10 Percent of UK Sites Incompatible with Firefox 340
Bimo_Dude writes "The BBC News is reporting that ten percent of UK websites alienate Firefox users. From the article: 'While most people still use Microsoft's browser, Firefox is slowly making inroads. Its share of the browser market grew to 8% in May, up from 5.59% at the beginning of the year, according to US-based analysts NetApplications. Microsoft IE's share of the market dropped to 87.23% in May, compared to 90.31% in January.'"
standards compliance (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:standards compliance (Score:3, Insightful)
Time to dust off this page:
How to Detect Internet Explorer [ericgiguere.com]
But only encourage switching to a different browser, don't harangue them into doing it. Remember that some companies/organizations still require the use of IE, especially to access internal systems. If your surfers are coming from such a place, getting mad at them won't help either of you.
Eric
Recently interviewed in The Waterloo Chronicle [tinyurl.com]! (OK, so it isn't The Globe and Mail)
Re:standards compliance (Score:4, Insightful)
How about using sensible detections for a change?
For example, MS provided us the wonderful thing called Conditional Comments. Your code will only be read by MSIE browsers under version 7 (aka up to and including IE6), presenting them with unique content without tracking tricky or dumb things.
Same thing in Javascript, don't use User Agent sniffing, use Object sniffing for exemple. Aka if your script uses document.createElement, precede the script with Which will only try to feed the script to browsers which can actually handle it (those who have implemented document.createElement)
Then, if you're a really good and tricky web designer, you can do it Malarkey Style [stuffandnonsense.co.uk], presenting both different presentation and suggestion to switch to a better browser to crappy browsers users... using CSS advanced functions (one design uses CSS1, the other one uses CSS2, CSS2 non compliant browsers will only get v1 black&white, and as soon as a CSS2 compliant MSIE is born it should be allowed to see v2 design). Try it out with MSIE, then with any CSS2 (somewhat) compliant browser (Firefox, Opera, Safari, Konqueror,
Re:standards compliance (Score:2)
Re:standards compliance (Score:2, Interesting)
It's sad, but I totally stumped a professional programmer at work when I said something about running a binary. How can you run a binary file? Maybe they're
My site isn't! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:My site isn't! (Score:2)
In other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In other news... (Score:2, Insightful)
Eh?
Microsoft have recently re-done their entire MSN site in most countries to take advantage of pure xhtml and css.. with one of the main incentives being that sure people may run other browsers, but they want to use MSN.
What would happen if Microsoft stopped Hotmail from displaying properly in any other browser, there would be some very big critics giving them an ego bashing...
What the article was actually refering to was the suprising number of business sites owned by reputable companies that hire c
IE only sites (Score:5, Interesting)
In the later case, of developing in IE, and not checking with Firefox, does anybody know what the most common things that break are?
In the IE features category, I have seen one thing that IE does really well that Firefox does not do: Image transition filters such as the fade in/out effect when you switch photos [tripadvisor.com]. Are there other things the you as a developer want, but are only implemented in IE?
I know on the other side, that I want rounded corners on divs and alpha transparency in pngs to be properly implemented in IE.
Browser features, perhaps (Score:2)
If I Remember Correctly, the new flavour of the month on the Internet, XMLHttpRequest, was an Internet Explorer only feature, until it was copied by the other browsers for eventual integration with their own codebases. And, as you brought up, there are differences in rendering and transitions between the browser types, so I dare say that the browser unique features would account for a fair portion.
The remainder, I would guess, are sites that require an Active X control, have poor DOM checking / browser sn
Re:IE only sites (Score:3, Informative)
Photo Transitions (Score:3, Informative)
And personally, I think style issues like these are better handled by scripts or other non-browser-specific systems. Styles change, and it would be just as well to avoid changing the browser for every little whim of fashion.
