Fema Aid Site Blocks Access To Firefox, Macs, Linux Users

Is this normal? Please tell me M$ haven't used this event to strike a blow for WIndows!

I think it is just FEMA continuing it streak of ineptitude.

More here http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=12557&Page=1...

and here http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26013

Those two articles point out that because of FEMA's stupidity, relief workers have to spend time and money setting up Windows XP machines, while this time and money should be spent on actual direct help to the victims. Seeing how people are still dying everyday of the consequences of the catastrophe, this amounts to criminal behaviour from FEMA! And Microsoft's accepting charity money that was meant to help victims is hardly better (you'd think with Bill Gates's charity business and their deep pockets Microsoft would have no problem donating machines for the job. But no, they have to make money out of every OS licence!). But hey, the only responsibility of a company is towards its shareholders isn't it?

This really angers me. The first person I hear talking about how Microsoft is not locking its users in and that even if it was there's nothing wrong with it will receive those two articles (if possible in the face) and will have to try and justify that!

I think I'm going to be sick.

Eh.... Opera/Mac seems to work by lying about its identity. I expect Firefox to be able to do the same.

Yes, stupid.

mvermeer: Indeed, I read an article about that (the author didn't go through the whole process though, not wanting to pretend to be a victim, so I don't know if it works till the end). But it's awful to have to go through such lengths to be able to ask for relief, especially since it means that there is *no* reason why FEMA should lock out non Windows/IE users (when a browser lies about its identity, it still doesn't change its rendering engine, so the site is actually at least partially compatible with other browsers, and only artificially made completely incompatible!). It's really criminal to lock out people *for no actual reason*!

I am working on a project to increase accessibility in e-government. You should write your State and Federal government leaders to demand vendor-netural, standards-based laws or policies. You can mostly copy and paste a letter here:

http://narnia.dnsalias.org/freegovernment/

Haven't these people suffered enough? To make them use IE6 on Windows XP is surely cruel and unusual punishment. Can't someone think of the children?

This may prove to be the best single argument for open standards in government. I hate to "use" people's suffering in this way, but, under the circumstances, it is entirely appropriate.

Tsela

Quoting: ... FEMA's stupidity, relief workers have to spend time and money ... his time and money should be spent on actual direct help to the victims ...

Beg to differ - regarding the first extract, no it was meant not to work "by design". As for the second the only goal of this administration has been to reward supporters, hence, the "victims" you cite were not a concern.

Not meant to be humorous, dead serious on this.

ahz: Would be difficult, as I am neither an American citizen nor even living in the US. Which doesn't mean I am not allowed to criticise things happening in the US, especially when both my birth country and my adoptive country have tried to send help both in people and material only to be blocked at the US borders until two days ago (and when it's about floods, my adoptive country has a *lot* of experience about them, since it is built for more than 1/3 of its surface on ground won over the sea, and thus under sea level. So preventing its experts and material from getting in is just stupid).

TxtEdMacs: You're right about the first one. I didn't know at the time of writing this comment about the fact that by spoofing the identity of your browser you could use the site. It only makes me angrier, and justifies even more my calling FEMA "criminal". Adding artificial barriers to help access is one of the worst kind of action there is, which is the reason of my second comment. As for the second extract, of course I already know that. That still doesn't excuse them for not doing the *right* thing.

Nice world we're living in, isn't it? :(

PS: Please check the two most recent entries in http://www.zompist.com/rants05.html . Although I'm afraid it will only reinforce what you already knew...