people do have a choice yes. but, designing sites for one browser only
will drive people away. there are over 200,000,000 people on the
internet. 15% (ish) or there abouts use netscape browsers. that is
30,000,000 people. a lot of custom to lose on an e-commerce site.
then there are people who do not know there is another alternative to
netscape, or people who do not have a clue on how to change browsers.
people can be very stupid and ignorant.... a client asked me why the
sound on his computer isnt working. it turned out that he didnt have an
speaker plugged in. one client also asked how he used a floppy disk.
with people who know absolutly nothing about computers how are they to
know that there is more than one alternative, and how are they to know
the pro's and cons of changing? and how are they to know that each
browser handles the code differently? 

"We have a moral obligation to accomodate them and not
discriminate"

i think discriminate is the key word.

but, you have the choice to support whatever browser you want to. maybe
more people should think that netscape users are disabled in some way
(not physically but in a 'surfing' sort of way....) then you can
accomodate them and the net would a viewable and usable place by all.


Rob.

(that last bit i can see people taking offence to it.... just smile and
take it as a joke... the world will go smoother if everyone did that).


-----Original Message-----
From: Valerie L. Criswell [mailto:valerie(at)suresource.net]
Sent: 03 November 2000 12:55
To: Budget Web Design & Advertising; hwg-techniques(at)mail.hwg.org
Subject: Re: Strange "Netscape Problem"


> Back to the analogy (sort of), this is why we make offices and retail
stores
> ADA compliant, so those few people with disabilities can come in just
as
> easily as anyone else.  This is why we make ATM's with braille and
closed
> caption television for the hearing impaired.  Why would you want to
miss
out
> on anyone that could be interested in what you have to offer?

With all due respect, that's a ridiculous analogy.  People with
disabilities
have no choice.  We have a moral obligation to accomodate them and not
discriminate.  However, changing browsers is free and available to
anyone.
I prefer to use this analogy.  If you have a site that uses IE only
technology, and you let people know that they really should be using IE
to
browse your site, it's like having a fine restaurant and requiring the
men
to wear a jacket and tie.  If they don't want to dress for the
atmosphere,
they don't have to eat there.

~Val

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