Re: [Fsfe-uk] Free internet (technologically)

[Chris Croughton]

On Wed, Jun 04, 2003 at 11:00:40AM +0100, Ramanan Selvaratnam wrote:

> Once again  the online facility for ARGOS lets me down when using 
> Mozilla 1.4b.

Well, if you will use beta software <g>...

> <http://www.argos.co.uk/static/gecko.html>

Which actual page were you trying to read?

> But I might have used Opera

Opera has problems with many sites, because it expects the authors to
have read the standards and keep to them.

> Ignoring ARGOS, is this menace to free software on the decline or resurgent?
> (Did I hear somewhere about a campaign to educate/pressure for the use 
> of standard web applications?)

There is still an increase in the number of sites wanting Flash or other
proprietary add-ons, and definitely an increase in the number of those
which don't even have the courtesy to say that's what you need (not even
a page saying "You need XXX to view this site", just get a blacnk
screen).

> Is this not something to follow up after all the recent publicity on 
> 'out of courts settlements' over browser wars?

More likely on the usability and disability discrimination legislation.
Especially if it is graphics-heavy without text alternatives...

(Not that any of that makes any difference to Ford, for instance...)

Chris C