How can it be so difficult to setup a website that people can use? In fact, why would you bother to setup a website that was people can't use?
Now, to be fair, I think PPS is a great idea. Pay your bills by phone any time, day or night, whichever bank you use. Why bother to set up a direct debit when you can use this service free of charge? All local calls in Hong Kong are free, so it really does cost nothing - the only downside was listening to the recorded messages as you used the service ("Welcome to PPS...Good Evening...To register your bill").
These days, of course, they have a website as well, so no more irritating messages. Except that rather more irritatingly, it seems to require a "Java Virtual Machine". Maybe I haven't got one of those on my PC at work, so nothing happens. I looked at their requirements, and even followed the link to where I could get my own Java Virtual Machine - except that when I got there I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for.
So I gave up.
Meanwhile, I finally gave in and upgraded my home PC's Windows XP to SP2. Having read a few articles about this I came to the conclusion that it might not be straightforward, so I decided it was best to put it off and to be prepared for some problems. I waited, I got the CD from Microsoft, I backed stuff up before I upgraded, and I hoped for the best.
As it turned out it was very straightforward - didn't take long, nothing went wrong, and I haven't had any problems since I upgraded. I can even use the PPS website.
Computers, eh. Can't live with 'em, can't throw them out of your 37th floor apartment window.
Hehe, this website issue was something I noted in my recentish, just short of a month trip back to the territory, both seeing Chinese websites my cousin read and myself trying to decipher Chinese & English ones.
It appears the whole web accessibility movement that has been a very hot topic in Europe and US of A has completely passed Hong Kong by... in fact, most are still partying to the tune of 1997 era web design mentality. The 1997 irony thing isn't lost on me either. :D
Posted by: Jonathan Stanley | June 03, 2005 at 02:32 AM