OCLC and Browser versions

[David Merchant]

At 07:18 AM 2/11/99 -0800, Michael Sauers wrote:
>> Here's a few reasons why people still use Netscape 3.x instead of 4.x:
>
>For many libraries this "problem" will be going away in August, for better
>or for worse.  The New OCLC FirstSearch (starting in August) will require a
>4.0+ browser to use it.  If you don't have a 4.0+ browser you will need to

I don't understand requiring a 4.0 browser to access an informational site.
 What critical new tag or CSS is there that enables them to give access to
information that otherwise couldn't be accessed without those new tags or CSS?

Many libraries are using old equipment, and I have many computers where
disk space is a premium, they hardly have any space left on them, and now I
will have to put in new browsers that will take up even more disk space?
(and yes, even the standalone 4.0 browser takes up more space than a 3.0
browser, especially I.E. 4.0, my goodness it takes up huge chunks of real
estate, even if you don't load it, it may be there waiting to be loaded in
your CAB or OPTIONS directory, taking up 20-30 MB easily.  Even after you
install it, those original files are still there, so now you are looking at
up to 100 MB taken up.  And most of my computers here have 404 MB hard
drives.  After loading Win95 (a fairly minimal install) and loading in
OCLC's Passport for Windows and other needed programs, I don't have much
space left.  Windows needs some free space for a swap disk as well, to
funtion best.  So being forced into a 4.0 browser to access information
(especially mostly textual information) is patently, plainly, and purely
RUDE.  In addition, many of my computers here have only 16 MB of RAM.  Yes,
RAM is cheap, but one can be nickled and dimed to death, our budget is
tight and we have so many pressures on our budget as it is.  Netscape 4.0
is a slower loading browser, needs more system resources.

I just don't understand what OCLC could not do with HTML 3.0 that is so
critical, so important?  Without the CSS or HTML 4.0 tags they will not be
able to deliever some information AT ALL?  I find that hard to believe. 

TTFN,
David





 
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