A First Look at the Future of REsearch
We know that it is critical for REsearch to work on browsers other than Internet Explorer, and to work natively for Mac users. The rapidly accelerating pace of technology and widespread adoption of mobile technology also means it’s vital that our systems are able to continue to evolve with the systems and tools people use.
While cross-browser compatibility has been a major goal for years, we were finally able to commit the necessary time and resources to the project. Our small but dedicated development team has now invested an unprecedented amount of work over the past six months to update and rewrite substantial and often deeply rooted portions of our code. And we have been glad to be able to share progress updates and limited previews in recent months during trade shows and other events.
Today, Hawaii Information Service is happy to announce the release of the first of two phases of our cross-browser upgrade. Mac users, Firefox or Safari users, even iPad or Android tablet users can now get a hands-on look at the main, working elements of a cross-browser version of REsearch.
This means you can now use any major browser to log in, scan the REVO landing page, and conduct property searches. Even more notably, the cross-browser REsearch system is already using current, live listing data. This means that you could start to use any major browser to perform many of your day-to-day tasks in REsearch right now.
It’s important to note that Phase I is technically in our staging environment (a pre-production test system), so there is a separate login page, and so you may encounter bugs or other unexpected behavior. Of course, we would greatly appreciate your help in reporting any problem you find (just click the “Report A Bug” link at the top of the screen).
And we are still hard at work on Phase II, which will bring the other remaining pieces of REsearch into the cross-browser fold — notably the ability to enter listings and use maps.
Today’s release is only the latest in a series of steps to build REsearch into the powerful, industry-leading tool it needs to be. But we hope it validates our long-stated commitment to making it happen. Achieving cross-browser compatibility is something that even much larger, national MLS software vendors are struggling with, so we think we’ve achieved quite a bit in only half a year. And we’re pushing hard to deliver full compatibility as soon as humanly possible.
What You Need to Know
- REsearch Cross-Browser (CB) is currently in staging, a separate test system with a separate login page.
- REsearch CB is using live data, so any changes you make will affect the live system.
- Phase I covers the REVO landing page, searching, contacts, and several other parts of REsearch. However, data entry, maps, and a few other items will be delivered in Phase II.
- REsearch CB should work in all major, current browsers for Windows and OSX systems. You should also be able to use iOS and Android devices as well, but there will be some quirks (usually relating to touch versus mouse interactions).
- We are constantly updating our code. There are some known issues you should be aware of (relating to print and email formats and some display quirks). And if you encounter bugs, please report them so we can fix them.
- Because our code is evolving, some bugs may simply be caused by outdated code cached by your browser. Please be sure to regularly clear your cache. And for the time being, you will need to enable pop-ups. We have instructions for how to do so in Chrome and Safari.
- If you are using Internet Explorer, you will need to deactivate compatibility mode (which is recommended for the current version of REsearch).
Stay Up To Date
For all current information on the cross-browser project, including updates, known issues, links, and online help, please visit and bookmark our REsearch Cross-Browser Project site:
Hawaii Information Service Bulletins 