Walmart
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| tracyanne Feb 13, 2007 6:50 PM EDT |
I recommend that everyone email Walmart's customer service at http://www.walmart.com/swap/cs_email.jsp |
| herzeleid Feb 13, 2007 10:01 PM EDT |
I checked to see if I could download music from walmart, and indeed, was rejected at the door with the "unsupported OS" routine. I wrote them to say that I thought it was rather silly for them to be rejecting potential customers who run perfectly valid non-microsoft OSes, and that I would simply take my business elsewhere. |
| theoldman59 Feb 14, 2007 10:51 AM EDT |
Sadly, Wal-Mart probably looked at their user base and determined that 99.9% of their customers use IE6 or IE7. The non-techie users rarely change their browsers, because they don't know how, or care to. No, this won't hurt Wal-Mart. It's a bit narrow minded, but it won't hurt them at all. Unfortunately, it also reinforces IE as the standard that non techies must use (gag!) to conduct business over the net. |
| bigg Feb 14, 2007 11:25 AM EDT |
This is not much different from when I emailed PC World to explain why I was canceling my subscription - the magazine only has stories about Windows. I figured that if they heard it enough, they would catch on. An editor responded by saying there is not enough interest among the readers to carry stories about Linux. Well, obviously that's true, because Linux users are not going to subscribe to a magazine for Windows users. You don't get to be an executive by being creative or questioning the status quo. Nobody ever got passed over for a promotion for requiring the use of Windows and IE. Ultimately they just don't care and won't care. How many alternatives do you have? |
| jimf Feb 14, 2007 11:49 AM EDT |
> responded by saying there is not enough interest among the readers to carry stories about Linux. Well, obviously that's true, because Linux users are not going to subscribe to a magazine for Windows users. Don'cha just love self fulfilling prophecies :D |
| tuxchick Feb 14, 2007 12:16 PM EDT |
Smart retailers, which WalMart certainly is, track everything. In fact WalMart pioneered all kinds of slick new ways to track what customers buy and why, and uses this data to boost sales even more. So they know that IE does not have any kind 99.9% lock, but far less than that. And they know how to build browser-agnostic Web sites. This is just more DRM at work, probably assisted by sizable M$ inducements. With all the bribes MS has to pay, it's a wonder they make any money. |
| dek Feb 14, 2007 2:39 PM EDT |
With all the bribes MS has to pay, it's a wonder they make any money.
(Tongue in cheek )
Ya gotta spend money to make money, doncha know. . .
(/Tongue in cheek ) |
| dcparris Feb 14, 2007 3:37 PM EDT |
I've put in a phone call asking for comments from Wal-Mart.com. |
| theoldman59 Feb 15, 2007 4:44 PM EDT |
Wal-Mart does track everything. That's why they aren't afraid to make IE only Web Sites. While MS has 79.8% (as of last month) of browser traffic, I bet the Wal_Mart user base is well over 95% IE only. The user base is fairly non-technical, doesn't typically change from the default browser, and will do whatever Wal-Mart says to shop there. Even the Boy Scouts just launched a new Advancement Tracking System. IE only. Won't even support Mac's and there's a lot of Scouters with Macs. |
| salparadise Feb 15, 2007 8:48 PM EDT |
For a company to change the way it does things online, so that only IE is accepted, "at this stage in the game" can have nothing to do with statistics or goods tracking.
It would appear, logically, to be a new move by MS (by proxy) to shut the door in the face of everyone that isn't using IE. (Or at least, it's hard not to come to that conclusion). Granted Apple users may be in a small minority, but they're a wealthy minority, and now they're shut out (yes I know you can put IE5 on OSX but most choose not to for the same reason one doesn't hang furry dice from the mirror in a Rolls Royce). And if some stats are to be believed, Linux on the desktop now outnumbers Apple on the desktop. Five years ago you could have got away with the idea that maybe they didn't know there was an alternative to IE. These days that's no longer a valid excuse, therefore it would seem hard not to suspect another reason. |
| herzeleid Feb 15, 2007 8:58 PM EDT |
I think salparadise is onto something.... follow the money! |
| Aladdin_Sane Feb 15, 2007 9:17 PM EDT |
> one doesn't hang furry dice from the mirror in a Rolls Royce Well, I once saw someone put ketchup on Filet Mignon. Unforgettable sight. |
| dcparris Feb 15, 2007 10:59 PM EDT |
Sal, if I ever own a Rolls, I'm gonna get some fuzzy dice and send you a pic to remember. But ketchup on Filet Mignon? How uncouth! |
| tracyanne Feb 15, 2007 11:00 PM EDT |
If you use user agent switcher on Firefox it takes you one step further, and checks to see if you are using Windows Media Player 9 or higher, if you are not if won't let you go further. So Walmart are also blocking Windows users who don't have WMP 9 +. |
| tracyanne Feb 15, 2007 11:07 PM EDT |
If you have WINE installed and IE 6 running under WINE, you can get it to go yet another step further, by downloading and installing WMP. At which time you will get a message stating that WalMart no longer support Windows 98, ME or NT so they arw also blocking Windows users who have not upgraded to Win2000? or possibly Win XP. It's looking more like they want to try to force Windows users to up grade to Vista. |
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