Copyright Office: Everyone Uses MSIE, Right?

richardtallent writes "Tim Bray caught that the United States Copyright Office's upcoming copyright pre-registration web application apparently only works with Internet Explorer, and they are seeking written comments from anyone who might have a problem being forced to use IE. Slashdotters, start your snail-mail."

Comments

Be Respectful!

[kajoob]

Can I just say that if you do write in, don't flame. Be intelligent, clear, concise, to the point, and most of all RESPECTFUL. This isn't a rant, this is a opportunity to voice a legitimate gripe. Since they're requesting our opinions, they'll likely listen - let's not blow it.

Re:Be Respectful!

[SeekerDarksteel]

Dear US Copyright office:

zOMGWTFBBQ! J00 R NOT 1337! E4T SH17 4ND D13!

T3H 1337-533K1N9 Mi55i13!

The best answer I usually give..

[Lally Singh]

I simply tell people that IE's been discontinued for the macintosh. Everyone recognizes the Mac as a different platform that other people use, and the fact that IE is no longer shipping on it is a good motivator. Simple, easy to understand for non-techs, and respectful.

The address (RTFM iz hard)

[Safety Cap]

for mail:

Copyright GC/ I&R
P.O. Box 70400
Southwest Station
Washington, DC 20024-0400

Security

[Gadren]

Perhaps it should be mentioned that it's odd that Homeland Security said that it's best to use an alternative to IE, and the same government is requiring IE.

Isn't this like. . .

[Tachikoma]

. . .only permitting people who drive stationwagons to enter the postoffice parking lot? What genius CIO thought it would be a good idea to limit people who can use this to one, albeit large, sect of people? If I said "hey boss, lets make a great web app, but lets only let MSIE people use it because I'm incapable of making it available to more than one browser and MSIE is the whore of internet browsers and lets anything in" he would laugh at me. Then fire me. And then laugh a lot more. And then have a heart attack, but that's just my CIO...

"I'm sorry ma'am, you can only apply for a patent if you only have 1 leg."

"But I have two legs, its much more effiecient and I'm much more stable!"

"Two legs huh? That's nice but my give-a-shit is broken today, so you're going to have to handicap yourself like everyone else to use this. And you have to get in the back of the line."

software design government style

[Captain BooBoo]

At this point in the process of developing the Copyright Office's system for online preregistration, it is not entirely clear whether the system will be compatible with web browsers other than Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5.1 and higher. Filers of preregistration applications will be able to employ these Internet Explorer browsers successfully. Support for Netscape 7.2, Firefox 1.0.3, and Mozilla 1.7.7 is planned but will not be available when preregistration goes into effect. Present users of these browsers may experience problems when filing claims.

Sounds like they hired the developers under the common practice of the "lowest bidder"

rtfa?

[mullein]

From the federal register link in the /. article:

"Support for Netscape 7.2, Firefox 1.0.3, and Mozilla 1.7.7 is planned but will not be available when preregistration goes into effect. Present users of these browsers may experience problems when filing claims."

It doesn't seem that they plan on restricting usage to IE users only, and in fact sounds more like they have the position, "it might work on firefox, but we haven't tested it."