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I was assigned the task of creating a simple website that opens links to other websites. However, I encountered a challenge with one particular website, which was built in 2012 and follows outdated standards. Ideally, I would rewrite it to meet modern standards, but unfortunately, I don't currently have access to the source code. Therefore, this becomes my plan B.

The issue with this website is that it is only compatible with Firefox due to its outdated design. My goal is to make my website detect the client's browser and, if it's not Firefox (e.g., Chrome), automatically open Firefox and direct the user to the link of this outdated site.

I have conducted research and discovered that achieving this task is generally considered impossible. However, since this website will not be public and security is not a major concern, I'm willing to explore alternative approaches.

Amalokch
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  • Have you considered setting up a "copy to clipboard" feature for the Firefox URL with instructions to paste it into Firefox? Otherwise this question about [How to launch an application from a browser?](https://stackoverflow.com/q/3057576) may be useful. If it still works. In Edge. And your users run Edge. Under Windows. And you can configure their machines. Yuck. – traktor Jun 22 '23 at 05:45

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Normally, this isn't possible, as you have found.

If you can install things on the user's PC, I suggest you actually make your own installer wrapper for the latest build of Firefox that works, and have that installer create shortcuts to it with the site as parameter. It's a big workaround, but might be what you have to do.

Another alternative, if you can install things, is to set up your own protocol handler and have it open only in Firefox. old-firefox-version://launch?url=...

A third alternative is treat the old site as an API. It's ugly, but you might be able to wrap its functionality server-side. Back in the day, a similar technique was used to wrap old terminal systems for web access. It's wrought with problems and gotchas... you have to really make sure you've tested well... but it can work if it's the only choice you have.

Brad
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  • Thanks, Brad. Maybe I didn't explain it clearly, but the old site currently functions only on IE9. However, as of 2023, it only works on Firefox. That's why I'd like to find a workaround where we can simply open Firefox and access this old site. Just to reiterate, this is merely a temporary solution. Meanwhile, I will propose to my manager that we rebuild the site from scratch, which would require additional money funding :-) – Amalokch Jun 22 '23 at 06:59
  • @Amalokch Yes, I understand your problem, and explained a couple of the ways you can solve it. – Brad Jun 22 '23 at 08:33