As part of my duties over at netivity.co.ke, I have to ensure that the sites designed and the applications developed are accessible to anyone with access to the internet.
In this day and age and with our infant internet industry, mobile phone browsers are a major means of internet access and old underpowered machines being the only way in which millions of others will be able to access the internet for the foreseeable future.
Designing standards compliant web sites and applications is not easy but it does in a very long way in ensuring that anyone who visits the website shall be able to access the content within.
When any device is being equipped with the ability to surf the internet, the manufacturers only hope of ensuring that it can access the majority of pages on the internet is to ensure that it can read standards compliant pages in the desired manner, thus designing a web page/app in a standards compliant manner ensures wide accessibility before any extra modifications are made.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
FW: Why websites matter, especially in Kenya
Today a friend of mine from college called me up. He was assembling a P.C for a friend of his and needed some help in determining which brands offered the best value and where he could get them at the best price. Seeing as I was someone who trolls through computer shops in his spare time ( I really need a life! ) he knew that I could probably help him.
Point was that I then proceeded to recite computer part prices over the phone and when his credit/minutes/airtime ran out, I proceeded to text him the required quotes.
In order to provide more detail, I scanned the available pricelists and emailed them to him.
The point that I'm trying to make here is that if those computer shops had working websites, my friend would have been able to pull those quotes of their sites without needing to in through a middle man ( me ). His decision would have been made quickly and the lucky shop would have gotten his business.
A website that is used in that manner ( an online brochure ) is relatively easy to set up and cheap to maintain and why our local *computer* shops lack them is just shocking especially considering that this shops spend money to design, print and dish out pricelists/brochures while very unwilling to spend a fraction of that getting online.
That was just one instance of a situation where a website does matter and it is probably a situation which is replicated a hundred times over throughout the country.
Point was that I then proceeded to recite computer part prices over the phone and when his credit/minutes/airtime ran out, I proceeded to text him the required quotes.
In order to provide more detail, I scanned the available pricelists and emailed them to him.
The point that I'm trying to make here is that if those computer shops had working websites, my friend would have been able to pull those quotes of their sites without needing to in through a middle man ( me ). His decision would have been made quickly and the lucky shop would have gotten his business.
A website that is used in that manner ( an online brochure ) is relatively easy to set up and cheap to maintain and why our local *computer* shops lack them is just shocking especially considering that this shops spend money to design, print and dish out pricelists/brochures while very unwilling to spend a fraction of that getting online.
That was just one instance of a situation where a website does matter and it is probably a situation which is replicated a hundred times over throughout the country.
This blog post was typed up and submitted on a mobile phone *without* a qwerty keypad, touchscreen or 3g. Go mobile net!
Disclaimer: The author designs and hosts web sites for a living ( over at netivity.co.ke ) and may just have posted this to get more business.
Friday, October 23, 2009
web apps in nairobi public transit
Just boarded a "matatu" mini bus, the most prevalent means of transport in our crowed city in the sun, Nairobi.
While patiently waiting for one of this to become available, I noticed the system that they were using to keep track of which "matatu" was next in line to board passengers. This is in order to prevent the chaotic free for all that was our transport system a few short years ago, but thats a story for another blog.
The system that they were using was a pen and paper check off system where they "ticked" against every "matatu's" registration number once it was up for boarding.
The system seems to be working and apart from a few heated arguments when a "matatu" jumped the queue.
The situation of course gave rise to a web app idea, especially when I noticed that all of the "enforcers" at the bus stage had relatively fancy phones, each of which had internet browsing capability.
The web app that I have in mind would be a very simple replacement of the current system where instead of "ticking" off a "matatu" manually, one would check it off online through their mobile phone browsers. The system has the advantage of being less prone to fraud and if a corresponding "check in" system is enabled for the drivers, it would enable the cross checking of records vastly improving the accuracy of the acquired data.
The most significant advantage in my opinion would be the fact that the data would be in a nice form ( already entered and electronic ) allowing for easy statistical analysis for whoever manages the fleet.
They could easily pull up stats on the number of trips per vehicle and be able to tell which crews are consistently performing and also enabling them to identify the troublesome crews.
The system is not infallible or a silver bullet to management problems in itself, but it can be a very usefull took in the more efficient running of "matatu" fleets as we wait for GPS and other proximity devices to become cheap enough to an integrated into the system.
Securitywise, the system still depends on humans to ensure that the system is not compromised while improving on some areas of human laxity but them again, which computer system doesn't?
While patiently waiting for one of this to become available, I noticed the system that they were using to keep track of which "matatu" was next in line to board passengers. This is in order to prevent the chaotic free for all that was our transport system a few short years ago, but thats a story for another blog.
The system that they were using was a pen and paper check off system where they "ticked" against every "matatu's" registration number once it was up for boarding.
The system seems to be working and apart from a few heated arguments when a "matatu" jumped the queue.
The situation of course gave rise to a web app idea, especially when I noticed that all of the "enforcers" at the bus stage had relatively fancy phones, each of which had internet browsing capability.
