Monday, May 08, 2006
Boing Boing: Canadian gov't requires American browsers for Census site
Not a worry for me. K already did the short form in person at our house. Apparently our neighbourhood is known for not sending the paper version back. I suspect that next time around they will have figured out how to let everyone have easy web access to the form. Although, i guess they could screw it up if they get the bright idea to make it Web ONLY.
Canadian gov't requires American browsers for Census site
Statistics Canadian -- a Federal agency -- is conducting a national census that Canadians can participate in via the Web, but only if they use Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Apple's Safari. Free and open browsers like Firefox are explicitly excluded. There's two jaw-dropping elements to this story: one, that the Canadian government requires Canadians to use American software to complete the national census; and two, that they require all kinds of high-tech crapola to fill in a survey:
Canadian gov't requires American browsers for Census site
Statistics Canadian -- a Federal agency -- is conducting a national census that Canadians can participate in via the Web, but only if they use Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Apple's Safari. Free and open browsers like Firefox are explicitly excluded. There's two jaw-dropping elements to this story: one, that the Canadian government requires Canadians to use American software to complete the national census; and two, that they require all kinds of high-tech crapola to fill in a survey:
On the fact page for Secure Channel, one of the benefits of the system listed is "accessibility to government programs." For the on-line census page, however, accessibility is limited to Windows 98, NT, ME, or XP, and Mac users with Safari 1.2.4 with webkit 125.5.7. In addition, users must have at least version 1.4.2_3 of a Java Virtual Machine on Windows, or version 1.4.2_5 on the Mac. If users do not meet these requirements, as they begin the process, they are redirected to a page that informs them that "Your browser does not meet the minimum requirements to access this site." The page refers them to a second page that gives detailed instructions about how to download the required software. Alternatively, the page suggests that users fill out the hardcopy version of the census form that was mailed to them.
