Monthly Archive for November, 2006

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Mustafa now uses Google Talk / Jabber

Published on 11 November 2006 in Internet, Journal and Snippets. 0 Comments

Those of you wishing to reach me using the Google Talk network, or via Jabber can now do so – for text chat only. My G-Talk id is mustafa499 {at} gmail(.)com (but don’t use this for email!).

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Incompatible browser compatibility tests

Published on 9 November 2006 in Internet, Journal and Personal computing. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

I’ve always been wary of web sites that “test” browser compatibility before deciding whether they are going to work or spew up an error message (often unnecessarily petulant) advising you to use a different browser and/or operating system. To me it used to smack of web developer laziness – in my view all web applications should conform to W3C standards, and degrade gracefully.

However, the rapid advancement of browser technology, and the new applications that these enable mean that such browser compatibility tests are now a necessity. Some so-called “Web 2.0” applications simply cannot be degraded (without completing changing the application’s concepts) and even when possible, it’s often simply not worth it in terms of the developer effort required compared to the number of potential users.

Sadly, it seems that many web developers are just inept when it comes to devising these compatibility tests. One would have thought that in 2006 people would be adept at creating browser compatibility “tests” that don’t unnecessarily block a browser that works. Alas, even some big technology companies still don’t get it right.

Take Vodafone’s UK coverage checker. I tried to load it in Safari on my Macintosh and got a rather terse page telling me to use another browser:

Sorry, unfortunately the Vodafone Coverage Viewer application is not fully compatible with your web browser or platform, and therefore not supported at this time. Please try to use another web browser.

I love the way it doesn’t confirm whether the problem is with your web browser or “platform” (read operating system). Great so as a Mac user, I don’t know for sure whether it would work with any other Mac browser. Why can’t it at least list the browsers it has been tested for compatibility with?

Anyway, I fire up Camino (a Mozilla Gecko-based browser with a Mac-native GUI) and get the same result. This came as something of a shock. Surely no one in this day and age writes web applications that only work in Internet Explorer?

After an instant messaging conversation with a Windows user who confirms that he can access the site in Mozilla Firefox, the problem finally dawns on me. Rather that checking to see if the browser is Gecko-based, the developer has simply chosen to “test” for a particular Gecko-based browser (most probably Firefox). I fiddle with the options in Camino so that it fools web sites into thinking it is Firefox 1.5 / Macintosh and, hey presto – a fully working site!

Aargh! When will developers learn that Firefox != Gecko? All Gecko based browsers render pages exactly the same (when using the same version of Gecko). If they want/need the browser to be a particular version of Gecko then they should test for that version of Gecko, not for versions of Firefox, Flock, Camino, Galeon, Netscape, or any other Mozilla-variant.

Or put another way, if they want to be clever, they should get it right. Muppets!

URGENT: Another parliamentary vote on extradition and justice

Published on 3 November 2006 in Action Alert and Civil Liberties. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

At the Third Reading of the Police and Justice Bill a fortnight ago there was an opportunity for MPs to overturn aspects of Extradition Act 2003 and the USA-UK Extradition Treaty of the same year. Unfortunately MPs rejected these crucial amendments but the Lords have now sent the amendments back to the Commons. Consequently there will be another vote this coming Monday 6 November 2006.

So, time to act again. If you’ve forgotten why, please see my original post on the Third Reading to remind yourself why USA-UK extradition arrangements compromise justice for British citizens.

Here’s the email alert from the Free Babar Ahmed Campaign:

Dear Supporter,

Re: URGENT – MPs to vote again on Monday 6th November 2006

Thank you for taking out the time to contact your MP for the 24th October 2006 House of Commons’ Vote to change the existing UK-US extradition laws. As you may know, MPs rejected two crucial amendments to the Extradition Treaty when debating the Police and Justice Bill.

During the Commons’ debate on 24th October 2006, the New Labour Government, fearing a rebellion, promised MPs that they would further look into the forum amendments. As a result, 30 Labour MP’s abstained from voting.

However, on Wednesday 1st November 2006, the Bill returned to the House of Lords, who voted in support of the amendments.

The Police and Justice Bill will return to the House of Commons on MONDAY 6TH NOVEMBER 2006. The Government has failed to provide a solution to the forum issue as of yet.

We urgently need your help to contact your MP again by Monday 6th November 2006 12 noon to make sure they support the amendments and do not abstain from voting.

This will only take 10 minutes of your time and may be the last chance we have to challenge the law. If the vote is won, it will directly affect cases like Babar Ahmad, who is on the brink of being shipped to the U.S.

Please follow these steps:

1) Go to www.writetothem.com and find your MP by typing in your postcode. Write an email similar to the paragraph below (NOTE: cut and paste emails may be rejected so change a few words and include your full name and address in the body of the email to show that you are a genuine constituent)

“I am writing to you as your constituent to urge you to vote to support both amendments to the UK-US Extradition Act 2003 (prima facie evidence and forum) when the Police and Justice Bill returns to the Commons on Monday 6th November 2006. Although the vote for these amendments was lost in the House of Commons on 24th October 2006, the House of Lords has voted in support of them. The Government had promised to look into addressing the forum concerns raised by many MPs. However, these proposals are yet to be seen.

I would urge you to please make yourself available to vote on Monday 6th November 2006 to uphold the amendments put forward by the Lords, in particular forum amendments, and to encourage your fellow MPs to do the same. I hope that you will vote for the best interests of the British people you represent.”

2) Follow up the email with a phone call by Monday 6th November 2006, 12 noon.

Ring 020 7219 3000 (House of Commons Switchboard) and ask for your MP’s office.

· Give them your name and address.
· Tell the staff you have sent an email and would like your MP to back both amendments to the Extradition Act 2003 and would like them to cancel any prior engagements to make themselves available to vote on Monday 6th November 2006

Please pass this email on to all your contacts TODAY and circulate on mailing lists and forums so as many MP’s as possible are contacted by the morning of Monday 6th November 2006.

Thank you for your time and efforts

Yours sincerely

Free Babar Ahmad Campaign
2nd November 2006

www.freebabarahmad.com

As with last time, please use your initiative. Don’t simply cut and paste the standard text suggested above. Try to express your views in your own words. MPs are more responsive to genuine requests from their constituents than mass-duplicated mailings.