# Kindle browser: do cookies work?



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

On my 1-week-old Kindle, I've noted that if I use the browser to go to a site (such as this one) where I have a login account, the login never seems to "take". It says the login is successful, but does not persist across new pages. My assumption is that it's a cookie issue, but I've not been able to find any reports of this issue in my web searches.

So I'm just wondering if anyone else has run into this, is it a known problem, or is there possibly something wrong with my software? (My unit just updated its software a couple days ago, and I had the problem both before and after the update.)

Thanks!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

A lot of us have discovered that Kindleboards only sorta works on the Kindle browser.  Can read as a guest, but not log in.  Other sites may or may not work properly. . . .it's pretty random as far as I've been able to tell.  So, no, probably not your software.

Ann


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. I feel better knowing it's not just me. It's not like I bought my Kindle to be a mobile browser, and it _is_ labeled "experimental"; but still...


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## wazdakka (Apr 5, 2009)

Anything new on this topic?  I tried to log into the website where I track wine inventory, and could not get into my account.  After some other experiments I came to the conclusion that the Kindle's browser does not seem to support cookies, and it sounds like others have discovered the same.  Does any one know of a way to enable this, or of any hope for this feature in the future?


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## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

Have you tried switching the browser to Advanced mode? I have found a couple of sites work better when not in the Basic browser mode.


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## wazdakka (Apr 5, 2009)

Yeah, I tried that, and still no joy.


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## skindle (Jun 24, 2009)

Cookies do *not* seem to be properly implemented, unfortunately :-(

I noticed that on simple web sites, they work.  However, it seems that on websites that send cookies during a redirect, which is common during logins, the kindle fails.   Here's the basic process that seems to cause kindle to bork:  you go to a login page, send credentials, the website authenticates you, then sends session cookies to your kindle browser, THEN redirects you to some other page.

This is a really annoying bug.  It prevents me from being able to use my webmail accounts.  For some reason, gmail works just fine.   Hmmm...


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## skindle (Jun 24, 2009)

I verified this.  Kindle can NOT handle cookies during HTTP redirects :-(  Note to Kindle developers: Please handle cookies BEFORE the redirect!!!  I wonder if this was done intentionally so that Kindle owners don't use the device as a netbook.  I hope this gets fixed!


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## jpmorgan49 (Feb 10, 2009)

I use the browser frequently too.  I noticed I can "View" almost any page but if I try and log-in I have problems.  In the past I could log in to my email account and get me email, but I haven't been able to do that in some time now.  I think it's a cookie thing but since it DID work in the past I'm guessing that one of the updates must have messed things up...
jp


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

Logging in almost always requires the enabling of Javascript, in the Settings for the web-browsing.
If you're in advanced mode but haven't enabled Javascript (or the Kindle hasn't done it for you), then you'll seem to be logging in but it doesn't fully work.

With Javascript on, it will usually take right away. However, you can write something (like a post to facebook) and it will again tell you to login in after you Submit the post even though it sees you logged in. If you do the re-logon, it then submits your post right away.

Sometimes it tells you you can't connect to the server (upon submittal), but darned if the post isn't posted just fine.

Normally, once I log on to a site, I don't have to log on again unless I have to, someday, reset the computer, which clears the cache and erases cookies from what I can tell.

I was surprised to be able to read a blog, order a DX from there, log in to Amazon account, half-fill in my order, leave it, go to my gmail to look up info on certificate numbers, press Back button, to find myself back on my Amazon order, with the info still filled in. So I added the numbers and finished the order.

I do have some tips for web-browsing though, at http://xrl.us/kindleweb


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## skindle (Jun 24, 2009)

artsandhistoryfan said:


> Logging in almost always requires the enabling of Javascript, in the Settings for the web-browsing.
> If you're in advanced mode but haven't enabled Javascript (or the Kindle hasn't done it for you), then you'll seem to be logging in but it doesn't fully work.
> 
> With Javascript on, it will usually take right away. However, you can write something (like a post to facebook) and it will again tell you to login in after you Submit the post even though it sees you logged in. If you do the re-logon, it then submits your post right away.
> ...


I made 100% certain that javascript was turned on. I ran an experiment to prove that http redirects (via HTTP 30x) with cookies fail:

I installed a webmail (IMAP) application, called Telaen, on a server of mine. I installed this particular application because it both has a simple interface (good for the kindle) and allows the following critical setting:

########################################################################
# Control whether redirects will use META REFRESH and Javascript
# to send the person to the required page ('yes') or whether to
# use the HTTP Location header and do a "real" HTTP redirect. Some
# browsers have issues setting Cookies during HTTP redirects, in
# those cases, setting the below to 'yes' will help.
########################################################################

$redirects_use_meta = yes;

When I set this to 'no', the kindle fails, but when I set it to yes, it succeeds. The dumb browser in kindle can't handle cookies during an HTTP redirect. Q.E.D.


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

skindle said:


> Cookies do *not* seem to be properly implemented, unfortunately :-(
> 
> I noticed that on simple web sites, they work. However, it seems that on websites that send cookies during a redirect, which is common during logins, the kindle fails. Here's the basic process that seems to cause kindle to bork: you go to a login page, send credentials, the website authenticates you, then sends session cookies to your kindle browser, THEN redirects you to some other page.
> 
> This is a really annoying bug. It prevents me from being able to use my webmail accounts. For some reason, gmail works just fine. Hmmm...


 Yahoo and Facebook work for me too. Even those mammoth Amazon forums work, so that I can post to them after reading (but it is not speedy!)

The one place I've tried that didn't work for me was my unix server's web mail.

They're puzzled. I'll send them your later note that I just saw. Thanks!

Also, I was able to order from Amazon (got my DX) with the K2 and had to interrupt the order
to go to gmail to get a few #'s to put into the order, pressed the Back button on the Kindle 
and was right back on my Amazon order with the info still filled in.

The order was submitted and worked.


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## skindle (Jun 24, 2009)

artsandhistoryfan said:


> Yahoo and Facebook work for me too. Even those mammoth Amazon forums work, so that I can post to them after reading (but it is not speedy!)
> 
> The one place I've tried that didn't work for me was my unix server's web mail.
> 
> ...


Hi, again  I've been on vacation and didn't notice your reply till now. During my vacay I did get to enjoy my kindle for what it does best: provide a great reading experience!

However I did notice one more webmail showstopper :-( which also occurs while using gmail: the kindle can't handle textarea controls well at all. If you attempt to reply to a lengthy email, you will notice that it takes a LONG time for your keystrokes to register and display. It took several minutes for a short sentence to display! This pretty much makes the kindle useless for even the most trivial webmail tasks (don't leave home w/out your laptop!).

I have a feeling I know what's causing this. My guess is that it has to do with the re-drawing logic of the kinde vis a vis the textarea control (which is the edit box I am currently using to type this very message). We all know that the kindle's refresh rate is relatively slow compared to a computer, which is understandable due to the physical limitations of the current e-ink technology. This is one of the reasons web pages take so long to display (and also when you click on the next page button for the same web page). Now consider dynamic web pages (e.g., webmail forms). Every time you add (or delete) a character on this web page (via the textarea), does the kindle re-draw only the necessary portion of the screen? or does it re-draw the whole page(!)? From my experience (e.g., it takes several seconds to display each typed character), I'm guessing it's the latter. I think the kindle web browser desperately needs some optimization logic in the redrawing of textareas! I hope this gets fixed (along with the cookie redirect problem)! If they were to fix these two bugs I would love my kindle so much more! Here's hoping!


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