Using Google Checkout with RISC
OS
some notes by Jim Nagel |
| Setting up an account |
| The first time you come to use Google Checkout
you will need to set up an account. So far this has proved difficult with RISC
OS browsers, so if you don't also have access to a different type of computer
I'm happy for you to phone me and I will set it up for you with a temporary
password. (See Contact for my telephone
number; 11am to 9pm is usually fine.) |
| Once your account has been set up you can use
RISC OS to change your password and to make online purchases from
Archive or elsewhere. The Netsurf browser works fine; the Fresco display
is ungainly but works. |
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| Making a purchase with Netsurf |
| Click on the Buy Now button for the item
you wish to purchase. This takes you immediately to a Google Checkout screen
where you log in with your username and password. Then your bill for this
purchase will be displayed and you simply confirm it. You'll get a confirmation
email from Checkout. |
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| Making a purchase with Fresco |
| First go to
http://checkout.google.co.uk and log in to your account.
Then, on the Archive page, click on the relevant Buy Now
button, and ignore the Ecmascript error. Your bill for this purchase will be
displayed, though badly formatted: you need to scroll far right to see the
amount. Ignore everything between "Javascript not enabled" and the far bottom
right, where there is a "Place your order now" button to click. You'll get
confirmation on screen and then by email. |
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| Using other browsers? |
| Please send me your experience. There's an
Archive article in this! |
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| Miscellaneous |
| You can't add multiple items to your Google
shopping trolley. After confirming a first purchase, click "Return to Archive
magazine" and purchase the next item separately. Google apparently designed
this deliberately so that for small sites like Archive the code is kept
extremely simple. |
| You might ask why not all values from 1 to 10
appear on the dropdown menu for the Compilation Booklets. It's because the
booklets are priced at £5 each or £4 each if you buy 4 or more, and
there is a further discount if you buy all 10. To keep the menu simple, please
just email me to say which specific titles you want. |
| If you require any further help, please do
Contact me. As the new editor, I'd welcome
individual contact with readers anyway. |
| Google Checkout is still in its infancy, and it's
encouraging that its development team responds to suggestions, so we are hoping
that it will not be long before it will be possible to set up a new account
using a RISC OS browser. |