The web app that I have in mind would be a very simple replacement of the current system where instead of "ticking" off a "matatu" manually, one would check it off online through their mobile phone browsers. The system has the advantage of being less prone to fraud and if a corresponding "check in" system is enabled for the drivers, it would enable the cross checking of records vastly improving the accuracy of the acquired data.
The most significant advantage in my opinion would be the fact that the data would be in a nice form ( already entered and electronic ) allowing for easy statistical analysis for whoever manages the fleet.
They could easily pull up stats on the number of trips per vehicle and be able to tell which crews are consistently performing and also enabling them to identify the troublesome crews.
The system is not infallible or a silver bullet to management problems in itself, but it can be a very usefull took in the more efficient running of "matatu" fleets as we wait for GPS and other proximity devices to become cheap enough to an integrated into the system.
Securitywise, the system still depends on humans to ensure that the system is not compromised while improving on some areas of human laxity but them again, which computer system doesn't?
Disclaimer: the author is "net mad" and suggests internet based solutions to every problem on earth. He is also known to be have an unhealthy infatuation with his mobile phone.
This blog post was typed up on a mobile phone on the short distance but long duration commute between Nairobi CBD and Uthiru/Ndumboini. Go mobile net!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
foresight, sorely missed
I'll be the first to admit it, I am not blessed with foresight ( hence publishing this post without first editing it ) and it has always been one of those traits that I wish I had ( my hindsight is 20:20 by the way)
Lately I've began wondering weather foresight is overrated? I am not trying to say that it's a bad thing more like that without some sort of guarantee that a venture has a positive outcome, we are unlikely to embark upon it and in that we may be missing the chance to discover something new or changing the way something is done fundamentally.
Watching todays news programs ( and reading the papers, blogs and listening to the radio broadcasts and podcasts ) It has become clear that a new breed of thinker and a new way of thinking are needed to help us get up out of the current quagmire that we have gotten ourselves into as a species.
This new ways of thinking will never be achieved if we continue insisting on every venture that we embark upon having a guaranteed pleasant ending.
Lately I've began wondering weather foresight is overrated? I am not trying to say that it's a bad thing more like that without some sort of guarantee that a venture has a positive outcome, we are unlikely to embark upon it and in that we may be missing the chance to discover something new or changing the way something is done fundamentally.
Watching todays news programs ( and reading the papers, blogs and listening to the radio broadcasts and podcasts ) It has become clear that a new breed of thinker and a new way of thinking are needed to help us get up out of the current quagmire that we have gotten ourselves into as a species.
This new ways of thinking will never be achieved if we continue insisting on every venture that we embark upon having a guaranteed pleasant ending.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Death to kenyan iphone yuppies
For some strange reason, whenever I utter the term "mobile internet", the people who follow me on twitter seen to think that I an refering to iPhones and other assorted smartphones. I never used to understand this untill I started saying attention to their #tweets.
Most of this people own said iPhones and assorted smartphones and those that do not dream of owning them. This made of realise that the kenyan internet, as I know it is still largely made up of well to do people who can afford luxury internet and like throwing around terms like broadband because they have tasted it.
For me mobile internet has always referred to GPRS and lately EDGE connectivity, I am typing this up on a smart phone with 3g capabilities but my mobile provider only supports EDGE and you know what? I am okay with it. Internet connectivity, like a balanced diet, is a necessity but broadband is not, it is a luxury.
Starting from today, I am going to actually listen to that man on the street when it comes to matters of how the internet can impact the lives of ordinary Kenyans and stop listening to "iPhone yuppies" who do not seem to have any idea what the ordinary man on the streets take is on new technologies and who are only concerned with getting the latest "toys"
Most of this people own said iPhones and assorted smartphones and those that do not dream of owning them. This made of realise that the kenyan internet, as I know it is still largely made up of well to do people who can afford luxury internet and like throwing around terms like broadband because they have tasted it.
For me mobile internet has always referred to GPRS and lately EDGE connectivity, I am typing this up on a smart phone with 3g capabilities but my mobile provider only supports EDGE and you know what? I am okay with it. Internet connectivity, like a balanced diet, is a necessity but broadband is not, it is a luxury.
Starting from today, I am going to actually listen to that man on the street when it comes to matters of how the internet can impact the lives of ordinary Kenyans and stop listening to "iPhone yuppies" who do not seem to have any idea what the ordinary man on the streets take is on new technologies and who are only concerned with getting the latest "toys"
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Launching a startup
Have butterflies in my belly every time that I think about it. We are about to launch "netivity" an internet solutions provider, focusing initially on web hosting and web based backups but looking forwad to developing web apps and doing web presence consulting.
Netivity is the culmination of months of planning and running and years of dreaming and wishing. For us there was always a need for affordable web hosting but it was never available. All those web app ideas from way back when had to be shelved till they got old and rusty, well on more! We are now offering cheap, reliable and affordable web hosting to anyone who wishes to develop or host a web site.
Netivity is the culmination of months of planning and running and years of dreaming and wishing. For us there was always a need for affordable web hosting but it was never available. All those web app ideas from way back when had to be shelved till they got old and rusty, well on more! We are now offering cheap, reliable and affordable web hosting to anyone who wishes to develop or host a web site.
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