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How much effort will you spend on old browsers?

The JavaScript demi-god Douglas Crockford is attributed with the statement: " the browser is the most hostile software development environment ever imagined " (I think he made that before mobile phones were around ). The problem is not only that there are different engines for HTML and JavaScript, but the fact, that older browsers are still around. Chrome and Firefox have build-in upgrade enggines and IE9++ looks quite decent. So users could do with a little reminder and encouragement (and if it is just to pick up the torches and pitchforks to march to the IT department).
For the friends of Bootstrap here's a little code snippet that nicely fits just behind the body tag in your HTML page:
  1. <!--[if lt IE 9]>
  2. <div class="alert alert-block alert-error fade in">
  3.     <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="alert"> &times; </button>
  4.     <h4 class="alert-heading">There is browser trouble ahead! </h4>
  5.     <p>Modern web application require modern browsers.
  6.        Older browsers are insecure and cause needless development effort,
  7.        we rather spend for better functionality. We are sure you understand! </p>
  8.     <p>Update today:
  9.     <a class="btn" href="https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/">Google Chrome </a>,
  10.     <a class="btn" href="http://www.getfirefox.com/">Mozilla Firefox </a>,
  11.     <a class="btn" href="http://www.apple.com/safari/">Apple Safari </a> or
  12.     <a class="btn" href="http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/try-it-now">Internet Explorer 9++ </a></p>
  13. </div>
  14. <![endif]-->
Others take more drastic measures. Luckily IE6 usage is down to 0.4% in the US (and 6% worldwide), now rinse and repeat for IE7, IE8 and old versions of the others

Posted by on 04 October 2012 | Comments (2) | categories: Software

Comments

  1. posted by Roy Rumaner on Friday 05 October 2012 AD:
    My last client, a huge national bank with 20K+ users, standardized on IE7/8 with no plans to change that policy for at least the next year. No FF or Chrome. No Mozilla or Opera. IE and only IE. Emoticon huh.gif
  2. posted by Rob Novak on Tuesday 16 October 2012 AD:
    Sad that backwards support requirements mean that most "modern" software would show this message at one customer or another!