: Google sites don't work

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.

I have figured out the problem and solved it.

At some point I remembered that I have in place an old-fashioned way of
blocking sites.  In /etc/hosts, I have 68 entries of this sort:

127.0.0.1   ad.doubleclick.net

that redefine the URL of a pesky site to 127.0.0.1 (localhost).  Given a PC
at work that handles the Google sites well and a home machine that does not,
I compared the two /etc/hosts files.  The home (failing) machine had two
entries that the work (successful) machine did not:

127.0.0.1   gstatic.com
127.0.0.1   www.gstatic.com

I had added those in February, which is about when the failures began.  I
found that commenting out the second entry (www.gstatic.com) fixed my
problem, even if I left the first entry (gstatic.com) in place.

I also use a firefox add-on, Forget Me Not.  If I add *.gstatic.com to the
list of blocked sites, the Google sites still work.  This surprises me.  I
guess the /etc/hosts and Forget Me Not strategies must work at different
points.

Anyway, thanks to the three respondents for your replies.


From: Ivan Krylov 
Sent: Monday, August 2, 2021 8:51 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Google sites don't work

> Similar problem here, only with Google sites like Gmail, Docs, and
> Chat (via a[n?] university/Google system).

Interesting. Do you see any relevant errors if you press F12 and take a
look at the JavaScript console on the affected pages, compared to the
unaffected pages? What about the Network tab, any failed requests there?

--
Best regards,
Ivan

Re: Google sites don't work

[Ivan Krylov]

> Similar problem here, only with Google sites like Gmail, Docs, and
> Chat (via a[n?] university/Google system).

Interesting. Do you see any relevant errors if you press F12 and take a
look at the JavaScript console on the affected pages, compared to the
unaffected pages? What about the Network tab, any failed requests there?

-- 
Best regards,
Ivan

Re: Google sites don't work

[Kent West]

On Sun, Aug 1, 2021 at 11:17 AM Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) <
kleen...@ucmail.uc.edu> wrote:

> On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
> >> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.
>

Similar problem here, only with Google sites like Gmail, Docs, and Chat
(via a[n?] university/Google system).

I don't know that it's the same problem though. It only affects Firefox.
I've tried Debian Buster (with a moved .mozilla directory) on my desktop PC
and Debian Buster on a laptop, and at least three Windows computers, two of
which are in a different building (one on same VLAN as my desktop & laptop;
one on a different VLAN).

It only fails when using a wired Ethernet connection; if I unplug and use
wireless, those sites work. But our network folks haven't found an issue
(so far - it's summer time, and students are gone, and few-ish folks use
Firefox, so we haven't had a whole lot of complaints, forcing the issue).

It's really frustrating, 'cause I don't like using non-Firefox browsers,
but I'm having to use Chromium to type this message, 'cause FF has just
become unusable for me, when using Google products. As far as I can
discern, FF works fine on every other site/product.

-- 
Kent West<")))><
Westing Peacefully - http://kentwest.blogspot.com

Re: Google sites don't work

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
>> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.

On Sunday, August 1, 2021 9:49 AM, john doe asked?
> Does it work properly if you use a new profile?

At one point I did removed my whole ~/.mozilla filesystem and did a clean
start of firefox.  I believe that constitutes using a new profile; I got the
startup screen for firefox and a new ~/.mozilla filesystem.  It did not solve
the problem.  Thanks.


From: john doe 
Sent: Sunday, August 1, 2021 9:49 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Google sites don't work

On 8/1/2021 3:18 PM, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
>>> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.
>
> On Saturday, July 31, 2021 11:38 PM, Greg Wooledge replied:
>> My guess is that you somehow disabled Javascript
>
> Thanks for the good idea, but it appears to not be the case.  Under
> about:config in firefox, I see "javascript.enabled true".
>

Does it work properly if you use a new profile?

