[RndTbl] Census now available to Linux users

[Gilbert E. Detillieux]

According to John Lange:
> For those of you not also subscribed to the PLUG mailing list, Syd
> Weidman points out that the census web site is now open to Linux:
> 
> http://www12.statcan.ca/IRC/english/advisory_e.htm

The advisory is rather brief, and doesn't explain things all that clearly.
It's not obvious, for example, whether they've simply made an exception to
allow the Linux OS specifically, or whether they've stopped checking for
particular OS'es altogether.  If it's not the latter, then they've missed
the point, IMHO.

This shouldn't be about recognizing Linux as another alternative OS, but
rather about supporting open standards.  It shouldn't matter at all what
OS is being used, as long as the browser itself is W3C compliant, has
sufficient encryption technology in it, and has a supported JVM.  If they've
coded their web site to those specs, and tested with a few different
browsers and system platforms, that's all that should matter.

The census web site also has another problem/limitation in it.  I'm
currently between two homes, so I had to complete a census for each home,
but only mark myself as a resident of one.  For the other, the number of
people currently living there is 0 (zero), which you can indicate on the
paper form, but which the online form does not accept.  I ended up having
to mail in the paper form for that one.

-- 
Gilbert E. Detillieux		E-mail:	<gedetil at cs.umanitoba.ca>
Dept. of Computer Science	Web:	http://www.cs.umanitoba.ca/~gedetil/
University of Manitoba		Phone:	(204)474-8161
Winnipeg MB CANADA  R3T 2N2	Fax:	(204)474-7609