Websites alienate Firefox users

[darkstar]

One in 10 UK websites fail to work properly on the open source Firefox web browser, a study shows.
Some 100 leading consumer sites were assessed by web-testing firm SciVisum.

Websites that proved difficult for Firefox users to navigate included the government website Jobcentreplus.gov.uk and the cinema site Odeon.co.uk.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4115806.stm

[Subway]

Every client that got a website designed by a professional webcompany that doesent test their client sites with all popular (IE,Firefox,Opera,Safari) browsers should go to court to get their money back, seriously. That's like selling a car that only drives on the main streets.

Fredi

[admedia]

The fact that only some sites work with IE ia currently a fact of life.

I just had to use IE to get boarding passes from US Air.

Alot of sites were probably developed before FF was even released.

-

[hurricaneone]

That's like selling a car that only drives on the main streets.

Fredi

If 90% of streets were considered 'main', then this analogy might have some value.

But they're not and it doesn't.

I imagine that a lot of these sites were made before Firefox even existed. Not that they shouldn't have been tested on a 'Zilla-based browser, but let's get real, the percentage of users is still not large enough to warrant the added time and expenditure.

Website builder's mantra: If the guy you're selling to defaults to IE, then display everything in IE and he'll be none the wiser.

*sits back and waits for flames regarding above comment*

[TheOriginalFlashDavo]

Yeah, I have to admit that I can quite clearly see the business case to justify only testing in IE... though admittedly with newer sites that might have to change with the growth of FF, but as for Sarari and Opera, do you know the figures for them? Very low single figures if I'm not mistaken...

[admedia]

I will add most of the web compatibility issues that I have dealt with as a developer are layout issues that arise from Windows vs. Mac. I have launched a site or two... then down the road looked at it on a Mac and noticed a layout issue. I always go back and fix it without being told to. Just a matter of a tweak or 2.

Now that I use FF as my primary browser I always test in FF and IE. I eventually look at it on a mac as described above.

-

[TallGuyLittleCar]

Website builder's mantra: If the guy you're selling to defaults to IE, then display everything in IE and he'll be none the wiser.

*sits back and waits for flames regarding above comment*

I agree, I actually go ahead and test for Firefox, as that is my primary browser. However, if for some reason something doesn't work in firefox and it takes more than a few hours to figure it out(rarely does), I let it go quite often.

I don't give a damn about mac users.

[Covenent]

I can understand why sites made towards the end of the browser wars only work in IE, but there is no reason other than ignorance for new sites to built for IE only.

The fact is if you build your site using todays web standards it will work in every major browser of past and present. It will work for users with disabilities, it will work for various mediums and it will work in various devices.

Don't give me that bs about extra development time. This week I got a freelance job to create an entire site in a day, the client saw one of my previous sites design using standards. Said she wanted something similar, but obviously with a different look and feel and some key changes. I was able to make these changes and create a whole new site in a matter of hours.

Beacause presentation is seperate from structure it becomes very easy to change the look of elements, as well as to reposition and reorder them.

[hurricaneone]

I don't give a damn about mac users.

For all you Mac weenies.

Now's the time you pay the piper for choosing your own path, striking out on your own, bucking the trend.

Being different

Muwahahahahah

[Boris the Frog]

you also have to look at where your site is going to be viewed - different countries favour different browsers. I'm not sure about today, but in 2000 Germany used Netscape way more than IE.

[aversion]

... and the cinema site Odeon.co.uk.

Some people never learn. I remember reading about a designer who was so frustrated with the bad standards and accessibility on the Odeon site that he recoded it for free. So they sued him... typical, we're not talking about someone who just wanted their site to work with standards and hence all browsers but someone who wanted to see accessibility implemented, the existing site had no accessibility features whatsoever.

Looks like they're still lagging behind.

I agree that all new sites should at least work on the gecko/IE platform, if your site isn't working then your designer did a crappy job, it's not that freakin' hard.

[TallGuyLittleCar]

The fact is if you build your site using todays web standards it will work in every major browser of past and present. It will work for users with disabilities, it will work for various mediums and it will work in various devices.

EH? I have noticed some conflicts between the w3c standards and IE, especially when I'm trying to get all perty and nifty. But then again I am a sloppy coder so maybe it was just me.

[aversion]

It's true IE won't work with all standards coding, or we'd all be happy, but you can still code with standards and have it work in IE. The easiest thing to do from a development point of view is build to standards then test in IE, it's more a matter of tidying up a few things than recoding .

I find it much easier than building for IE then testing with a standards-capable browser.

[robbmcaulay]

Just thought i'd slip this site in here :

http://www.browsershots.org/

Produces screenshots of any site on any browser you choose, very handy

[TallGuyLittleCar]

if 90% fo the audience is using IE, wouldn't IE really be the true standard?

It's like driving on the highway, sure the speed limit says 55mph, but if you in the fast lane doing 55, you are going to cause all kinds of problems.

[Covenent]

Wouldn't that point of view effectively mean that Microsoft run the web now and in the future?

[darkstar]

ie is the true world standard, it does seem a shame to have to compromise for
a small number of other browsers, ie7 is apparently on its way so hopefully it will be more secure. at the end of the day i see firefox is a bit like linux - for geeks only.

[TallGuyLittleCar]

Wouldn't that point of view effectively mean that Microsoft run the web now and in the future?

I think it means the Microsoft controls how the www is viewed now... who knows about the future.

[robbmcaulay]

They do own the web!

Google 'http'

[Covenent]

My point is if you concede the web to Microsoft now then they are effectively free to do with it what they want.