Internet Explorer is not dead yet,
but it sure seems to be getting close for sites with tech savvy users. I took a look at my browser stats recently and noticed that a large percentage of You the Designer’s readers use Firefox.
WTO conference in Hong Kong, December 2005
This isn’t the best study since its a small sample compared to all internet users, but I would say its a good sampling of what tech savvy users are using now a days since a majority of our beloved readers are graphic designers or web designers. I think most people who spend a decent amount of time on the internet have discovered that Firefox is a superior browser, which makes this issue important to consider for web designers since cross browser compatibility is a major issue.
Cross browser compatibility being the process of making sure your website displays correctly on a variety of popular browsers. Something were working on with this blog right now =)
Seems Like Only Yesterday IE Was King…
A few years ago Internet Explorer was the browser you really had to optimize for and you still do, but Firefox is a much bigger player now and arguably more important to optimize for.
To me Optimizing a website for Internet Explorer is now a pain. Firefox and Safari are relatively similar in the way they display web pages, and Internet Explorer now seems to be the browser everyone is complaining about. You would think they would try and step up their game with Firefox moving in so strong, but unless they make some dramatic changes I think Firefox will continue its hostile, yet well deserved take over.
Don’t Forget Thunderbird
If you are looking for a great email client then check out Thunderbird which was developed by Mozilla the same people who created the Firefox browser. Its very user friendly and setting up emails is cake!
You the Designer’s Browser Usage Stats
- 65% Firefox
- 16% Internet Explorer
- 15% Safari
- 2% Opera
The small remaining percentage is of a bunch uncommon browsers. If any of you run websites, I would love to see your stats in the comments so we can compare. Please link your website and what type of website it is such as “graphic design” or “web design”, etc. This way we can get a general idea of who visits your website.