To Whom It May Concern:
Several days ago it came to my attention that the Developer's pages which
used to be available for Site Developers are no longer available. I
understand after some further investigation that they have been gone for a
while, and that presently there is no plan for their return. I am writing
to register a complaint with you about that.
First of all, that is the only place where there was any information
directly from WebTV Corporate where that kind of information was
available. The forums there helped those of us who were making some
efforts to make sure our sites were compatible with WebTV, and it was a place
where I could refer other site developers for that information who knew nothing
about WebTV.
The fact that you would remove the only source of information available
which would help developers incorporate the limitations of your system into
their sites doesn't say much for your concern about whether your clients are
ever looked upon as more than stepchildren in the internet
world.
Secondly, when I called the Support Division of WebTV I was given what I
consider less than optimum responses. Perhaps you would like to know what
your support service is telling people who call for information about
this. Grab a cup of coffee and then turn your attention to this while you
sip!
I reached a support tech named Raymond, ID # 3359, who told
me that information was no longer going to be available and if I wished to
file a complaint, the Compliance Management Group could be reached
at:
WebTV Networks Inc.
1065 La Avenida St.
Mountain View, CA.
94043
FAX # (425) 727-3490
OR I could file a complaint with you at
the email address to where this mail is being directed.
I asked to
speak to HIS supervisor, explaining that I was trying to develop pages on a PC
that were webtv compatible and asked why they were trying to isolate the webtv
community in this manner from anyone who might be wanting to make sure
their pages are compatible. He indicated again that information is no
longer available to the public and if I would get a webtv appliance of some
sort and go to the WebTV Pagebuilder, all the compatible
information is
available there. I asked why I should want to do that.
His
supervisor was named Chris. She gave me no ID # saying she was the only
supervisor at that site. She told me I could find the
information I was looking for if I would go to http://www.webtv.net and click on "developers." I told her that I had tried
that and it took me to the msntv site. She said to scroll all the way to
the end of the page and click on the developers link. Apparently she
then tried it, and SURPRISE.... the link was no longer available, as I had
already explained to her!!! It doesn't say much for your staff that the
supervisor is giving out wrong information.
I asked where SHE is
located and was told New Mexico. When I asked WHERE in New Mexico she
said "Western." I asked what the problem is with anyone knowing where
the support site is located, especially since I am not even in that
state, and she told me that information is not available. She
said if I indicated I talked to someone in New Mexico that people at
corporate would know who she is because she is the only supervisor named Chris
there. (as opposed to before when she told me she was the only supervisor
there) I asked to speak to her supervisor. No dice.
She
suggested that I could write to :
Microsoft Corporation
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, Wa. 98052
Attn: MSNTV Policy
Administration
(425) 737-3490 (note that this is ONLY 1 digit
different from the phone number which is supposedly in Mtn. View,
Ca.)
I asked her the same question about why msntv would choose to
isolate the msn/webtv community by removing the information which was
previously available to developers to make sure they could/would develop sites
which are compatible with the rest of the online community and she indicated
that "PCs should stick with PCs and WebTVs with WebTV" since those
appliances
could not do everything a PC could do. I find that
statement to be ludicrous! I told her I was aware of WebTV's limitations
and that would be the very reason that the developers' site should have
been left available.
She said that it was a corporate
decision and that probably the site wasn't being used enough. I told her
that was the craziest thing I ever heard of, and that I knew for a fact that
lots of webtv users used the site and that I have used the site both while on
webtv and since I have been on a PC. I told her that it was my opinion
that removing this site from online was a very poor corporate administrative
decision and she could pass that along to whomever she chose. She said
she would.
Never once did either of them suggest that I download
the WebTV Viewer for a PC so I could see how my pages would look on the webtv,
but that still wouldn't delineate which codes are and are not compatible with
web/msntv.
Unfortunately it seems the WebTV Viewer no longer
is functional, either. Why is that?
Overall, I find this situation ridiculous and and I feel this is
more of the same kind of treatment which made me leave webtv in the first place
when no one would help me try to straighten out a billing snafu. At
that time I was basically told, "too bad" and once again that seems to be the
attitude toward your clients. It doesn't speak well for you.
I can access the Compendium and build my pages using CSS and Java without
regard to whether or not your clients can access my pages, but you might want to
take another look at what you are saying to people who are still trying
to incorporate your clients, rather than just moving on and forgetting
where we learned lots of the things we know today.
Sincerely,
L. C. Crosby