Does Browser Compatibility STILL Matter?
http://www.iwebdevs.net/articles/865/1/Does-Browser-Compatibility-STILL-Matter/Page1.html
Arvada Yates
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Published on 11/18/2009
A few weeks ago I was talking to a client about his website and had agreed to take a brief look at it to give my overall opinion. I happened to be on my Mac and using the Safari browser at the time, and when I clicked on to the site it was a complete mess! Despite all the advances of internet technology, all browsers are still not created equal when it comes to how your site is viewed.
A few weeks ago I was talking to a client about his website and had agreed to take a brief look at it to give my overall opinion. I happened to be on my Mac and using the Safari browser at the time, and when I clicked on to the site it was a complete mess!
Tables were skewed, pictures half covered up, the drop down navigation didn't work, etc.
I actually thought this guy was playing a trick on me -- no one would EVER take this site seriously.
When I commented to the client that his little joke was "very funny," I quickly found out that this was no joke. That was his REAL site.
After talking to him a few minutes and pulling the site up in other browsers, it didn't take too long to figure out that he was having some serious browser compatibility problems. He had built the site for Internet Explorer, and it was a work of art in that browser platform, but it was all messed up on nearly every other browser I tried.
Despite all the advances of internet technology, all browsers are still not created equal when it comes to how your site is viewed. Browser incompatibility represents a huge challenge for anyone building a website. Browser compatibility issues can affect your images, JavaScript functions, style sheets, links, navigation, and page layout.
AND it can totally kill your website profits and subscription rates!
Internet explorer, for example, tries to figure out what you meant to put in your code and fills in the blanks. In other words, if you've used incorrect HTML code in your webpage, Explorer will try to make the corrections or fill in the blanks resulting in a page layout that may not be what you intended.
So obviously, you've got to address this issue with your website -- Which can be a total pain in the rear.
Your first stop should be to check your website in a variety of browsers. There's three ways you can go about checking browser compatibility:
1. Download and install all those browsers onto your computer and view your website in each browser. This would be a total pain in the neck and totally unnecessary.
2. Purchase browser compatibility software or a service. There are lots of great services out there to choose from if you Google it. I wouldn't suggest this option unless you have a lot of websites or your build websites for your clients.
3. Use a free service online like www.browsershots.org.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't really need to check your website in every browser in existence on the planet -- that would be ridiculous!
The last time I checked, 99.2% of internet users only used seven browsers:
* Internet Explorer 6 - 14.9%
* Internet Explorer 7 - 18.7%
* Internet Explorer 8 - 7.1%
* Firefox - 47.3%
* Google Chrome - 6%
* Safari - 3.1%
* Opera - 2.1%
Of course, these numbers change as new browsers come on the market, but it's a pretty good place to start.
So I guess that I'm suggesting that even though technology continues to improve, browser compatibility STILL matters and you should definitely check your websites for compatibility!
Tables were skewed, pictures half covered up, the drop down navigation didn't work, etc.
I actually thought this guy was playing a trick on me -- no one would EVER take this site seriously.
When I commented to the client that his little joke was "very funny," I quickly found out that this was no joke. That was his REAL site.
After talking to him a few minutes and pulling the site up in other browsers, it didn't take too long to figure out that he was having some serious browser compatibility problems. He had built the site for Internet Explorer, and it was a work of art in that browser platform, but it was all messed up on nearly every other browser I tried.
Despite all the advances of internet technology, all browsers are still not created equal when it comes to how your site is viewed. Browser incompatibility represents a huge challenge for anyone building a website. Browser compatibility issues can affect your images, JavaScript functions, style sheets, links, navigation, and page layout.
AND it can totally kill your website profits and subscription rates!
Internet explorer, for example, tries to figure out what you meant to put in your code and fills in the blanks. In other words, if you've used incorrect HTML code in your webpage, Explorer will try to make the corrections or fill in the blanks resulting in a page layout that may not be what you intended.
So obviously, you've got to address this issue with your website -- Which can be a total pain in the rear.
Your first stop should be to check your website in a variety of browsers. There's three ways you can go about checking browser compatibility:
1. Download and install all those browsers onto your computer and view your website in each browser. This would be a total pain in the neck and totally unnecessary.
2. Purchase browser compatibility software or a service. There are lots of great services out there to choose from if you Google it. I wouldn't suggest this option unless you have a lot of websites or your build websites for your clients.
3. Use a free service online like www.browsershots.org.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't really need to check your website in every browser in existence on the planet -- that would be ridiculous!
The last time I checked, 99.2% of internet users only used seven browsers:
* Internet Explorer 6 - 14.9%
* Internet Explorer 7 - 18.7%
* Internet Explorer 8 - 7.1%
* Firefox - 47.3%
* Google Chrome - 6%
* Safari - 3.1%
* Opera - 2.1%
Of course, these numbers change as new browsers come on the market, but it's a pretty good place to start.
So I guess that I'm suggesting that even though technology continues to improve, browser compatibility STILL matters and you should definitely check your websites for compatibility!