Support – Technical matters
I have tried to make the site as user-friendly as possible but, of course, different people view things differently so what may be obvious to one person may be as clear as mud to another. Feel free to browse around the site as much as you wish. I have tried to include answers not only to every question I have been asked about the site over many years but also to those questions I think might reasonably be asked. If you do not find the answer to a question on one page then it may well be on another. Most questions are dealt with in the Frequently Asked Questions (‘FAQ’) group of pages, linked to in the Header. Another page that you may find useful is the Site Map, linked to in the Footer, as that provides shortcuts to pages in the site which may otherwise be more difficult to find. If you see a question that interests you, just click on it and it will roll-down to show the answer will appear. To make it roll-up again, just click on the question again.
We have tried to develop this site so that it looks good whatever screen size you use. However, if you have reduced the site display (the part of the screen that is used to display this web site), perhaps by using part of the screen to display the Favourites or History information recorded by your browser or perhaps by not having the site display at maximum size, you may cause some of the pages to look strangely (eg by having text, links, or pictures wrapped in ways they were not designed for). To get the best view of the pages in this site we suggest that you turn off the display of Favourites or History (or similar) information or otherwise maximise the site display whilst you are looking through the site. The same thing applies to almost every web site that you visit.
Throughout most of the site we have used a font size that should be easy for most users to read but don’t forget that many browsers have a Text Size function (often within a View menu) that enables you to enlarge or shrink text. The site has been designed with a Medium text size setting in mind. If your mouse has a scroller, you should be able to magnify or reduce the screen by holding down the Ctrl button and rolling up or down the mouse’s scroller. To use just the keyboard, hold down the Ctrl button and press + or -.
We try to ensure that the site appears the same in all the main browsers. [The main ones are Google’s Chrome, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox, Safari and Opera.] Unfortunately, browsers do vary and, although they tend over time to do the same things, they do compete with each other and so try to make themselves ‘better’ (in some way) than the others. As indicated on the Troubleshooting and History of the site pages, the main problem we have with the site is making it capable of standing up to the changes the browsers make as they try to differentiate themselves from each other. The 2014 release of this site made it much more robust than earlier versions of the site (except for the very first version which so simple that there was little that could go wrong). However, issues do arise from time to time so, should you have a major problem with the site (such as with registering an account with us or with logging-in or completing a subscription to us), do look at the Troubleshooting page and remember that changing your browser may make a difference.