y-lee
August 7th, 2008, 07:34 PM
I sent the below letter to the Dilbert web Site April 20, 2008.
"Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows XP Media Center 2005, Mac OSX 10.3 or Mac OSX 10.4 is required to view this page" Why am I being excluded for using linux? I can change my User Agent Switcher to IE/windows and it works but I don't patronize web sites with such absurd requirements. This is all over the linux forums you are going to loose a lot of visitors over this
Today I got an obviously computer generated letter
Dear y-lee,
Yes, We know that you emailed us a long long time ago. Here at Dilbert.com we try to not let that be an excuse for not answering an email.
We are sorry for the trouble you have been having with the new launch. We hope all the work we will be doing in the coming weeks will make it easier for you to enjoy Dilbert in all his incarnations. Just so you know, we are thinning out the flash, streamlining the mashups, making the site easier to navigate as well as view the animations.
For those of you who are unhappy with the new site, this note from Scott Adams should answer some of your questions:
Recently we redesigned the Dilbert.com web site and added a ton of features, such as animation, deeper archives, mash ups, and more. The reaction from readers has been fascinating.
Let me get this out of the way: I realize the Beta version of the web site has lots of issues. It’s overloaded with Flash, slower than it needs to be, and the navigation is confusing. We’re fixing most of that over the next few weeks. I apologize for the inconvenience.
The fascinating thing about the responses is that it revealed three distinct types of Dilbert readers:
The first group is the ultra-techies who have an almost romantic relationship with technology. For them, the new site felt like getting dumped by a lover. Their high-end technology (generally Linux) and security settings made much of the site inconvenient. Moreover, the use of Flash offended them on some deep emotional level.
The second group objected to the new level of color and complexity, and the associated slowness. They like their Dilbert comics simple, fast, and in two colors. Anything more is like putting pants on a cat.
The third group uses technology as nothing more than a tool, and subscribes to the philosophy that more free stuff is better than less free stuff. That group has embraced the new features on the site and spiked the traffic stats.
For you first two groups, if you promise to keep it to yourselves, we created a stripped-down Dilbert page with just the comic, some text navigation, and the archive: www.dilbert.com/fast. This alternate site is a minor secret, mentioned only here and in the text footnote to the regular site as "Linux/Unix."
The main site will be getting a Flash diet that will make it speedier soon, so check back in a few weeks. That’s where all the fun will be.
Enjoy.
Thanks,
Jonathon
Dilbert.com Customer Service
Thought yall might be interested :)
"Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows XP Media Center 2005, Mac OSX 10.3 or Mac OSX 10.4 is required to view this page" Why am I being excluded for using linux? I can change my User Agent Switcher to IE/windows and it works but I don't patronize web sites with such absurd requirements. This is all over the linux forums you are going to loose a lot of visitors over this
Today I got an obviously computer generated letter
Dear y-lee,
Yes, We know that you emailed us a long long time ago. Here at Dilbert.com we try to not let that be an excuse for not answering an email.
We are sorry for the trouble you have been having with the new launch. We hope all the work we will be doing in the coming weeks will make it easier for you to enjoy Dilbert in all his incarnations. Just so you know, we are thinning out the flash, streamlining the mashups, making the site easier to navigate as well as view the animations.
For those of you who are unhappy with the new site, this note from Scott Adams should answer some of your questions:
Recently we redesigned the Dilbert.com web site and added a ton of features, such as animation, deeper archives, mash ups, and more. The reaction from readers has been fascinating.
Let me get this out of the way: I realize the Beta version of the web site has lots of issues. It’s overloaded with Flash, slower than it needs to be, and the navigation is confusing. We’re fixing most of that over the next few weeks. I apologize for the inconvenience.
The fascinating thing about the responses is that it revealed three distinct types of Dilbert readers:
The first group is the ultra-techies who have an almost romantic relationship with technology. For them, the new site felt like getting dumped by a lover. Their high-end technology (generally Linux) and security settings made much of the site inconvenient. Moreover, the use of Flash offended them on some deep emotional level.
The second group objected to the new level of color and complexity, and the associated slowness. They like their Dilbert comics simple, fast, and in two colors. Anything more is like putting pants on a cat.
The third group uses technology as nothing more than a tool, and subscribes to the philosophy that more free stuff is better than less free stuff. That group has embraced the new features on the site and spiked the traffic stats.
For you first two groups, if you promise to keep it to yourselves, we created a stripped-down Dilbert page with just the comic, some text navigation, and the archive: www.dilbert.com/fast. This alternate site is a minor secret, mentioned only here and in the text footnote to the regular site as "Linux/Unix."
The main site will be getting a Flash diet that will make it speedier soon, so check back in a few weeks. That’s where all the fun will be.
Enjoy.
Thanks,
Jonathon
Dilbert.com Customer Service
Thought yall might be interested :)