OUR POLICY: We will only support the latest version and only one previous version of each major browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari) starting on August 1, 2011.
This decision was made because of the new version of HTML and web browsers that are now available along with increased web security that is needed. Firefox is taking on an initiative to help make sure people are upgraded to the latest version. It's just going to be more and more important that everyone is using the latest web browser versions. With the new versions comes better security. There is no reason, then, to support older browsers that are not as secure. People are simply going to need to upgrade in order to view the most commonly used websites out there.
When we test, we test in various platforms (PC, Mac) and browsers running on various operating systems (Mac OS, Windows, etc.). We also test in these browsers:
We support the two latest versions of these browsers (the latest and one previous) at the time your website launches. To find out the latest versions, there's a website that lists them all with the latest versions:
Note: If you do wish to have a website that's compatible with older browsers, please do let us know and we can give you a quote on making that possible!
The reason that there are many browser upgrades, especially in IE, is because Microsoft maybe detected a problem that needed to get fixed. Meaning, there browser isn’t working right and that’s why they provide a patch. Each browser reads the HTML code slightly differently. We then have to come up with code that all browsers can read in order to display a page that looks pretty much the same on every browser.
This does not mean that our websites will not work with older versions. They very well may. We're just announcing that we are not going to support these older versions of web browsers because of security reasons, because there would be too many to support, the price of the project would be higher and it would extend the delivery of website projects.
Note: If you do wish to have a website that's compatible with older browsers, please do let us know and we can give you a quote on making that possible!
If, in the future, web browsers from Microsoft, Firefox or Google do change, there's no guarantee that your website will render properly. We cannot predict what they will do. Things may change radically - they have in the past. We do download beta versions and do some testing so that we're prepared but every website is a little different and yours might all of a sudden stop looking beautiful. We do code to industry standards but, as history has shown, weird things do happen when a new version of a web browser is released.
In that case, we'll be happy to quote the time it will take to again make your website compatible with the latest web browsers. This is not included with any website that we design. Please contact us if this applies to you.
If you're using a CMS or shopping cart software like Joomla, WordPress, Magento, Drupal or DotNetNuke, then know that when web browsers change, it's not something we can anticipate. It's not so much that your website software isn't working with a new browser that was released but that the new browser released isn't working with your website's software. What changed is probably the browser and not the website software. Sure, that software needs to be updated but just know that those updates come later.
Again, when we launch a website, we check that it works in the latest web browsers out there. Things can change. There might be an update released for this free software you're using or there might be an update to the free web browser software you're using. To make sure your website works right, it might need to be retested from time to time and this is just a part of being a website owner and part of the cost of ownership of a website that has software running on it.
One difference between website design and print design (as there are many) is that the website can look and work drastically different depending on which web browser you are using.
Back in the 1990s, HTML was being developed at a rapid pace. New versions of HTML were coming out every few months and web browsers were also developing quickly as developers wanted new features and expansions of the language. Things leveled out when HTML 4 came out and CSS (style sheets) helped to equalize everything and make things much easier for developers. Other advances like JavaScript libraries also helped to standardize things for developers and these things brought about the "Web 2.0" revolution.
Things have been relatively steady for a while now but we're coming upon another web revolution. It's HTML 5, which has, among other things, support for web video built right in. This means that Flash plugins won't soon be needed for video. Along with some great features for developers, security is also a concern.
Starting August 1, 2011, Google has limited their support for browsers - mainly in regard to their GMail application but for other services as well.
Back in September 2009, Webstix announced no more support for IE6. And now, we're taking Google's lead (and even taking it one step further) as we will only support the latest version and only one previous version of each major browser starting on August 1, 2011.
Like we explained above, this decision was made because of the new version of HTML and web browsers that are now available along with increased web security that is needed. Firefox is taking on an initiative to help make sure people are upgraded to the latest version. It's just going to be more and more important that everyone is using the latest web browser versions. With the new versions comes better security. There is no reason, then, to support older browsers that are not as secure. People are simply going to need to upgrade in order to view the most commonly used websites out there.
This does not mean that our websites will not work with older versions. They very well may. This really just means that we're announcing that we are not going to support these older versions of web browsers.
In the first article, they state that 11% of people are still using the worst web browser ever made... IE6. Seriously, if you are using that browser, stop reading this article and upgrade immediately. Do not go another second online using that browser. It has so many security holes that you are probably already infected and do not know it. Another big problem with IE6 is that it didn't have any automated mechanism for upgrades, so if people didn't run Windows Update themselves, they would have never received the update to IE7.
Still Using Internet Explorer 8?Don't! Seriously, if you can upgrade, then you should. This might require upgrading your operating system - please read on...
It seems that many people are still using IE 8 because they are using an older version of Windows that does not support their latest web browsing software (like Windows XP where support ends/ended in April 2014). This browser is not supported anymore.
Again, if you need support for this browser, please let us know and we can give you a quote. There are still a fair amount of people using it (even though they shouldn't because it's not supported and this makes this vulnerable to getting hacked).
On January 12, 2016, Microsoft discontinued support for Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10.
Microsoft no longer supports Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 (engadget.com)
If you do wish to have a website that's compatible with older browsers, please do let us know and we can give you a quote on making that possible. We'll be happy to get you this quote since this would be extra work, beyond our normal design and programming scope.
