[thelist] MSN locks out non IE browsers

.jeff jeff at members.evolt.org
Tue Oct 30 12:03:05 CST 2001


andrew,

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
> From: Andrew Forsberg
>
> > simply put, the vendor has the final say on who they
> > do business with -- not the other way around.
>
> All of which put the business's *image* ahead of the
> customer's desire for a service or product, for better
> or worse. Microsoft ain't no Helmut Lang outlet, but
> the logic appears similar on the surface.
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

agreed.  excluding customers for whatever reason does not mean it'll
automatically result in lost business.  for example, allowing a person to
use their own skates at a skating rink or their street shoes at a bowling
alley could result in the floor being damaged ruining the experience for
others.  by preventing this damage in the first place you're guaranteeing a
usable environment for your existing customers.

in the example of refusing service to hostile customers, you're removing an
element that may make the environment hostile to non-hostile customers.  by
removing that hostility they're likely to stay longer and buy more.  even if
the hostile customer had good reason to be hostile the non-hostile customers
are more likely to be concerned with the hostility than with claims behind
it.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
> > > It doesn't make good business sense to turn people
> > > away, IMHO.
> >
> > i honestly don't think anybody is arguing that point.
>
> But it's the only valid argument for Microsoft to do
> this. Isn't it?  What other criteria would they really
> give a rat's arse about?
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

oh, i don't know.  perhaps they care about widening their browser
marketshare gap.  excluding non-ie users won't piss off their existing
client-base (who, for the most part, will probably be clueless that some
users are being excluded).  however, even if they only convert some of the
excluded users, they've improved their position.  so what if they piss off
the rest of them, most of the ones pissed off are probably already pissed
off or anti-ms and not likely to be converted.  it's really a no-lose
proposition for msn to do this.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
> > doesn't matter.  i'm asking about the current status.
>
> Current status: Microsoft has a vested interest in the
> Macintosh software market, so:
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

sure, of course they do.  they have that vested interest because they own a
crapload of stock in apple.  why not dump that stock?  probably because they
think apple will always be there in some form or another.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
> > microsoft makes the most software for the mac.  kind
> > of ironic isn't it?
>
> that's not ironic, it makes perfect sense.
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

it makes sense that microsoft would devote lots of developer resources to
the mac.  the part that's ironic is that it's the arch-nemesis that is the
one producing the most.

geeeze, i owe too.

<tip>

using javascript you can reset an entire form using the reset() method.

document.forms[0].reset();
document.myForm.reset();

what if you want to just reset a single element?  set its value to its
default value.

document.forms[0].elements[0].value =
document.forms[0].elements[0].defaultValue;

or shorthand it by first creating an object pointer

var myElem = document.forms[0].elements[0];
myElem.value = myElem.defaultValue;

</tip>

thanks,

.jeff

http://evolt.org/
jeff at members.evolt.org
http://members.evolt.org/jeff/






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