Standard (Score:3, Funny)
It's just business (Score:3, Insightful)
It's a commercial decision. Making your site work completely with IE gets you around 90% of the market. Making your site work completely with W3C standards gets you around 10% of the market. Making your site work completely with both costs you more money. If the extra money is more than the 10% of the market is worth, you're going to go with the 90%-only option.
It sucks, but businesses don't run to make Firefox users happy, they run to make a profit. When the cost of losing the smaller market share (and t
Re:It's just business (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:It's just business (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:It's just business (Score:2)
Yes, it really does, and yes, it really will.
For a start, there are numerous standards bugs in all browsers, IE more than many. You have to include numerous hacks in things like CSS to get consistent rendering across the range of browser software in use.
Then there are issues with tools. IE lets you use ActiveX
Re:It's just business (Score:5, Insightful)
On the site I work on, a major UK mobileco, we code to XHTML 1.0 now and browser compatiblity is usually a non-issue - in fact I find it easier to code using Firefox (with the utterly wonderful Web Developer extension) and then cross-check in IE.
We used to have far more headaches back when we had to provide backwards-compatibility with NS4.0, but now that the numbers of such users have dropped to single-digit numbers per month, we're XHTML all the way.
IE has huge rendering issues... (Score:3, Informative)
1. Every CSS box needs to be duplicated, to fix IE's flawed box rendering model.
2. IE can't handle objects close to a float
must become
so the cut image doesn't come close to the edge.
3. If you ever adjust the width of a div tag which has
Re:It's just business (Score:2)
Web standards don't dictate the exact rendering of a page. If you're trying to make the page look exactly the same in every browser, yes, it's going to be more work for every new browser you try to support. But if you accept that you don't have pixel-for-pixel control and let the browser lay out the page the way it wants, you don't need to write different code for different browsers in ge
Re:It's just business (Score:2)
I'd guess that most of the people using firefox in windows, when they find a website that they want to go to and doesn't work, will just load IE and open it (I know I do at least, with the open in IE extension). If course there are quite a few geeks that will refuse to open a site that doesn't support their choice of browser
Re:It's just business (Score:2)
Re:Standard (Score:2)
Re:Standard (Score:5, Insightful)
No, you are selling the website to the client, not thier customers. If the client is thinking in terms of pretty pictures instead of useability and robust technology, then you give them pretty pictures.
There are still plenty of retailers that havent got a clue about the market or the technology. boo.com was the classic example, but theres plenty of retailers that are happy to give every 10th customer a sharp poke in the eye. These retailers will always be at a disadvantage and will dissappear over time.
The last one I saw was Abel and Cole selling Organic Food. Last year they were on the Google first page for 'Organic Food UK' but now thier competitors are stealing thier market. Searching for 'Able and Cole' leads to the competition, thier website lists products by code rather than product name, they used to be unusable with Mozilla. I expect they will dissappear in a few years.
Other sites I find hard to use are:
Ebay/Paypal. It took me a week to get set up to sell something. Google or Amazon will overtake them because they understand 'easy to use'.
Dabs.com Havent used them for a year, but it was so hard to find technical info that I had to go to other retailers to find out about the product.
WarehouseExpress. Horrible site, only made useable by the price, range and because they arnt as bad as Jessops.
Jessops. Already seen a dive in shareprice. Expect them to be dead by next year.
Re:Standard (Score:2)
Sorry, but how is my statement bullshit? If you took from my previous statement that I was saying everyone designs for IE, then sorry I wasn't trying to say that. I was just trying to reply to the GP who was asking why developers don't always use the standards. What part of my inital post do you find to be bullshit? Perhaps I'm overlooking something and part of it is bullshit (
Re:Standard (Score:2, Insightful)
Because, it's far more easier to write web pages for one OS, one browser and one version. Especially, if you have bells and whistles to put to the site. Dominance of IE has lead to a situation where WWW means Windows Wide Web: Even when web designers want to write standard html they are forced to check it against IE bugs. Usually this leads to poor structure, like using tables for layout. See why using tables for layout is [hotdesign.com]
Other browsers too then, I guess (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Other browsers too then, I guess (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Other browsers too then, I guess (Score:2)
It's really just terrible bad browser sniffing combined with myopic or just plain cluless web "masters".
