Tesco Standards
Tesco Standards
Web standards and accessibility are abstractions that the majority of internet users probably know nothing about, but for those that do it can become a passionate debate and crusade. We are talking cross-browser compatibility - where websites function correctly on all browsers on all computer platforms. And it is actually very easy to achieve - all it takes is a simple decision before the design starts that this is a goal.
Ten years ago when Microsoft’s appalling and non-standard Internet Explorer ruled the roost there was perhaps an excuse but that has long passed and even Microsoft has made some small headway into compatibility and standards - although they still attempt to lock people into their platform.
One company that seems almost proud to flout standards and by so doing, disenfranchise a potential market for their service, is Tesco. We have the letter to prove it and I quote:
 We don’t support either Mozilla or Opera browsers.
Signed by one Eve Hughes, Customer Services Manager.
So, if you are a user of the Apple Macintosh, you cannot do your on-line shopping with Tesco. If you are a user of a Linux platform you cannot do your shopping with Tesco. And if you are one of the growing army of people who have finally realised that Internet Explorer is just more trouble that it is worth, is a security black-hole and non-standards compliant, then you too cannot do your on-line shopping with Tesco either.
Which is why we are about to check out Sainsbury.