[kictanet] Why is KRA (Customs) Application is Hard-Wired Microsoft?

[Agosta Liko]

Walu

for code that sits behind a firewall or in an extranet ("closed"
environment) it is common practice to write for one platform and version ...

The logic is as follows - if you write and test on IE6 then all the browser
compatibility tests are for only one platform ... a client will usually opt
for this because they are getting billed for each man hour testing and
maintaining

So if each browser and version testing = 200 hours --- then you pick one
browser and one version and standardize across the organisation

So maybe the winning bidder only had 1 browser :)

On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 6:26 PM, Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I was at JKIA cargo this morning trying to get in some cargo.  Ofcourse it
> is still a nightmare operation but eventually I got some Agent to help out
> and we sat down at his office to key the data into the Kenya Revenue (Simba
> System).
>
> For some reason, his Microsoft-Explorer was giving him some trouble so I
> told him to just try the Firefox instead. Believe it or not- the KRA system
> screamed at him and said "YOU CAN ONLY USE MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER ver
> 6 AND ABOVE!!!!". What??
>
> Folks, if this is not intimidation, tell me what is. Who in the 21st
> Century writes software ONLY for one platform?  Software today should be
> read from your Windows/Linux/Android/Mac/etc/ Platforms.  It should be
> accessible from your laptop, smart-phone, dump-phone,tv/etc. Now how comes
> a critical public system is ONLY accessible through Microsoft platform?  I
> am not against Microsoft - I still use alot of it at a corporate level;
> HOWEVER, we cannot allow a Publicly Procured system to be tied to a single
> platform.(review procurement rules).     I recall one Lister raising this
> issue 3years ago and I thought it had been addressed!
>
> Either the PS Ndemo + eGovt Sec, Dr. Getao helps us out or we task Steve
> Mutoro to open a file on this issue. Forcing clearing agents to BUY
> Microsoft products (when they can use a free one)  to clear goods for
> customers is not a proper way of developing a country.
>
> walu.
>
>
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