Please Use Another Browser! at Robert Pogson

I was surfing for news about what’s happening in the world. I am a computer geek, but occasionally I like to broaden my horizons. At CNN.com, I came upon an interesting headline and clicked on the link.

“The web browser you are using to view this video is not supported. Please use one of the supported browsers:”

I am trying to wrap my head around this.

The World Wide Web allows CNN and me to reach hundreds of millions of people.
They chose this medium because of its low cost of entry and universality.
They do not want to communicate with 20% of users of the web.

How bizarre. If I were running a business and wanted to reach 1000 million people at no more cost than reaching 800 million, what would I do? That’s a no-brainer. Use standards that everyone can use so that you reach them all. The issue was video. Everyone can use mpg and such. What is the problem???

Sigh. The BBC, CNN and others are shooting themselves in the foot if they want IE/M$-only access. By next year, 20% of clients on the web could be using something other than IE on M$. 20% are using FireFox as I am.

Oh well, dinosaurs have the right to be dinosaurs, but in this case they are choosing to be dinosaurs.

My Mission

My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.

My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.

I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.