This is a question that every web developer asks themselves when preparing to launch a new website. More often than not, there are specific requirements from a client to support certain web browsers (the most common being IE7, IE8, Firefox and Safari). It’s not uncommon however, for some of the more conservative client types to request compatibility with IE6 (shudder!) or Opera.
The real question is “How important is it to support as many browsers as possible? Is it really beneficial for you website or is it a way to turn development into a nightmare with no way out?”
I’ve recently analysed IIS logs of the electricity retailer web site Simply Energy and was surprised how many old and/or extremely rare browsers people use for their everyday web browsing – IE4, IE5, Netscape 4,5, multiple Mozilla 3 compatible browsers, Konqueror, GreenBrowser, SlimBrowser, SeaMonkey, Avant browser and IE9 all come into the mix (although some make up a very marginal number!)
With this variety, it’s impossible to ensure complete compatibility with every web browser. However, with the advent of the W3C (World Wide Web Consurtium), we know that building according to their guidelines and recommendations can ensure maximum compatibility across most common browsers.
So really, what is the answer? Well, I guess there is no definitive answer. Where do you draw the line with cross browser compatibility? It’s really an open ended question and I was hoping that this may generate some discussion – There is always going to clients that have bizarre requests in terms of cross browser requirements!
Happy for anyone to post comments here!
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Tags: web
