A lot of people do not understand the importance of updating thier web browsers, after all we seem to be pestered by our computers to perform updates of all our software all of the time, the temptation is to ignore these requests. You might be thinking if it ‘ain’t broke don’t fix it’ and why should I bother updating my web browser? You might not know that by updating your browser it can dramatically improve your experience on the web not only that, it can protect you from certain security vulnerabilities. Despite modern browsers being freely available on the Internet a lot of people have browsers that are several years out of date. In this short article I will be discussing why it’s a good idea to upgrade, and how, it’s easy…
Why should I upgrade?
Every website should obey web standards compliance set out by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) in order to function and display correctly. The web standards compliance is constantly being improved and new updates released which consists of various bug fixes, new functionality and announcements of obsolete code. These new releases allow us as web developers to be increasingly creative with our work and use more efficient code which in turn can dramatically improve page load times and enhance the users experience. You might be surprised to know that if we want a website to work in all browser versions as far back as IE6 (Internet Explorer Version 6) it can take up to twice as long to develop. This is because we have to use work-around’s using various different methods to display content correctly in older browsers, as these older browsers don’t obey the latest standards.
All the coding tools available to us can only be used with the latest up-to-date browsers, so if you haven’t got a modern standards compliant web browser installed on your computer your potentially missing out and won’t be able to view the enhanced functionality that the web has to offer.
How to check what version web browser you have?
Each browser has its own set interface and therefore each one has a different method of checking the version it is, simply follow my instructions to check.
Internet Explorer:
From the main menu in your browser > Help > About Internet Explorer
A pop up box with then appear and it will display the version number (example: Version: 7.0.5730.11)
Mozilla Firefox:
From the main menu in your browser > Help > About Mozilla Firefox
A pop up box with then appear and it will display the version number (example: Version: 2.0.0.14)
Google Chrome:
In the top right corner you will see a spanner icon, click the icon > About Google Chrome
A pop up box with then appear and it will display the version number (example: Version: 16.0.912.75 m)
Opera:
From the main menu in your browser > Help > About Opera
A pop up box or a new tab will open where it will display the version number (example: Version: 9.27)
Safari:
From the main menu in your browser > Help > About Safari
A pop up box with then appear and it will display the version number (example: Version: 3.1.1)
TIP: When you’re going through the steps above some browsers check if there is an update available and will notify you if there is. You then have the option to install the latest version there and then. Not all browsers offer this, but Google Chrome for example does.
How to update your browser?
Updating your browser is normally a matter of a few simple steps, simply go to the browsers website and install the latest browser version available. Some of the latest modern browsers automatically notify you when there is a new update available so you don’t have to do anything, you might see it pop up on your screen while you are browsing the web, please try to avoid ignoring this message and click “ok” to install the update. Below is a list of the common browsers websites:
Internet Explorer (IE)
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome
Opera
Safari
As you can see upgrading your web browser to the latest version is simple and advantageous. Some companies force their employees to use obsolete browsers due to internal policies, so you may be stuck, however if you have the choice on your personal computer please take the time to upgrade, it only takes a few seconds and you will soon reap the benefits.
