I had a customer ask me this week whether we supported an older version of Internet Explorer (the one that came with Windows 2000.) I believe he is using IE 5. But, Salestrakr is an AJAX based application (which stands for asynchronous JavaScript and XML.) And unfortunately, our customer must move to the latest IE (version 7 or Beta 8) or to Firefox. And given that support for Windows XP is supposed to end this month, perhaps a move to Vista (and thus a more powerful computer) is required. I feel for this customer because it is now very apparent that they must get a new computer. It's not the worst time to do so. I saw a great new Toshiba at Office Depot yesterday for only $500. But, for a small business, each dollar is scrutinized. I know, Salestrakr is a small business.
But, things are better now with AJAX. I've tested Salestrakr on IE and Firefox on XP and Vista and it works exactly the same. Same is true on the Mac and on Linux. A Salestrakr user can go into an Apple store and work from one of their machines or go to an Internet cafe in another part of the world and know they can gain access to their data. Sure, you do that with any old web site. But not if you rely on a sophisticated CRM/SFA client. Salestrakr is essentially a client on the web but without the weight of a Java application or Flash.
OK, I do have to admit something. I tested Salestrakr today on my new Blackberry Pearl 8120. The browser does not properly support AJAX. Nor do the other mobile browsers. Salestrakr is though offered in a lite HTML mode for mobile users. I guess we'll have to celebrate advances in the PC world and push the device makers to catch up.
