A web browser is a piece of software used to view web pages and browse websites. The reality of web design today is that there are many different web browsers. There are great ones, like Google Chrome, and not so great ones, like the often hated Internet Explorer 8.

Some older browsers do not support features many modern websites require, and in most cases also lack vital security.

If you are using an older desktop browser, or just feel like upgrading, we highly recommend you check out Browse Happy. This site gives information about different options and has links to download the latest versions. If you are using an old phone browser you can usually use the software that came with it to update its browser, or check with your device manufacturer to see what your options are.

Of course anyone actually using an outdated browser won't be able to see this blog entry. If you try to access www.KingstonBusinessesOnline.ca from an old browser will see a very simplistic homepage, and the above message. We also include some basic information about our business and an email link to make sure even older browsers can see something of value.

 

What is Considered an "Old Browser"

In general, we consider a browser old if it is older than Internet Explorer 9 or the browsers included with Google Android 4.0.3 (Gingerbread) and Apple iOS 5.0.

Update:
Times they are a changin' - an old browser is now anything below IE11, Android 6.0, and iOS 10

Google Chrome, Safari, and Firefox update automatically, so they are usually a safe bet! It is extremely rare to find someone browsing on a 4 year old version of any of those three.

Opera commands a very small market share (less than 2% as of December 2013) so we do not test on it. Same goes for Mobile Internet Explorer and BlackBerry browsers, which each constitute less than 1% marketshare.

 

What Browsers Kingston Businesses Online Supports

KBO official supports Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge, and the most recent versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, and Desktop Safari. On mobile we support Google Android browsers released after October 5, 2015 (the release date of Marshmallow) and Apple iOS version 10.0 or newer. iOS 10 was released September 13, 2016.

 

How Many People Are Excluded With This Policy?

We are excluding surprisingly few visitors. Our policy covers 96.6% of all desktop users, the vast majority of Google Android users, and Apple iOS users. These numbers continue to grow every day.

The time we bill our clients is precious. Should it be used improving your site performance, expanding your social media reach, and optimizing your advertising? Or should we spend that time fiddling with a layout that will benefit 1% of internet users (and in all likelihood close to 0% of your site's visitors)?

 

What If Your Client Wants to Support Old Browsers?

If one of our clients is adamant about supporting as many browsers as possible we will do everything we can to accommodate them. This is a requirement we will need to know before starting the project. We will also need to charge an additional fee to account for the extra hours spent developing for additional browsers. It is also impossible to guarantee the same experience for users of older browsers because they might not support all the features necessary in building a modern website.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Kingston Businesses Online any time.

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