HE Old Lewesians website is designed to be browsed by Internet Explorer on a PC with the Windows operating system. This has been the most common arrangement used by members. We did not have the resources to make it compatible with other equipment and software. However, we need to clarify which versions of Windows and Internet Explorer should be used for computers of various ages.
We have in recent years rewritten the website to ensure it meets the "XHTML 1.0 Transitional" standard. We are now sure that Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 (now available) with Windows XP or Windows 7 will be compatible with this standard and they should be used. The version required depends on the age of your PC.
Such equipment is now far too primitive for internet browsing and there is no satisfactory way that it can be modernised. The best advice is to buy a new PC or, if funds are tight, a second-hand machine that is somewhat younger.
If you are using Windows XP on an old PC with Internet Explorer 7, we recommend you upgrade to the free "IE8 for Windows XP", which can be downloaded free from Microsoft. This new IE8 should be run in "Compatibility" (see index left) View . Keeping Windows XP has the extra advantage that the email program Outlook Express will still be available.
If you have Windows Vista with Internet Explorer 7 you should download and install the free "Windows Internet Explorer 8 for Windows Vista" to replace IE7. This new IE8 should also be run in Compatibility View.
If you have a newish PC running Win 7 then you are probably already using Internet Explorer 8 or 9. If IE8 then download and install the free IE9. This should also be run in Compatibility View.
You do not need to change your browser because IE9 is perfectly adequate for exploring the Old Lewesians website using Compatibility View. You can if you wish install the very latest Internet Explorer 10, which is now available, but the improvements provided are of marginal value.
As we understand it, Microsoft policy for the forseeable future is that their browsers for desktop machines will be compatible with older websites written in "legacy" code. So much of the internet is written in such code and is a valuable resource. Much of it will never be rewritten to meet later standards for economic reasons. Their policy will pay dividends for many years. Many smaller faster browsers are unlikely to have this capability.
There are good reasons for using these versions of MS Internet Explorer. We have on our website an ingenious method of storing and presenting "Names for Faces" on our panoramic photos taken at LCGS. This method is unique to the Old Lewesians and will not be found anywhere else on the WWW. This feature works correctly with these versions of Internet Explorer in Compatibilty View but other browsers do not. They will also display all other internet websites using the latest HTML5 and CSS3 standards.