towsonu2003
April 7th, 2006, 10:56 PM
I was trying to register for free toefl practice tests at toeflpractice.ets.org but they block anyone not using IE. So I tried user agent switcher (did not work), reported the site to firefox (help>report broken websites) and than tried to find a template email to send to toefl so they fix their web site bug. I know there is template email messages somewhere in mozilla.org, but googling didn't bring the link up... So I wrote mine.
I decided to but the email / letter template here so that others looking for a template for writing such emails can use it. here it is:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I will take the TOEFL examination in a few days. While I was trying to
register at toeflpractice.ets.org to be able to practice for the new
toefl ibt test, I was denied access on the grounds that only Internet
Explorer users can get in this web site. I am using firefox and cannot
switch to Internet Explorer due to the fact that I am a Linux user.
Currently, 10% of all internet users use firefox as their default
internet browser. This rate is ever increasing. Firefox is compatible
with a broad range of operating system, including Windows, Linux, and
BSD. Furthermore, firefox is the only browser suggested by NSA as
compatible with their security standards. Compared to firefox,
Internet Explorer has far more unresolved security vulnerabilities and
it is the most common target of any web-based security attacks.
By blocking access of firefox users to toeflpractice.ets.org, you are
not only denying freedom to access to me. You are also blocking out
all users who have Linux, BSD, or other opertaing systems, as well as
all users who are concerned with their own online security enough not
to use Internet Explorer. The message that this situation conveys
about your organization's concerns on its users and its own security
is not very satisfying...
Your decision to block non-internet-explorer-users from this site
denied my right to freely practice the new TOEFL IBT. I strongly urge
you to recode your site at toeflpractice.ets.org to make it Firefox
compatible ASAP. Doing so will enable you to have a much broader range
of users. It will also increase the reputation of your organization
among security-aware internet users.
Thank you,
Sincerely.
Just wanted to share, nothing more :)
Oh, and, if you find that template emails fro mozilla.org, link it here so its google rank goes up and others googling for it can find it :) thanks.
PS. You can see the initial "welcome" page. Put an email address to the first field you see (enable javascript for ets.org) and hit submit for the "no-more-welcoming" page...
I decided to but the email / letter template here so that others looking for a template for writing such emails can use it. here it is:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I will take the TOEFL examination in a few days. While I was trying to
register at toeflpractice.ets.org to be able to practice for the new
toefl ibt test, I was denied access on the grounds that only Internet
Explorer users can get in this web site. I am using firefox and cannot
switch to Internet Explorer due to the fact that I am a Linux user.
Currently, 10% of all internet users use firefox as their default
internet browser. This rate is ever increasing. Firefox is compatible
with a broad range of operating system, including Windows, Linux, and
BSD. Furthermore, firefox is the only browser suggested by NSA as
compatible with their security standards. Compared to firefox,
Internet Explorer has far more unresolved security vulnerabilities and
it is the most common target of any web-based security attacks.
By blocking access of firefox users to toeflpractice.ets.org, you are
not only denying freedom to access to me. You are also blocking out
all users who have Linux, BSD, or other opertaing systems, as well as
all users who are concerned with their own online security enough not
to use Internet Explorer. The message that this situation conveys
about your organization's concerns on its users and its own security
is not very satisfying...
Your decision to block non-internet-explorer-users from this site
denied my right to freely practice the new TOEFL IBT. I strongly urge
you to recode your site at toeflpractice.ets.org to make it Firefox
compatible ASAP. Doing so will enable you to have a much broader range
of users. It will also increase the reputation of your organization
among security-aware internet users.
Thank you,
Sincerely.
Just wanted to share, nothing more :)
Oh, and, if you find that template emails fro mozilla.org, link it here so its google rank goes up and others googling for it can find it :) thanks.
PS. You can see the initial "welcome" page. Put an email address to the first field you see (enable javascript for ets.org) and hit submit for the "no-more-welcoming" page...