The time has come to lay to rest the browsers of old, to stop wasting time developing for dead technology, and to acknowledge that anything other than the current version of any browser has seen it’s final day. It has come time for web developers around the world to become advocates for the World [Wide Web], taking a stand for our rights and those of users. Users don’t necessarily always know what’s best, especially when it comes to new technology. The user is not always right. Just because they are using dead technology, that doesn’t mean that we should lie on our backs and let them keep thinking that it is the best thing for them.
As web professionals, we are in the unique position to actually enforce the laws of the web. Whether it be using the latest version of CSS or refusing to waste our time and our clients’ money on ensuring compatibility with IE6 or even IE7, we are the experts. We are the professionals, and it is time to start acting like it.
Browser Usage
From the above table provided by W3C Schools, you can see the statistics of browser usage over the year of 2009. Just less than 11% of the world’s population recorded are using IE6, and not quite 13% are using IE7, for a total of roughly 24%. That is nearly 1/4 of the world’s population recorded that is using outdated versions of Internet Explorer. Of the other browsers for December 2009, most using Firefox (72%ish) are using the latest version; 19% of Chrome users are using the latest version (most are still stuck in 3.0); 92% are using the most current version of Safari; and 78% are using the most current version of Opera.
The W3c Schools state the following:
You cannot – as a web developer – rely only on statistics. Statistics can often be misleading.
Global averages may not always be relevant to your web site. Different sites attract different audiences. Some web sites attract professional developers using professional hardware, while other sites attract hobbyists using old low spec computers.
Also be aware that many statistics may have an incomplete or faulty browser detection. It is quite common by many web-stats report programs, not to detect the newest browsers.
(The statistics above are extracted from W3Schools’ log-files, but we are also monitoring other sources around the Internet to assure the quality of these figures).
They are right: we cannot rely on statistics alone. We must rely on common sense and responsibility. Our responsibility as professionals is to guide our clients and their clients toward the best suitable options. If we as the gatekeepers of the web stand united, refusing to waste precious time and resources on catering to dead technology, we will collectively influence the habits of users in the correct direction. Of all the wining and complaining I have ever heard from those still developing for IE6, it is hard for me to understand why more people haven’t actually started doing something about it.
Changes for Better Browsing
- IE8 renders just as the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera.
- Browsers and browser updates are FREE.
- Javascript notices allow us to notify users that their browser is updated.
So why are we still rendering music for 8-tracks when everyone is buying MP3′s?
This is one question I cannot answer, because I have already begun my boycott. Make a difference in the World Wide Web, even if only a small one.