Microsoft Y2K site Navigator-accessible
The giant fixes a glitch that was putting part of its Y2K help site out of reach to users of Netscape's browser.
As previously reported, Microsoft's Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure & Resource Center wasn't fully accessible with Netscape's browser up until Friday evening.
While Communicator 4.5 users could access the Microsoft site, they were unable to order Microsoft's "Year 2000 Resource Center CD" from the Web. Communicator users submitting a form got an "HTTP Error 400" response, which read, "Due to malformed syntax, the request could not be understood by the server. The client should not repeat the request without modifications."
The CD features "product guides, white papers, and year 2000 information," according to a press release Microsoft issued last month. "In the second quarter the CD will also include assessment tools and information on how customers can address their end-to-end year 2000 compliance challenge, including hardware, operating system, applications, documents, custom code, and data interfaces."
Microsoft on Friday posted the following notice on the page: "Attention Netscape Navigator 4.5 users: You may not be able to submit your order due to a problem we are currently working to correct. We apologize for any inconvenience."
Shortly afterwards, Microsoft squashed the bug and Communicator users were able to order the CD.
Netscape on Friday confirmed that the problem existed and said it would work with Microsoft to fix it if necessary. Netscape has its own Y2K site, coproduced with the Defense Department.
Under the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act, signed into law by President Clinton last year, companies are encouraged to liberally provide as much information as possible on the Y2K bug. The new law offers limited liability protections to encourage companies to share information among themselves and with the public.