Online Retailer Imposes First Ever Web Browser Tax

[Timnoldzim]

I applaud these people. They have found a legitimate way to make actual money off of lazy dicks who won't update their browsers! I really wish I had come up with it first!

 

[dessertmonkeyjk]

Somebody has been out of the loop "lately".

 

[Clearing the Eye]

They still make Internet Explorer? Well, there you go.

 

[weirdsoup]

I'd have to imagine that the people using IE7 are, not so much tech-illiterate, but rather less clued in to advances in browers. People who have a PC but don't feel they NEED to be on the cutting edge but rather "it works for what I use it for, therefore it's fine" mentality.
With that being the case, they likely use IE7 because it came pre-installed when they bought their PC.

 

[direkiller]

at work we are still using IE 6......

I think that's a good way to keep people off the internet.
Do 90% of sites even work with IE6?

 

[Robert Ewing]

It surprises me that the people behind IE7 are making it even MORE unappealing than it already is. Marketing win!

 

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

Well, I really like the idea. However, this is one of those things that would be easily exploited if it caught on; if a store on the internet charged you more because it didn't like the software you were running, I'd piss you off, right? I think that this is a great way to make people get rid of outdated software that can be upgraded for free and costs people money because they have to develop for said outdated software, but just think of what it could be in the wrong hands.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Bad move in my opinion, instead block them and redirect them to the latest version.

Option 1: Keep the customers, but charge them for the convenience of keeping the website compatible with their old browser. Possibly lose some, but still keep some.

Option 2: Simply don't let the customers shop on your website. Lose any revenue they may have brought in.

You should probably stay out of the business world.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Well, I really like the idea. However, this is one of those things that would be easily exploited if it caught on; if a store on the internet charged you more because it didn't like the software you were running, I'd piss you off, right? I think that this is a great way to make people get rid of outdated software that can be upgraded for free and costs people money because they have to develop for said outdated software, but just think of what it could be in the wrong hands.

You can take off your tinfoil hat. A company knows that if they start applying a "just for the hell of it" tax because you use (for example) Firefox, then they're going to lose a LOT of customers. There are a lot of things that a business could do to screw over their customers if they wanted to, and the vast majority of those things are things that no sane businessman would approve because it do nothing more than drive customers away.

 

[ThunderCavalier]

I don't know. I honestly can't think of any systems that can't download something like Firefox.

I think this guy has the right idea. Give him a medal, all things considered.

 

[Vie]

EDIT: I just realized the work computers use IE7, but we can also use Chrome. We only need IE7 for our intranet so it isn't too painful.

Be glad it was IE7.

One of the places I worked for a couple of years ago, a UK Government department, used IE6 for accessing a national database full of private information.

But wait! It gets worse!

They also allowed employees to browse the web during lunch - but the only browser available? You guessed it - the same IE6 you used to access the database.

Thankfully while I was there somebody had the bright idea to push a firefox install out for the employees to use for web browsing. But I don't think they had any plans to drop IE6 for the national database any time soon.



[edit]

I don't know. I honestly can't think of any systems that can't download something like Firefox.

There was a point at which I could not use Firefox on my Sony Netbook (It was second hand so I got it for considerably less than half price - a year after it came out.) The thing has an Intel GMA500 graphics chip you see*, and Firefox had switched to a different way of rendering the page by default. The result was a crash to desktop on launch every time.

It's resolved now, can't remember if it was just an update to FF that fixed it, or if I had to make changes to the settings manually.

*Basically it's a version of Intel's cheap graphics chip designed for use in tablets and other low-power devices. It's a lot more limited than even their normal chips are, can play videos and render a desktop, but anything remotely advanced makes it throw a hissy fit.

 

[Buizel91]

I think we are all being fooled >.>

Look at the name...Kogan...put an R in there and you have Krogan...What if Bioware set this store up for EA so they can get even more money >.>

Joking aside, its a good idea to a certain degree, i just hope it doesn't catch on so we ahve to use a particular piece of software to go on a certain site/programme.

