And, God knows, why should I have expected anything different? Try a dry run at submitting my 2006 census form online here, press "Start" and ... gosh, I'm sorry but:
Your browser does not meet the minimum requirements to access this site.
The current version of browser you are using is not supported by this site.
To download a supported version of browser, please refer to: To download the required software. If you do not wish to download a new browser, you can complete your paper questionnaire and return it by mail in the envelope provided.
Surely, you are yanking me. I'm running Linux with the absolute latest version of Firefox-1.5.0, so I'm pretty sure it meets any sane "minimum requirements" so let's follow that link to try to make sense of this, where we read:
Web browser
To make sure that you can complete your census questionnaire securely and confidentially, you must use a Web browser that has 128-bit secure socket layer (SSL) encryption.
If you don't have a browser that meets this security standard, you can download one to your computer.
* Microsoft Internet Explorer can be downloaded from the Microsoft Web site.
* Netscape Navigator can be downloaded from the Netscape Web site.
* Firefox can be downloaded from the Mozilla Web site.
* Mozilla can be downloaded from the Mozilla Web site.
* MacIntosh users can download the appropriate version of Safari from the Apple Web site.
I am running Firefox, you imbecile, what the fuck is your problem? Oh, wait, here's some useful information in terms of supported operating systems and Web browsers which, naturally, makes no mention of Linux whatsoever. So it's not a Firefox issue, it's a Linux issue. How delightful. A little googling and we find this gem:
Canada now allows the Census to be done online. I tried to login and got the current version of the browser not supported error. It recommended using Firefox, Mozilla, IE, Netscape, or Safari (also mentioning to use JRE > 1.4.x). Funny, I was using Firefox. So, next I tried Mozilla Suite, then Seamonkey, then Opera. No good. BTW, I am running JRE 1.5.0_06.
Time to call the help line (going to try to submit a bug report to the poor call centre =). Well, big lineup, I stayed on the line since I wasn't going anywhere. It did recommend me to phone back at non peak hours and gave some times. 1st problem, it didn't give time zones with the times. Canada has enough timezones that that can be slight problem.
Staying on the line ...
After what seemed to be 30 mins, I got to speak to a rep. I mentioned my browser wasn't supported, he said I could download Firefox, etc. I said I tried that. Asked what my OS was. Linux. There followed some Ums and Ahs. Paper shuffling. Well it supports Windows and and and Um. NEways, I held for a moment while he found the supported OS lists. When he got back, he started asking about browsers, so I listed what I had tried and my Java version. Again the question what OS? Linux - Fedora Core 5. Oh, that's the problem. It supports the majority of Windows version and Mac. Okay, thanks.
What could have saved me a heap of time? Well, the browser detection could have used some novice JavaScript to detect my OS version and say NAE, you aren't supported. Instead there's code to say your browser isn't supported so go download a supported browser which is the very one you are using right now.
What is the point of advising people to use multi-platform browsers and basing it on Java which is also multi-platform, yet only have it work with Windows and Mac? Why has every other Gov't Ca. website I have been to work with Firefox and Mozilla? The Census is to find out who I am, and put me in the Stats. Thankfully, when I finish filling out my paper Census, I will be able to fill in Comments section, submit some bug reports and give them a freebee stat that isn't in the questionnaire: I am one of the Canadians whom doesn't have Mac or Windows on his computer.
There are moments when I'm just so proud of my country. This isn't one of them.
WELL, NOW WE KNOW. And for the technically adept among you, notice anything just a wee bit odd about this JavaScript page? I refer, of course, to the last few lines of the "checkForSupportedBrowserVersion()" function. You know -- these lines:
...
// The OS is not MacOS (and not Microsoft Windows)
else {
// The OS is not supported
return false;
}
Fuck you, StatsCan, and the hack programmer you hired who wrote that.
18 comments:
Hello,
I'm from the government and I'm here to help you,... How may I abuse you today?
;-)
Looks like an epidemic.
I suppose I could resort to my office rig to submit it, but I think I'll do it in crayon. It's so... government.
Apparently Lockheed Martin have been subcontracted to run the online census for Canadians:
http://www.vivelecanada.ca/
http://countmeout.ca/
My guess is the site would work if it weren't for that line of code to disallow Linux, BSD, UNIX and others from using Firefox and Java.
