For web developers, making sites look good in all browsers can be a challenge. Or, let me rephrase that. Making sites look good in Internet Explorer is a challenge!
In all modern web browsers, and I’m referring to Firefox, Chrome, Safari and let’s say Opera, for the most part, websites will look good and render pretty much the same. They’re good modern browsers that are in constant development.
Internet Explorer on the other hand has been nothing but trouble for web developers. Up until IE9, the browser has proven to be entirely inept at keeping pace with web standards. Fortunately, Microsoft themselves have launched an effort to at least retire IE6 once and for all. IE7 and even IE8 should also follow suit as these too have numerous issues related to web standards.
In my business, I don’t support IE6 at all, unless a client specifically requests it, and to this point, no one has. I do make efforts to make sure the site looks okay in IE7 and IE8 though, as there are still users out there who run these versions of IE. It would be great if these too were phased out.
Browser updates should take place like Google Chrome. That browser is automatically updated in the background so that users always have the latest version. Firefox will soon be adopting this same philosophy from what I’ve been reading.
Zel Creative’s Browser Stats
From time to time, I take a look at the browser statistics for the visitors to my site. I like to know who my audience is in relation to the browsers they use. It says a lot about the type of clients I end up working with.
I thought I’d share some of the latest stats, and I must say, I’m really pleased to see that the vast majority of the visitors to zelcreative.com are using the very latest, modern browsers. In fact, I have no visitors using IE6 or IE7.
Depending on the date range I use, the top browser will vary between the big three, being Firefox, Safari and Chrome.
Are You Running The Latest Version of a Modern Browser?
Making sure you have a good browser in which to view websites is not just going to make the life of your web designer easier, but it will vastly improve your web browsing experience, and your security online. Web technologies continue to evolve, and it’s only the best browsers that will embrace these advancements and incorporate them into the platform.
Sites like Browse Happy are there to spotlight the latest versions of all modern web browsers and encourage visitors to update. If you aren’t running one of these, I’d encourage you to update right away.
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