Note to Australians: In Case Of Terrorism, Be Sure To Be Using Internet Explorer

December 30th, 2002 at 2:00 PM - News by Alex Allee

In Australia, the government doesnit want to hear your cries, unless you are using the latest version of Internet Explorer. At least, thatis what an article in the Sydney Morning Herald says. The writer noted a block of text at the bottom of the Australian governmentis anti-terrorism Web site that states: "This site is optimised for Internet Explorer 5 and above at an 800 x 600 resolution on PC. For Mac users, the Netscape browser is recommended."

Being as this page is paid for by Aussie tax dollars, the Morning Herald asks if it would have been so difficult to find someone that could code to standards. From The Sydney Morning Herald:

The Australian government has set up a anti-terror Web site to educate people about the dangers which it claims the country faces.

However, the way the site is designed not all of its features are visible to every class of viewer.

The site, paid for by the taxpayer, is apparently customised for only one class of Web user - a person using Microsoft Corporationis Internet Explorer 5.

One does not have to deduce this - it is boldly printed at the bottom of the front page of the site (which, by the way, has no title at the top apart from "Homepage", an indication of amateurish Web design).

The fine print also says: "We are endeavouring to make this site more compatible with other browsers", - for which, no doubt, the taxpayer should be grateful.

[...]

If this were an ordinary government Web site, one would probably pass on a story like this. But when a site says: "This Web site provides a single access point for national security information from the Australian Government," is it not mandatory that it be standardised so that every Australian Web user (or even world + dog) can view it in its entirety?

You can read the entire article at the Sydney Morning Heraldis Web site.