The programmers are presumably Lockheed Martin, and I didn't get a firm answer when I asked StatsCan if we own the software or just the rights to use it this census. We might end up paying for the website to be designed again for the next census.
saskboy writes:
We might end up paying for the website to be designed again for the next census.
I'll do it.
Deleting 4 lines of code: $5.00
Knowing which 4 lines to delete: $495.00.
No cheques, please.
As a software engineer who occasionally works on web related stuff, usually the issue is not technical incompatibility, but testing. With something as important as the census, you can't go with an untested solution, and just saying, "Well, Firefox works on Mac and Windows, so why not Linux?" just doesn't cut it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm used to this crap as a Mac user, and I'm sure it's worse for Linux folks, but there is a valid economic basis for this decision, it's not just someone's head in their rectum.
A better error message would be nice, tho!
anonymous:
Normally, I would defer to your expertise but, as you can read in that JavaScript page, the test is ostensibly to test "if the browser version is supported by Entrust TruePass."
This page suggests that there shouldn't be a problem.
The prosecution rests.
Even if the issue is cost of testing, why isn't a now mainstream OS like Linux offered if Macs are?
The government shouldn't be putting up barriers to open source software, they should be embracing it.
Truepass works on Linux. It depends on Java working, not the underlying OS.
This is a freakin web app. The "platform" is HTML and Java, not Windows, OSX (which is BSD BTW).
Whomever wrote this is either an idiot or simply copied that code from some place else.
And for what its worth, I'm a former employee of Secure Channel, which provided the secure infrastructure and Truepass environment for Stats - this is not their code. Nor is it Truepass code.
how about hacking your useragent to return MacOS rather than Linux? AFAIK Firefox will let you do that... bet it will blow right by Statscan's crappy code.
Screenshot if you get it working please - will link it from my blog if you can make it work :)
[sarcasm] And those sons of bitches won't accept a form completed in RED PEN! Fuck the Government and their restrictive attempts at being flexible [/sarcasm]
So here we have another glaring example of the dummification of the Linux community.
Ubuntu + JRE 1.5 + user-agent switcher.
I'm in and completed the Census on-line.
The user-agent string is: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.3) Gecko/20060426 Firefox/1.5.0.3
Do I have to tell you how to change that as well?
Blocking out *nix is a glaring omission, but you can get around it IF you KNOW what you are doing.
One of the last posts on http://trends.newsforge.com/trends/06/05/04/233250.shtml has the solution; see also the replies. You can even use the real Linux user agent string, just make sure the "App version" at least says "5.0 (Windows; en-US)" and it will work. I used:
5.0 (Windows; en-US; actually its Ubuntu Linux but I have to spoof this to get it working right)
:)
I had a comment on my blog today showing that StatCan as of today fixed the online census to work with Linux.
I don't know if you can leave comments stating opposition to their outsourcing to Lockheed Martin.
Census online is available to Linux users who know what they are doing!
The following combinations have been reported to work on the 2006 Census online - WITHOUT spoofing:
a) Suse 10.0 with Firefox
b) Kubuntu 5.10 with Firefox
c) Fedora code 5 with Firefox
The most difficult step is to update the Java VM to 1.5.0_06.
I agree with the comment that the problem is not technical incompatibility but testing by experienced Linux users.
I'm trying to access Bell Sympatico's site and I am getting an error saying that there is no encryption available for them to interact with Firefox. I suspect the fact that I am running Linux has something to do with it.
Why can't these corporate eggheads figure out that opensource is the future and they'd better get with it?
The next decade is going to see a cyber revolution....get the electric guillotine warmed up!
Fuck Statistics Canada! Who the fuck are they to be able to demand anything from me, and to threaten me with fines and jail for not jumping through their hoops. Is this what the Canadian government is? They tax you to death to fund tyrannus bureaucracy. And why the bloody hell does their online form require privileged access. Is portable https and html forms beneath them? Is this just to show you that they can butt fuck you if they please since you can't refuse their 'services'? You should see their business surveys, you have to download and install a frickin windoze binary!
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