The Problem With Outdated Web Browsers

Have you ever come across a site on the Internet that didn’t quite look right? Perhaps there were random borders and line breaks, gaps, things not lining up, etc. The chances are you may be using an outdated web browser which doesn’t support current web technology.

What is a Web Browser?

A web browser is the software which you use to look at web pages. You are using a web browser right now to look at this page! There are lots of different web browsers, but the two most popular ones are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

All web browsers are free so it is important that you make sure you install the latest version. This will ensure you get the best experience whilst viewing the web. If you are using Internet Explorer 6, upgrade to version 7. Or even better, install Firefox. It’s fast, secure, reliable, and has the ability to add lots of useful plugins.

Unfortunately a lot of companies, especially those in the public sector, still use outdated browsers such as Internet Exporer 6. To be fair to Microsoft, IE6 is 7 years old. However, there are countless bugs and errors in the final release that have never been fixed. Web designers spend a lot of time trying to work around problems that appear when testing pages in IE6. It doesn’t support transparent graphical elements and web standards are implemented very badly.

By upgrading your browser, you will not only benefit from a whole host of new features like RSS feeds, tabbed bookmaking, faster speed and extra security, but almost every modern website will look a lot better too.