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While the previous version of our Internet site has been very fancy and technical, it did require the use of a relatively recent browser. In some cases, this has led to problems. The current incarnation represents a move "back to the roots", i.e. we have tried to cut through much of the modern pizzazz and return to base camp.
No more frames.
A very limited amount of JavaScript is still being used, but the basic functionality of these pages remains untouched even if your browser does not support, or you have not enabled, the use of JavaScript.
The only pixel image formats currently used are GIF and JPEG. To the best of our knowledge, all graphics capable browsers should be able do digest these without external ancillary programs or plug-ins. The much more recent PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format is not (yet) used; only the latest generation of browsers supports it.
Plug-ins are not required. No sound or video clips to be found on these pages.
Portable Document FormatThe only functionality required to fully use these pages which is not provided by the average browser is displaying PDF files (PDF stands for "Portable Document Format").
PDF is a multi-platform file format (derived from PostScript) which allows text and graphics informations (e.g. leaflets, manuals) to be displayed and/or printed in their original form and shape. What's more, PDF uses efficient compression algorithms to squeeze lengthy documents into manageable files. High resolution images can be downsampled to match the limited resolution of a typical computer screen, leading to even further compacted files. In a nutshell, PDF comes close to being an ideal graphics format for the web.
Adobe distributes the Acrobat Reader program free of charge, downloadable from its web site:
Besides, Acrobat Reader can be found on many CDs (such as those infamous AOL or Compuserve "get 100 days free access..." CDs that seem to be permanently glued to pretty much any computer magazine these days :-)
There is hardly a hardware/OS combination that does not accomodate Acrobat Reader (for example, all current Unix implementations such as Solaris, Linux etc. are covered). In other words, if you have a platform that does not run Acrobat Reader, not being able to display PDF files is probably one of your minor problems :-)
Depending on your platform and on your mode of installation, PDF documents are displayed either by popping up a separate window for Acrobat Reader, or (more conveniently) within your browser window. To activate the latter funcionality, a recent browser and the Acrobat PDFViewer plug-in are required. Please refer to the on-line documentation that comes with Acrobat Reader.
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