FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Association committed acts of browser discrimination by only allowing people with Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer 6.0 to file electronic claims in response to Hurricane Katrina. This means that if I was an affected citizen of the US, and had my Mac laptop with me and a valid internet connection, I could not file a claim. Nor could my friend running Linux who uses Firefox, or perhaps Konquerer.

According to FEMA's website, at http://www.fema.gov/help/registration_faq.shtm the minimum computer is a Windows unit with IE 6. No other OS / browser combination will be supported / available. If you try to register with different combination, you are directed to either download the combination, or dial a telephone number to complete the transaction.

This is completely unacceptable! I can understand not supporting *every* browser on the planet, but insisting on Microsoft as the sole monopoly is a huge mistake, and this blatant discrimination against modern operating systems such as Macintosh and Linux, and the variety of common browsers Netscape, Mozilla, Opera, really points a finger at design stupidity.

In a day and age where job postings are in multiple languages, and we have bi-lingual police officers, you would think that the US Federal Government would be forced by law to use open standards for maximum exposure.

Guess not.