Merge

Do you know which web browser you're using? If so, do you know which version of that browser you're using? These two questions consume the working lives of web developers everywhere. We can name the top five browsers (and quite a few more), along with the approximate current market share of each, the most recent version of each, the rendering engine of each (i.e., what they're using under the hood), the features supported or unsupported in each, and we can probably rank them in order of speed. We can do this because it is our job to do this.

Yet chances are that most internet users have no idea which version of the browser they're using, if they know which browser they're using at all. And that's not necessarily bad; it's not their job to know. They should be free to expect it to just work without knowing the details of it. But, by not knowing, there's a good chance they're missing out.

The web is a constantly evolving platform. Every day (literally) someone announces a new framework or technology or idea or code snippet which helps it evolve, and it's our job to keep up with all of that. But the burden doesn't lie solely on us programmers; it's on the browsers as well. As technology, ideas, and standards evolve, browsers must also evolve to support them. This is why Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, Opera, and Apple (among others) work tirelessly to keep their browsers up to date with the constant changing of all things web. They push this work out to the world in the form of browser updates, and it is the user's unfortunate job to keep up with these updates.

But does it really matter? Is it really a big deal if your browser sits stagnant, un-updated as it has been for the last few years? Well, you tell me. Is it important that web sites appear to you as they are meant to appear (using technologies like CSS3)? Is it important that web pages load as quickly as possible? Is it important that you can use new technologies such as games, video, and audio without resorting to using Flash (which tends to be resource-hungry)? These are all things you are missing out on by not updating your browser. If you're using the same browser you were using a year or two ago, then your browser probably might not be able to handle the cool technologies that have come along since then. And it's likely that web developers don't test their new sites in your old browser, so things will start to look more and more broken as your browser becomes more and more outdated.

And it's not just the version that is important. While it's great that you might keep your browser up to date, the choice of that browser also plays an important role. For example, if you're using Internet Explorer, chances are you're missing out on some enriching technologies which other browsers support but IE refuses to, and web pages are loading pretty slowly.

So what do we recommend? Well, we recommend that you try them out. You likely spend a huge chunk of your day using a browser, and it would be a shame if you spend all that time using something that is not as fast, easy, or enjoyable as it could be. Spend a couple minutes downloading a couple of them and clicking around with them.

If it's speed and simplicity you're after, you'll probably like using Chrome (by Google) or Safari (by Apple). If you want an integrated Email client or the ability to add fun, useful little widgets, then you should check out Opera. If you're more in favor of a robust and customizable browsing experience, with thousands of add-ons to let you tweak and improve, then Firefox should suit you just fine. And if you're just a masochist or your place of employment forces you to use Internet Explorer, then that will do as well...just make sure it's the most recent version!

By making an informed decision and keeping your browser up to date, it's a win-win. Web sites will be faster and better looking, and us web programmers can rest assured that there are less internet users getting a degraded experience.

Bottom line: Web browsers are not all made equal. Pick a good one and keep it updated, and you will be rewarded.