Browser usage.

[Byron C. Mayes]

A lot of people have given the most common answers. I'll add these to 
chew on.

On Mon, 17 Nov 1997, Wilfred Drew wrote:

> 3. When do users switch to the latest browser version?

I'd imagine that a lot of folks using Not Just Cows are probably at
academic sites and probably using public computers. For many of us 
maintaining those public computers, going to Win95 is/was/will be 
harrowing enough without adding software upgrades that aren't absolutely 
necessary. Those who can get by without changing software probably will 
do so until they're completely comfortable with Win95 in the public.

Keep in mind, too, that some version upgrades are more major than others. 
Netscape 4 is radically different from Navigator 3. It doesn't even look
the same. We're considering Navigator 4 for our public stations because
e-mail is automatically unavailable with the Navigator only installation. 
before we do that, however, I'll have to make sure our librarians have it 
on their desks for a while (more for my sake than theirs). That means 
they hae to have computers capable of running it. *That*, of course, 
means money.

I don't have to tell most of you how easy money is to come by in a public
institution operating under a city and state administration that believes
locking up young people is more important than educating them, but I
digress. 

Finally, as far as upgrades go. I always have the latest that I can use, 
especially if the upgrade is free for the downloading. In the grand 
scheme of things, I am probably the exception. Many of us on this list 
probably qualify as "power users" or at least "semi-automatic". the 
average user just wants his/her information.

 Prof. Byron C. Mayes
 Systems Librarian/Assistant Professor
 Hunter College of the City University of New York
 695 Park Avenue * New York, New York 10021
 bcmayes at shiva.hunter.cuny.edu  * 212-772-4168 * Fax: 212-772-5113