We announced last week that a new BitWise web site was underway, and so far we're extremely pleased with its potential. There is still a lot of work to do, but one thing slowing us down is browser compatibility. The new site is going to be a bit more dynamic (nothing revolutionary, don't get too excited), and dynamic content is always a risky proposition. Consider our browser compatibility list (each item represents a distinct testing entity):
We've received a lot of offers of help; once the site is in decent shape, we'll definitely open it up for feedback and, even more importanty, browser compatibility testing.
The browser wars may be giving the consumer more choice, but they sure aren't making web development easier. I hope everyone appreciates the extra labor on our part that goes into making sure all your choices work equally well. :)
when i make my site, i design it using using both IE and Firefox. I keep creating the site so that it works well for those 2 simoutanously. i figure that covers 94% of the market :P
everything else should work well enough...like, the 6% that remain, will most likely work anyway, without any changes....at most, there will be 1% of viewers who are using a browser that incorrectly reads a page. imo, its not worth effort to prevent this. perhaps you have a different perspective.
I do have a different perspective. Consider OS X, where Safari is one of the major browsers. If the site doesn't work correctly in Safari, that's millions of people worldwide. Instead of thinking in percentages, think in numbers. Even if only 1 billion people worldwide have Internet access, is it wise to shut out 6% = 60 million people from your site? Even if only fractions of OS X users use IE, it could still be hundreds of thousands of people. How many of those would purchase BitWise Professional?
ahh, but like i said. with that 6% that remain, it will still work in most of those 6%. it wont not work just because it hasnt been tested. if you have done any sort of proper HTML coding, there is no reason why it shouldnt work in ALL browsers. the main inconsistancies that occur are visual, very minor, usually. even if you design for IE by itself, or just for Firefox, it will still work for 95% of browsers, it may not look exactly the same, but it will still work more than better for the user to be able to get the information they want. just because each pixel doesnt align perfectly wont stop anyone from surfing your site.
You'll have to wait and see the elements that require testing. You're right--most places will be fine, but there are a few pages that would be infinitely frustrating if they don't work correctly. :)
Good plan, I wanted to say that a lot of Opera users payed for their browser because they demand it works. I missed a few browser in your list: Kmeleon, Netscape, Maxthon, Greenbrowser, slimbrowser, Deepnet explorer and a few others. :)
He_the_great: Thanks!
gaby_de_wild: Maybe you can test those for us then. :)