 

[Iron Criterion]

hope this catches on, maybe if all websites become like this it will force my college to upgrade their fucking browsers once in a while i think they are still using the same version that came with the damn os and while they are at it they could install flash

There's only one thing for it - break in and update their antiquated software.

 

[Buizel91]

Loving how people are rushing to the conclusion of "durr hurr, this r good idear becuz IE lolol".

Question: How many of you still run an outdated copy of Firefox? Or Chrome? Or, hell, an outdated Windows/Mac OS? Perhaps a slightly out of date antiviral program? Would you still think this is a great idea if they were penalizing you for running those?

Chrome updates automatically for me, i think it does for everyone.

I think it's because IE7 is ancient and is hard to make websites for now, older versions of Firefox aren't a problem i think. They can't be unless they would have used the Tax thing for them as well.

 

[Iron Criterion]

Loving how people are rushing to the conclusion of "durr hurr, this r good idear becuz IE lolol".

Question: How many of you still run an outdated copy of Firefox? Or Chrome? Or, hell, an outdated Windows/Mac OS? Perhaps a slightly out of date antiviral program? Would you still think this is a great idea if they were penalizing you for running those?

It's a terrible idea. It'd be far easier for them to just stop supporting IE7. They did this for the publicity, and to try to make some free coin off of people who are likely unaware of how to upgrade their network software or have the inclination to do so. I know plenty of places that use older systems for a variety of reasons, and while it's true that such systems are less secure, they're also more familiar to older users. Not everyone is young and tech-savvy and able to keep up with the rapid curve of software upgrades compared to normal products they purchase.

Bottom line: this is a dick move and I hope it ends up hurting their wallets in the long run. And it's a damn shame that people are so quick to proclaim any sort of additional tax that gets between a consumer and a product as a "good idea", as if people don't get screwed by companies enough.

Do you know what type of retailer kogan is? It is a technology retailer. So I'd like to think that the majority of people browsing a technology website are savvy enough to install a new fucking browser.

And as technology progresses older technology will be left behind - it's hard to make websites work for IE7 so it has had its day. I don't see this as 'punishing the customer', more speeding up the long overdue death of IE7.

 

[MASTACHIEFPWN]

I never thought I'd see people actually embrace the idea of a company telling you what software you should/should not use. The hypocrisy, it is delicious.

Agreed to the highest possible extent.
The only reason people are supporting this is because of the stupid browser elitist war.
For fuck's sake it's pointless.

But people should put it into perspective, The number probably isn't high for users of IE 7 on that website, but say you went to a website and were taxed for using your primary browser. That's what I'm getting out of this.
Great way to usher in a Monopoly.

 

[Flatfrog]

ak93]Maybe they will finally get a good version of IE... that's my hope at least...

Is there really such a thing?

My gut anti-IE instinct has been struggling against IE9 which seems so far to be excellent. Just as good standards compliance as Chrome or Firefox, better development tools, clean and easy to use. Obviously they've nicked the best ideas from their competitors as always, but they've done a good job on the whole. I've gone off Chrome quite a bit - it crashes a lot, especially with Java, and it has a terrible habit of running about a hundred simultaneous processes on my machine.

 

[Dark Togashi]

Let's hear Fox News spin this!

Since you asked so nicely, here you go:

"Online retailer imposes 6.8% surcharge on people using outdated software in an effort to cut costs of maintaining support for legacy systems"

You're welcome.

More along the of:

"Obama imposes 6.8% surcharge on people using outdated software because he hates America and kicks puppies for fun"

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I'd suggest it's better than just not supporting it, because tech-illiterate customers who came to the site would just get an error and either assume the computer was broken or the site had gone away.

Also, it's not even anti IE, they're just saying get a browser from this century, because it costs us money to support IE7, and we'd like to not have to.

It also gets them publicity, which is rarely a bad thing.

 

[Ashannon Blackthorn]

This is a terrible idea. Now companies are going to see this, see that people are actually willing to pay the tax, and say "Well, if they'll pay it then, we can carry out our own on-line tax! And we can tax ALL the browsers!"

Death of internet shopping, here we come.

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