Safer, Greater Web Browsing
Most people would put internet security far above being able to view pages that contain cool features. But what many don’t realise is that the two come hand-in-hand. Having the latest version of a browser will keep you safe online whilst also enabling you to enjoy the latest web technology.
Using cutting edge internet technology allows you to benefit from seeing amazing new features as they emerge from the web community. As a developer it’s fascinating to see these new features and to consider how they can be used in your field of practice.
But all experienced developers know they must temper their enthusiasm with the compatibility question: What percentage of users will have the technology needed to use these new features?
Support for old browsers is a requirement of every project. At Dotted Eyes we support Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10. But some customers still use IE 7. That’s a browser from 2006. To put that into perspective, in 2006 an average desktop had 512MB of RAM, a ‘large’ USB stick held a whopping 1GB of data and the iPhone was just a glint in Steve Jobs’ eye.
Given the choice we would not want to work with 2006 products now. And that applies to web browsers too.
In the 7 years since IE 7 hackers have been busy creating malware to attack web browsers.
The number of active threats bears grim reading – http://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/product_id-9900/Microsoft-Internet-Explorer.html While Microsoft releases patches to plug these holes, you have to keep your browser up-to-date to ensure you are safe.
Non Internet Explorer users are exposed to threats too, of course. But the ability to automatically update was included in these browsers before they became popular. This means the vast majority of people using them automatically absorb security fixes. Ironically, it’s the users who have been stuck on an old version of a browser who miss out on getting update notifications.
Using an old browser opens you up to security threats and holds you back from getting the most out of the web. So surely getting an up-to-date web browser is a must? Especially when it’s free and takes less than 5 minutes to install.
Written by Stephen Battey, Senior Software Engineer at Dotted Eyes, 13th November 2013