- From: Claude Sweet <sweetent@home.com>
- Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 11:53:41 -0700
- To: Scott Luebking <phoenixl@netcom.com>
- CC: charles@w3.org, mburks952@worldnet.att.net, kynn-hwg@idyllmtn.com, w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Scott Luebking wrote: > > Hi, Mike > > Could you explain why it would be to the benefit of a company > to support more than one type of browser on its intranet? > Scott > Lets assume a company provides the necessary support to employee's who have specific disabilities requiring specialized software support to access and use the company intranet. Could someone explain why a company's decision NOT to install and support multiple browsers on other computers should be the subject for debate or concern of any outside organization or individual? The cost to purchase, install, and maintain software that is rarely used is why companies standardize software by departments, divisions, and entire organizations. An individual may have become attached to some out of date word processing software that can't be distributed over an intranet, but your employer can deny such activities as part of your employment contract. Such a position is very reasonable to me as a means of providing the maximum benefit to the entire organization at the lowest cost. This is not an accessibility issue in my opinion. Why should the standardization of an operating system or browser software be any different? Many companies have specific server software which is the standard platform for the company except for specific departments that may adopt an alternative. Macintosh computers have been widely used in K-12 school and in some colleges. In recent years there has been a switch to Windows as a default standards. Sometime this switch is due to a decision made by the purchasing department rather than the classroom teacher. Supporting districts with a collection of very old to new technology with DOS, Windows, and Mac operating systems and multiple software suppliers and versions is a nightmare from hell. Claude Sweet
Received on Monday, 25 October 1999 14:56:22 UTC