All Browsers Are NOT the Same

One of the many frustrations in web development is the inane contradictions in HTML/CSS renderings among various web browsers. Items that Firefox will display with pride, IE will reject with disdain. As such, it is necessary to double, triple (and in some cases quadruple) check your design in multiple browser formats before giving your site the "mission accomplished" stamp of approval.

While IE and Firefox share the majority of browser usage (88% at the time of writing this post), conflicts still exist amongst their different versions. IE6, once considered the crème de la crème in browser technology, has procrastinated in facing its own demise . It is outdated, overused and does a complete disservice to the modern web. Coding properly for IE6 vs. IE7 can take a developer 20-30% longer just to counteract little nuances, and keep things copasetic.

Not surprisingly, there are multiple initiatives to bring IE6's reign of chaos to an end (one of our favorites is bring down IE 6). Mashable recently wrote a post on it as well, considering the enormous amount of frustration that has been built around the inferior and outdated browser. Microsoft, obviously cognizant of the ramblings, shot back with a post of their own, stating IE 6 CANNOT die. And as irritating as their response is, they're right. IE 6 is not a personal choice, it is almost exclusively a company choice to which individuals have no say. And making transitions on a larger scale for companies is often a burdensome and costly venture.

In our opinion, whenever you find yourself in the often unforgiving position of browser testing, here are the main browsers that should be of concern:

Firefox2, 3 & 3.5 on PC and Mac - there are subtle differences (especially with AJAX ) that separate all three versions

IE6, 7 & 8 on PC (Mac figured this out years ago) - IE refuses to build on its legacy application and instead starts anew each time; which means each version acts as an independent and unique browser

Safari 3 on Mac and PC - I'm not exactly sure why, but it is now more commonplace to see people use Safari on a PC, so you better be testing for it

and finally, Chrome - while it only has 6% market share, since it's a Google product, it will eventually take over everything; so you should at least become familiar with it as quickly as possible