Re:Other browsers too then, I guess (Score:2)
Re:Other browsers too then, I guess (Score:2)
Heh (Score:2, Funny)
Damn, it reminds me when I told about a certain webmaster how his page wasn't working good with other browsers than IE.
He added a "Designed for IE" claim... -_-
Re:Heh (Score:2)
Re:Heh (Score:3, Interesting)
Stats (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Stats (Score:4, Funny)
This study is one of the 3.75% of all studies of which the statistics are not pulled from a derriere.
Well... (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm happy that I can switch clueless users to Firefox now because sites like Yahoo! know to play nice. No longer do I get calls late at night asking why Euchre doesn't work.
Re:Well... (Score:2)
More details (Score:4, Funny)
Microsoft.co.uk (Score:4, Funny)
The other 1% is the Beckham/Adams fansite, which we all know is poorly coded.
Re:Microsoft.co.uk (Score:5, Funny)
the UK is a tiny little island inhabited by hobbits, leprechauns and the Oasis brothers.
Strictly, the leprechauns come from Ireland. You're maybe thinking of Robin Cook, former Foreign Secretary?
OT [ wasRe:Microsoft.co.uk] (Score:2)
www.slashdot.org.uk
I'm using the regulation "slashdot.org", but I just tried that URL - all I got was a listing, suggesting the existence of a cgi-bin - but I didn't have permission to enter. So... what is this slashdot.org.uk business all about? They're not going to monkey with my 'fox, like Google, are they?
Back on topic: the Gallaghers and Leprechauns in the same sentence? Sir, I salute you!
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Microsoft.co.uk (Score:2)
How do they manage? (Score:2)
Re:How do they manage? (Score:5, Funny)
How is it possible for so many sites to be like this? I have designed a fair number of websites but I really don't know how I'd go about making it difficult for Firefox users
(Aside: web standards seems to be replacing SEO as the new web buzzword). We've got a client who runs his own web development house, focusing on standards. His methodolgy is: (1) we develop an accessible, validating site. (2) since he's the boss, and also an *expert*, he tweaks everything in Frontpage. (3) some sarcastic barstard actually validates the site, and discovers it no longer validates. They email our client. (4) our client contacts us to complain that the site "isn't valid HTML and CSS!" Et voila, instant pile of non-validating, Firefox-hating poo.
It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.
Re:How do they manage? (Score:2)
Re:How do they manage? (Score:2)
Books suggest designing for IE only (Score:4, Interesting)
I couldn't beleive I was reading this. Its actually repeated in a different section of the book. But then again the book was for dummies.
For what its worth firefox plugins like webdeveloper make designing/checking web pages (especially css) so much easier, hopefully it will make traction into web development shops.
Re:Books suggest designing for IE only (Score:2)
Re:Books suggest designing for IE only (Score:4, Insightful)
Here's even an excerpt (Score:5, Informative)
On page 19, the author actually says:
In my view, you should design Web pages for Internet
Explorer (IE) version 6 running on a typical 17'' monitor. Why? Here are the reasons:
-more than 95 percent of the people visiting your Web site use IE 6.
-You can take advantage of lots of cool effects that work only in IE or IE 6. Your job is much easier if you're designing for a predictable, stable canvas.
It's extremely stupid to give such an advice. I suggest that people email either the author, Richard Mansfield or the publisher, Wiley [dummies.com].
10% - don't think so (Score:3, Informative)
Re:10% - don't think so (Score:2)
Being that I use Safari 99% of the time, and only switch to Firefox for compatibility I would have to agree. But perhaps they mean 10% of sites have some isolated feature or layout element that doesn't work in Firefox.
