Re: [MLUG] Schedule of Courses

[Jason Gyorog <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Well, here we go. I just called in, and kept a general-idea log of what happened. It's not verbatim, but it gets the job done. Apparently, they can't
develop for 'everything out there' so they develop for the most standards-noncompliant browser, instead of using said standards.


(I call 882-7881)

Hello, I wish to complain about the new schedule of courses website

Yes?

I can't access it from Mozilla. It says I need Internet Explorer 6 or higher.

Do you have access to that?

Yes, but I really don't like to use it.

Well, I think that's going to be your only option, since it requests that.

I don't understand why it requests that.

Okay, how do you spell it?

M-O-Z-I-L-L-A

And it requests Windows Internet Explorer?

I'm on Windows, but I don't want to use Internet Explorer.

Okay, let me check on that...

(hold)

Okay, the only way you'd be able to do that is to use version 3.0 or above.

There is no 3.0 version.

Well, I just talked to the computer programmer, and that's what he said.

Tell him the newest version on the website is 1.6

Is it a huge problem for you just to use Internet Explorer or Netscape?

Yes, I really don't like Internet Explorer. Tell the 'computer programmer' that there is no version 3.0 of Mozilla.

Okay, hang on....

(hold)

I was told you need to use Internet Explorer or Netscape, and that that's the only way to access it.

Can I talk to a supervisor or something?

All right, just a moment.

(hold)

Hello?

Yes, I'd like to file a complaint about the new Schedule of Courses website.

Yes?

I can't access it with Mozilla. It requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, and I want to know why.

Well, I'm not a programmer or anything, so I don't know the specifics, but 99% of users here on campus use Internet Explorer, and we had to go with
the masses. I know they had some problems with early versions of Safari, and .. that one that starts with an 'O.' Also some early versions of AOL
work, and some don't, but with some of the new search features, we simply can't make it work on 'everything' out there.

I don't understand what features would work under Netscape, but not Mozilla, since all the versions of Netscape since 6.0 have been based on
Mozilla. Also, it requires 6.0 or later, and if I'm not mistaken, the Macintosh has no available version beyond 5.6, so you're effectively locking 
out Mac users as well.

Well, no, we show hundreds of Mac users logging on every day, so we'd be getting some complaints about that if that were the case.

I wouldn't be complaining if it simply said 'some features may not work' and let me into the page, but it simply shows me a blank white page with
the message on it that I need to be using Internet Explorer.

I believe there's some setting that you can change to make many of the browsers work, by saying they're Internet Explorer or something.

Yes, I can change my browser ID string to pretend that I'm using Internet Explorer, but I don't see why I should have to do that if all the rest of
the features would work anyway.

I'll go ahead and log this complaint, and I'd recommend that you send an email to the techie guys. You can find the email address on the registrar's
website. On the page just before you get to that screen, there should be a 'Contact Us' link at the bottom.

All right, I'll do that.

Thanks for calling in.

Thank you. Bye.

(the email address he spoke of is EMAIL:PROTECTED I'm writing my email now.)


On Thu, Feb 05, 2004 at 04:28:41PM -0600, Bledsoe, Steven R. wrote:
> Nathan,
> 
> The best tip would be to contact the Registrar's Office at 882-7881 and
> voice your opinion about it.  I know that people from IATS have brought
> this issue to their attention before, regarding other websites that they
> have produced.
> 
> Steven Bledsoe
> Help Desk
> Information and Access Technology Services
> (573) 882-5000
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