--
John Doe

Re: Google sites don't work

[john doe]

On 8/1/2021 3:18 PM, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:

Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.


On Saturday, July 31, 2021 11:38 PM, Greg Wooledge replied:

My guess is that you somehow disabled Javascript


Thanks for the good idea, but it appears to not be the case.  Under
about:config in firefox, I see "javascript.enabled true".



Does it work properly if you use a new profile?

--
John Doe

Re: Google sites don't work

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
>> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 11:38 PM, Greg Wooledge replied:
> My guess is that you somehow disabled Javascript

Thanks for the good idea, but it appears to not be the case.  Under
about:config in firefox, I see "javascript.enabled true".

It says here:
https://www.lighthouselabs.ca/en/blog/10-popular-websites-built-using-javascript
that Google, Youtube, Wikipedia, Amazon, and eBay all use JavaScript.  All of
those sites work well here, except for the two Google subdivisions mentioned
above.


From: Greg Wooledge 
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2021 11:38 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Google sites don't work

On Sat, Jul 31, 2021 at 08:54:12PM +, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> My home desktop is running Buster (4.19.0-17-amd64) and firefox-esr
> 78.12.0esr-1~deb10u1.  Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com
> functions properly.  If I go to Google Translate and enter "je ne sais pas"
> in the left window, nothing happens.  It should automatically show a
> translation at the right.  If I go to Google Images and search for
> "solenodon", I get a full page of fine pictures of solenodons.  But there are
> two problems.  If I put the cursor over an image, I get a pointing finger
> icon.  (No, not that finger.)  But if I click, nothing happens.

My guess is that you somehow disabled Javascript, either by clicking
something in the configuration screen (or fat-fingering some magical
keyboard equivalent), or by installing an add-on like NoScript.

Re: Google sites don't work

[Greg Wooledge]

On Sat, Jul 31, 2021 at 08:54:12PM +, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> My home desktop is running Buster (4.19.0-17-amd64) and firefox-esr
> 78.12.0esr-1~deb10u1.  Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com
> functions properly.  If I go to Google Translate and enter "je ne sais pas"
> in the left window, nothing happens.  It should automatically show a
> translation at the right.  If I go to Google Images and search for
> "solenodon", I get a full page of fine pictures of solenodons.  But there are
> two problems.  If I put the cursor over an image, I get a pointing finger
> icon.  (No, not that finger.)  But if I click, nothing happens.

My guess is that you somehow disabled Javascript, either by clicking
something in the configuration screen (or fat-fingering some magical
keyboard equivalent), or by installing an add-on like NoScript.

Google sites don't work

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

My home desktop is running Buster (4.19.0-17-amd64) and firefox-esr
78.12.0esr-1~deb10u1.  Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com
functions properly.  If I go to Google Translate and enter "je ne sais pas"
in the left window, nothing happens.  It should automatically show a
translation at the right.  If I go to Google Images and search for
"solenodon", I get a full page of fine pictures of solenodons.  But there are
two problems.  If I put the cursor over an image, I get a pointing finger
icon.  (No, not that finger.)  But if I click, nothing happens.  It should
open up a window at the right to lead me to the source of that image.
Furthermore, if I scroll down, all the images below the first page appear
just as rectangles filled with some solid color (most being brownish).  The
tests were done with firefox in standard security mode (not strict), and not
using a private browsing window or any add-ons.  I haven't noticed problems
with any other websites.

Some history and other evidence...
1. I ran Stretch on this PC for about three years, and this all worked until
   one day a few months ago when it didn't.  I upgraded to Buster hoping that
   would fix it, but it hasn't.
2. On a Stretch machine at work, this all works well.
3. I just removed my whole ~/.mozilla filesystem and did a clean start of
   firefox.  The sites still failed.  So it doesn't seem to be peculiar to my
   personal firefox configuration.
4. On my other browser (torbrowser), the sites work well.  So the hardware
   can do it.

I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to get this working.  Thanks.