Re:10% - don't think so (Score:2)
Fortunately Opera is my primary browser, it just means I can't check film times on my Parent's PC, who I have given Firefox and Thunderbird. (The combination is a huge success, I haven't had to format for them since I switched them to the Moz programs 100%)
For my parents I chose Firefox rather
Government sites listed (Score:2, Interesting)
How does Uk compare to other countries in Europe and around the world on that matter ?
IE/Firefox/BBC (Score:3, Interesting)
TFA mentions that this is due to devs targeting IE, or testing their work under IE. I do just the opposite. I work in mozilla/firefox, THEN test in IE. If any issues arise, its alot easier coming from a "mozilla" than from "ie" build and working out the kinks.
Although it is annoying that MS tends to make their own tags, leading to situations like this...its a competitve market, so any bells, whistles or extras you can throw in makes your product stand out. Most people don't even know or care about W3C standards, valid CSS etc. Does it look cool and work for them, thats all they care about. Hell, even the latest PHPBB uses IE only tags...
In somewhat related news, British Comedy stylings alienate 10% of world population.
Re:IE/Firefox/BBC (Score:3, Insightful)
Its Not Just Common Browsers (Score:2, Insightful)
Isn't there someway we can shame the developers into always ensuring there is a simple way into their sites.
This also applies to blind surfers who use browsers that speak the page to them. So many sites are inaccessible to them
Greasemonkey (Score:2)
Re:Greasemonkey (Score:2)
here is one that fixed the jobcentreplus site:
http://dunck.us/collab/GreaseMonkeyUserScripts#he
This pops up an idea in my mind (Score:2)
Basically, just being productives instead of just looking at the market share figures. Like, pro-active, you know.
Breaking News...UK only has 40 websites! (Score:2, Informative)
"Guilty websites
Odeon (http://www.odeon.co.uk/ [odeon.co.uk] a major cinema chain has received criticism for months for accessibility issues - even now its' opening 'splash page' seems at first glance to be working fine but click on the 'enter' button and Firefox users are offered a blank page.
On the Jobcentreplus (http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/ [jobcentreplus.gov.uk] home page, Firefox users find that the 'Job search' button open
Re:Breaking News...UK only has 40 websites! (Score:5, Informative)
I imagine they chose that sample size to make the percentage calculations perfectly accurate.
Vindication! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Vindication! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Vindication! (Score:2)
In case you didn't notice, it's not a problem for Opera users. (Or much of a problem for Firefox or Safari users who know how to change how their browsers self-identify.)
Why are they picking on Firefox users? (Score:2, Interesting)
I guess the reason they pick on Firefox is because they're starting to become a very popular competitor to Internet Explorer for Linux and Windows users, and of course this means that we've got to make it look bad in comparison.
Patience, you'll see a counter effect (Score:2)
(Its just an animated GIF I set to visible before a slow page switch, for some reason it didn't work on IE).
Because I used FF for the better Javascript console to develop it with, the site works slightly better with FF and I only noticed it when I came to test it on other browsers at the end.
The way I figure it, Firefox is increasingly being used by the tech savvy people and
Odeon is terrible (Score:5, Informative)
However, the Odeon site is completely inaccessible. It's not a case of stuff not looking or formatting correctly, but once you followed the "entire site" link it was more a case of nothing actually being displayed to the user - no listings, no cinemas, nothing.
Even worse, if you emailed them to complain, they told you the site was undergoing a re-design. To my mind that has had to be at least a couple of years ago all because they couldn't be arsed to change some IE only javascript.
Anyway, if you've got GreaseMonkey this script [dracos.co.uk] will make the site accessable again.
ps. Whilst we're at it, if you have a phone or PDA then you might be interested in Movie Guide [fourteenminutes.com] which provides you with you with detailed listings of all films showing in UK Cinema's.
Not Easy to Keep it Simple (Score:2, Interesting)
However, many times when I am faced with a site with which I must do business (i.e. insurance, commerce, etc...) and they are not accessible via Firefox, I call and complain. Otherwise they will not know. If I can, I will let them know I have chosen a competitor.
