Integrity
Plug-ins
These days the Web can support
many different file formats and media types, like Flash movies, midi, MP3,
QuickTime movies etc. If the Web browser accessing the site is not capable
of running these formats, then a range of problems can occur.
· Computer crash (extreme case)
· Browser freezes
· Web site non-functional
· Poor links to find required
plug-in
One may think that these
problems lie with external users accessing the site, and does not directly
affect the company. Even if this were the case, it hardly covers the
organisations reputation in glory. The idea of a Web site is to encourage
people to visit, not deter them. So it is in the organisation's interest to
ensure that the site is well designed and functions properly.
It is not just external users
that may suffer, because members of the organisation may well access the
site from a computer within, therefore affecting the company directly.
Testing should be carried out on all aspects of the site and the most
up-to-date browsers installed (they are free). If the latest browsers do not
contain the required plug-in, it is best that the administrator downloads
and installs it to all machines that access the web. This will shield users
from any hassles involved in installing the plug-in, but most importantly,
to protect them from any unpredictable and undesirable results that may
cause disruption to their system. It is unlikely that such disruption can
cause permanent file loss or damage, but a trouble machine will not permit
the user to save current work, therefore losing it.
Compatibility
There are many compatibility
issues that threaten the integrity of a company website.
Different browsers can display
Web pages differently. This is unavoidable. However, in spite of the slight
differences in how the pages are displayed, it is important that they can be
viewed. It is well documented that a Web site appearing perfect in one
browser, often will not display in another. This is particularly true with
Netscape Communicator, because it is very unforgiving of even the slightest
mistakes in the coding. Website components and coding, like Cascading Style
sheets, HTML and JavaScript often perform differently in different browsers,
sometimes not at all. In extreme cases, these components can cause a system
to hang.
Also, some sites cannot
be viewed on monitor resolutions of 800 x 600 dpi or less. Other factors,
like how long it takes to view a page on the screen, are affected by the
computer's modem speed, the older the modem the longer it takes to load the
Web page. These facts bring the integrity of the site into question.
Web
sites should be viewed and tested on as many different Browser brands as
possible (e.g. Netscape and Explorer), and also as many different versions
as possible. Furthermore, testing should be carried out on a range of
different resolutions and accesses should be attempted with modems of
varying speeds. It is imperative that the site's integrity can be maintained
on as many different configurations, combinations and platforms as possible.
It is important to cater for as much diversity as possible, ensuring that
the company appeals to as wide an audience as possible.
These
stringent measures will test third party websites, guaranteeing their
integrity. |
