Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Three Big Reasons to Take a Minute to Upgrade Your Browser
Friday, February 26, 2010 by Michael Holley
You've probably heard all the buzz lately about the renewed
'browser wars' of late (if you haven't check this out). Now that the browser
landscape is competitive again, users are beginning to see a lot of
great innovations coming relatively quickly. As a result, it's an
exciting time for internet users.
However, despite all the innovation, there are still many people
across the world using obsolete browsers, and we're getting to the
point where it's becoming a big problem. Despite Microsoft's best
efforts, Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) still represents 20% of the
global market share. But why does it matter?
If you're one of those still using an obsolete internet browser,
here are three huge reasons to take a minute to upgrade it for
free:
- Security - Think about how many times you've
heard about a major cybercriminal attack or a widespread virus
epidemic over the past few months. Now think about how many you've
heard about since 2001. That's right, IE6 is nine years old, and
one in five internet users are still on it. In a world where
thousands of cybercriminals are find new ways to exploit the latest
technology every day, browser makers are constantly forced to
update their code to keep us safe. IE6 has been patched dozens of
times, but Microsoft has taken it as far as it can go. To date,
there are 22 known security vulnerabilities in IE6 that will likely
never be fixed. These vulnerabilities are common knowledge among
hackers, and they know that they can exploit these vulnerabilities
any time they like and still reach a defenseless 20% of the world's
internet population. Using IE6 (or even IE7) is a needless risk
that is getting more dangerous with each passing day, and offers no
benefits whatsoever.
- Compatibility - Web technology has come a long
way in the past decade, and web standards have evolved with them.
Old browsers were designed to interpret HTML code that no longer
exists in the same form. Because of this, web developers are forced
to modify and test their code in different browsers to make sure
that users get the experience that is intended. However, as with
any technology, the industry moves on and stops supporting obsolete
versions as newer versions become widespread. As time passes, more
organizations will stop supporting older browsers and, as a result,
fewer websites and web applications will work properly on those
platforms. Most recently, Google has announced it will drop support for Gmail in
IE6, which will have major implications for thousands of Gmail
users across the globe - unless they upgrade their browsers.
- Productivity - For most of the past decade,
Microsoft remained virtually unchallenged for its dominance in the
world of web browsers. Over the past few years, however, the
landscape has changed drastically. All the competition that has
been introduced has caused all browser companies, Microsoft
included, to rush to innovate and improve their products in order
to remain competitive. The result of this competition has been a
vast array of improved performance and features in the latest
browsers. From improved speed to widgets to extensions, ditching
your old browser for a new one could yield immediate productivity
gains, not to mention a more satisfying browsing experience. For
me, one session on Chrome or
Opera was enough to make me a believer that
enhanced loading speed makes my life better. Add that to the host
of extensions I've come to rely upon, and I can say with total
confidence that using IE6 or IE7 would be a needlessly frustrating
experience at this point.
The bottom line is this: there is absolutely no reason not to
upgrade to a new browser. Your productivity will increase, you'll
be safer from online attackers, you'll enjoy a faster, better
looking internet with more tools, and the upgrade costs you nothing
and takes just a few moments.
If you haven't yet, do yourself, your company, and your web
developer a favor and give one of these leading browsers a try:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8
Mozilla Firefox v3.5.5
Google Chrome v3.0.195.33
Apple Safari 4
Opera Web Browser 10.10
Best,
Michael Holley
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT
Consulting & Support
Rochester IT
Consulting & Support
Leave comment: