newswire.ca
Website Tops Coast Software Test of Political Party Sites for Performance and Integrity
Ottawa Company's Software Puts Federal Party Sites Through Their Paces;
Liberals in Close Second Followed by The Bloc, PC and Alliance Sites
OTTAWA, Nov. 13 /CNW/ - The New Democratic Party's Web site shows the
best performance and integrity of the five Federal party sites revved up for
the November 27 elections, while the Canadian Alliance Party site needs some
technical TLC, says a test by Ottawa-based Web testing software expert
COAST(TM) Software.
In the first of nightly tests to be run until polls open, COAST
WebMaster's automated testing software showed the NDP site with few delays, no
errors or "broken links" (Web links leading nowhere or to incorrect
locations). The Liberal Party site - containing nearly 400 pages - had a few
problems with slow-loading pages and broken links, including one from a user
feedback page. The Bloc Quebecois Web site had fewer numbers of errors than
the Liberal Party site, but relatively more problems within the smallest
(93 pages) site of all the parties tested. The 361-page Progressive
Conservative site ranked fourth in the test with more slow-loading pages and
broken links, including problems being able to contact key PC representatives.
The Canadian Alliance site, with 2,293 pages, had the most errors and
performance problems, with hundreds of broken links or slow-loading pages,
indicating it could use a technical check-up.
"We're taking a different tack on testing the candidates' platforms,"
said Tom Camps, COAST's vice president of marketing. "The Web has become such
an important source of information that organizations worldwide use our
testing solutions to ensure their Web presence is the best it can be. It can
make an important impression on the customer and the voter alike. While using
Web sites should be easy, maintaining and operating them is not trivial.
Sites, even small ones, are complicated and require sophisticated tools to
identify problems so they can be addressed."
COAST will post updated test results daily at its Web site, http:
www.coast.com . Its software tests the quality of dynamic Web content and
applications. It is the only product of its kind that can completely scan
massive and complex Web sites containing hundreds of thousands of pages while
documenting every piece of information about stored documents, files and
hypertext links.
About COAST
Specializing in comprehensive Web site testing solutions, COAST arms e-
business teams with award-winning software solutions and expert e-services
that ensure the quality and effectiveness of Web applications. Established in
1996, the company is a pioneer in the development of Web site testing
software. COAST enjoys partnerships with numerous industry leaders, including
Rational Software Corporation and IBM; and its products boast more than
100,000 licensed users worldwide. From automated testing and reporting
solutions, to customized e-services, COAST software solutions and services
capitalize on the most advanced technologies available, answering some of the
most critical needs of e-business leaders.
For additional information, send e-mail to info@coast.com or visit the
COAST site at www.coast.com.
TEST RESULTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARTY WEB BROKEN PAGES W/ SLOW-LOADING
WEBSITE PAGES LINKS QUALITY PAGES
PROBLEMS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NDP 543 1 3 3
www.ndp.ca
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liberal Party 392 15 12 15
www.liberal.ca
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bloc Quebecois 93 8 13 17
www.blocquebecois.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Progressive 361 19 49 20
Conservative Party
www.pcparty.ca
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canadian Alliance Party 2293 396 687 917
www.canadianalliance.ca
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TESTING NOTES
1. COAST WebMaster tests run consecutively on a P75 and Window NT 4.0.
2. Broken link is an HTML reference to a file (pages, images, etc.) that
cannot be found in the specified location. A link to a page is broken
if the file is moved, deleted, renamed, or inaccessible due to server
problems.
3. Pages with quality problems have links or files (HTML pages, images,
etc.) that cannot be found in the related pages. A link to a page is
broken if the file is moved, deleted, renamed, or inaccessible due to
server problems.
4. A slow downloading page is one that takes more than a set period of
time as defined in scan preferences or settings (based on the download
rate of a file over a 28.8 kb/s modem with a 20 seconds). |