ActiveX (Score:3, Insightful)
Some companies simply do not care about this. I'll give you an example:
My company has a web based time tracking system where you enter your hours. It is the most horrible piece of garbage I have seen in my life! It requires ActiveX to display stupid menus which could have been done in javascript, and the layout is nested frames. If you view that thing in antything but IE you get empty frames all over the place - half of the content is somewhere off screen and you can't navigate the site at all
When I brought it to their attention they had three questions:
Needles to say I work with technically retaded people - but they make the decissions, not me...
Re:ActiveX (Score:2)
2. People who are progressive and sick of paying high premiums for low quality software.
3. You should care because it's more modern, standards compliant and secure. Also see #1.
Tom
Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
Re:ActiveX (Score:2)
Tom
Re: (Score:2)
Re:ActiveX (Score:2)
Hehehe.
Tom
Who cares? (Score:2)
10% of all websites, but not 10% of all page views (Score:2)
Bye egghat
Inraweb by SAP (Score:2)
Easy standards for those who are "not so stupid" (Score:4, Interesting)
That may be true over all, but in my world (a large site primarily attracting the 18 - 29 year old demographic within the US) we see something different: FireFox (16%) and Safari (5%).
We have a small development shop (5 developers), but we find it extremely easy to build and deploy a sophisticated web user interface that is compatible with IE, Mozilla + varients, Safari, Opera, Konqueor, and more.
The "trick", if you want to call it that, is to reuse good UI code. Such a strategy saves us time and money, and keeps us lean and keeps us (at least usability-wise) well ahead of the competition. Oh, and we also support accessibility standards.
I have a feeling that we do it well because most all of our developers are professionals - they didn't just "stumble into the webmaster job by creating a webpage".
Anyhow, just as well - our competitors' sites look and work like crap.
I remember when a competitor's site crapped out was broken for weeks when a new version of IE was released... they had many versions of their UI code splattered throughout their site - I feel bad for the people that have to deal with all that crap.
Where's the button? (Score:2)
90% of sites ARE compatible with firefox! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:90% of sites = not good enough (Score:2)
I use firefox myself. Msft anti-competitive practises piss me off. But I must admit, they do work.
careful with IDE settings (Score:2)
This incompatibility would not be a surprise if Microsoft's default settings for Visual Studio .NET are the same as last time I used it. It has been a while since I worked on a .NET project, so I don't if Microsoft has "fixed" this, but I'm guessing not.
It's an effective approach by Microsoft.... We discovered almost immediately incompatibilities with .NET code/projects and Mozilla, but even after admonishing team members to ensure their settings were appropriate to create Mozilla compatible code, we wou
I'm an ass (Score:2)
Next, I'll force them into IMAP and make them use OE.
Lucky For Me (Score:2)
Dodgy statistics (Score:2)
Damnit U.K. (Score:2)
Damnit, first a huge tax on tea, and now this.
Incompatible? Go to a competitor. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Surprised it's not higher (Score:2)
Re:Surprised it's not higher (Score:2)
Re:Standard Response to Complaint (Score:2)
Official UK lottery site does work with Moz/FF... (Score:2)
Re:ACID test (Score:2)
Re:ACID test (Score:3, Informative)
I use Safari, the development branch of which does pass ACID2 (although the version I'm using does not, and I can't be bothered to roll my own version of WebKit), but saying a browser is no good because it doesn't properly display ACID2 is ludicrous. As far as I know, the only browser where the release version correctly renders ACID2 is Konqueror.
Firefox,
Mods, the parent is a troll (Score:2, Informative)
Now, Safari and Konqueror are able to pass that test, but it has taken a month to port Safari patches to Konqueror.
Imprementing the ACID2 bugfixes for Firefox from scratch is bound to take more than a month. The question is: How much is going to take IE6 to be ACID2 comp