Government websites

Alex Attard, CEO, Malta Information Technology and Training Services Ltd, Blata l-Bajda

I refer to Rueben Zarb's letter (Inland Revenue Online Services Not Available To Every Citizen, July 9).

The government implemented a system which in its initial phases only works with the most widely used browsers. In the last quarter of 2006, when mygov.mt was first launched, various sources, including TheCounter.com, OneStat.com and Net Applications, indicated worldwide usage of Internet Explorer at about 85 per cent.

The government continues to monitor the usage of browsers on its websites and mygov.mt in particular and we note that the percentage of users using Internet Explorer is now at 87 per cent and Mozilla and Firefox (combined) at 11 per cent.

The government is committed to offer the most secure services needing its e-ID digital certificates to as large an audience as possible and is currently developing the functionality for compatibility with other browsers. We regret any inconvenience that may have been caused to the correspondent.

Comments

Andy Towler (on 20/7/08)

But you are still effectively admitting that aspects of web development technology were used which only work on one browser. There's absolutely no need for that if you have developers (and managers) with the appropriate skills. If all websites are tested against all four primary browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera and Safari) at all stages in the development cycle, any compatibility issues can be nipped in the bud. And don't tell me you're using ActiveX - anyone doing that for public websites should be shot as a matter of urgency.

C. Scerri (on 19/7/08)

It is not the worldwide stats that one should be following (and these vary - there are at present stats -w3counter- that show that Mozilla and Firefox have 29% share of the market and these is constantly on the increase). It is more important to look at the Maltese share - can anyone give these data?