How The Web Was (or Will Be) Won

In a previous post, I talked about how non-compliant browsers are hindering Web development progress. I urged everyone to upgrade their browsers to more standards compliant ones. If a lot of users do so, they will be helping the Web reach its true potential. In the end, all users will benefit.

The problem is that most users mistakenly follow the if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it mentality when it comes to their Web browsers. They use the browser that comes with their windows pre-loaded computer and, as long as this browser continues to let them to view Web pages, do not bother to upgrade it.

There are a lot of problems to this. First, it does not mean that if a browser continues to render pages then it isn't broken and that you shouldn’t fix it. The older a browser becomes, the more time there is for malicious crackers and coders to find out and exploit the browser’s weak spots. If a security weakness is found, the browser is, from that time on, considered broken in terms of security. And if you don’t  fix it, you are opening your system up to be hijacked by a lot of malwares like rootkits, spyware, adware, and viruses. If you do not believe me, try searching the Web for information on the Vundo or Virtumonde virus. You will find out how users who got infected with this nasty piece of malware are having a very difficult time removing it.

Aside from being a security concern, older browsers also hinder the progress of the Web. Web developers normally design for a broad variety of browsers for the sake of cross-platform compatibility. The presence of these aging browsers skew the lowest common denominator down. As a result, a lot of these developers cannot implement newer techniques and technologies for fear that some of their visitors might not have a capable modern browser and therefore might not be able to view the site properly or at all.

The sad part is that this problem does not have to be. Downloading modern standards-compliant browsers like Firefox, Opera, and Chrome, and installing them is so easy and free (They’re even linked here so that you wouldn’t have to search for them). It’s not like users are urged to upgrade to a newer version of Windows with which they must pay a substantial amount to do the upgrade.

But since some users just won’t take notice until something is apparently broken, some brave souls like Finn.no and digi.no are declaring war against older browsers. If users find it hard to use the sites they want to use, they might, hopefully, consider upgrading their browsers. This is for their own good and that of the Web. About time.