I recently heard the Cork City Council web site was being criticized for failing to really appreciate the needs of the people who might use it, in particular it didn't consider how the site might be displayed by other browsers. This seems to have culminated in the Council putting a note on the site saying it "will only operate correctly by using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5. or greater". The user is then invited to "upgrade".

With close to 90% of browsers already using Internet Explorer 6 or above or using the superior Firefox browser the number of people this invitation would apply to is a very small minority, given that we must also count browsers such as Safari and Opera.

To change from Firefox to IE would actually be a downgrade. The W3C browser statistics for November '06, rate Firefox browser usage at just under 30%, as it continues to take market share away from Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The Council web site does not display properly in this browser, suggesting it was only developed on Internet Explorer and not tested on other environments.  By web standards, this is very un PC (boom boom), as it has the potential to alienate a substantial number of visitors..

W3C, shorthand for the World Wide Web Consortium, are the standards body for the web. They develop and define the language standards that ensure the universality of the web. In addition to Cork City Council ignoring users with other browsers, the website doesn't meet these standards set by the W3C. In fact, it contains twenty three errors, which realistically, would take about ten minutes to correct.

They do include an accessibility roadmap which does mention attaining AA and AAA accessibility standards. This is all very well, but it's usually better to start at the begining: Lads, aim for the A standard first, a good point to start at would be to correct the twenty three errors, and sort out displaying the site on other browsers. As a local government body you should be setting a standard. Upgrade.

Com'er sham, where the hell do you get off given out bout my home towns website, ha!. listen its langers likes you dat gives Cork a bad name. Maybe when ya get a few sec's ya might tell us where you'r home town is so dat me and the lads`can look it up on the interweb. I bet chya a fiver dat you dont have wan river in two places in your town!. Listen this is Cork and let me tell ya there are two types of people in dis world "those from Cork and those who wood like to be from Cork".

Another ting if you tink dat ya can keep dis up I'll tell you now gospel you'll be goosed.

To the person who left the last comment, is it any wonder the Irish Government has had to introduce a green card to bring in skilled workers when people like yourself aren't even able to articulate a simple idea or sentence.

The best thing you could do for 2007 is to get yourself down to FAS.