Google to abandon older browsers

[Evil Eye]

Google is phasing out support for older browsers from 1 August.



Those using IE7, Safari 3, Firefox 3.5 and their predecessors to view Gmail, Google Calendar, Talk, Docs and Sites will then lose some functions.



Eventually, it warned, these web services will stop working for those sticking with older browsers.



The move is part of a trend to stop the use of ageing browsers which can be insecure and not sophisticated enough to handle the latest web technologies.

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Statistics on browser versions gathered by StatCounter suggest about 17% need to change in the light of Google's decision.



Google made its announcement in a blogpost saying its engineers were keen to make use of the latest capabilities in browsers, and that required support for HTML5 technology.



As a result, from 1 August, Google will only support what it calls modern browsers. By this it means the latest versions and major prior releases of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari.



As new versions of these are released, Google will get its web services working with that and then drop support for the third-oldest version.



Support in this sense means that Google will only do compatibility testing with more up-to-date browsers. It will make not test with older programmes and can make guarantees that web services will work with them.



Concluding the blogpost, Venkat Panchapakesan, vice president of engineering at Google, wrote: These new browsers are more than just a modern convenience, they are a necessity for what the future holds.



In mid-May, Mozilla, which oversees development of Firefox, kicked off a plan to get the 12 million or so people using version 3.5 of its browser to update.



It said it was frustrated with efforts to get people to upgrade and had taken a series of steps to force change.



It used pop-up screens, adverts, re-directs and updates to steer people towards more recent versions of Firefox.



Figures gathered by Mozilla suggest the campaign has had some success as the number of users on Firefox 3.5 has now dropped to about one million.



Microsoft's campaign to stop people using Internet Explorer 6 is one of the longest running upgrade efforts.



The software giant has used its automatic update system to get newer versions of its browser out to many users.



However, many companies prefer not to use this system and that has meant IE6 clinging on in some firms and nations.



Globally about 11% of browsers are IE6, suggest figures compiled by Microsoft, and there is a wide variation around the world.



About 34% of Chinese net users are on IE6, as are 22.3% of South Koreans and 11.6% of Vietnamese people.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13639875

 

[Cinnamon]

I'd love to find another browser. The fact that Google never acknowledged Easter speaks volumes to me. They acknowledge every single holiday, pen day, cat day, hangnail day, dog day, but not Easter? nahhhh, I'm over Google.



Someone give me a better browser!



Good subject!

 

[Evil Eye]

I'd love to find another browser. The fact that Google never acknowledged Easter speaks volumes to me. They acknowledge ever single holiday, pen day, cat day, hangnail day, dog day, but not Easter? nahhhh, I'm over Google.

Really?

*checks Doodle history.*

Huh, I never noticed... then again, I don't pay attention to those things. Rather odd though.

 

[Cinnamon]

Really?

*checks Doodle history.*

Huh, I never noticed... then again, I don't pay attention to those things. Rather odd though.

Eye, I've noticed it the past 2 years. Someone pointed it out to me last year and I checked it out this year .... not a mention of Easter.



They can acknowledge every single silly holiday - but nary an image or word about Easter.

It speaks volumes.

 

[Evil Eye]

Apparently the last Easter Doodle is from 5 years ago.

Guess no one actually needs reminding it's Easter, compared to all those other things in any case.

 

[Cinnamon]

Apparently the last Easter Doodle is from 5 years ago.

Guess no one actually needs reminding it's Easter, compared to all those other things in any case.

Well, we don't need reminding that it's orange day or caterpillar day either. The fact that they reject Easter as a holiday puts them on my trash list. You understand.

Or I hope you do.

 

[Cinnamon]

PS - IF you click on google today - it will look just like Easter. Nothing.

It would be one thing if they didn't celebrate anyyy holidays. But, to celebrate every asinine thing under the sun and NOT Easter ......... wrong. Google sucks.

 

[Raven]

Maybe the guy/girl who doodles it isn't a christian lol

 

[Crusader]

Can't blame them, the web needs to grow and people using old browsers are slowing it down.

 

[lucasbytegenius]

Well the older browsers are crap compared to today's stuff anyway, even though they were awesome at the time (well, except IE

)

I'm glad Google is leading this movement to ditch support for them.



And what is this whole big deal about Easter?! WHO CARES?!! Really. lol.

 

[Bryd0]

I still use Firefox 3.5 and I'll be gutted when this happens, and I really don't want to upgrade to the new version of Firefox. Guess I'll have to get myself Opera instead to surf the web... oh well.

 

[lucasbytegenius]

I still use Firefox 3.5 and I'll be gutted when this happens, and I really don't want to upgrade to the new version of Firefox. Guess I'll have to get myself Opera instead to surf the web... oh well.

Opera is awesome, I think you'll be glad you switched.

Why won't you switch to the newest version of Firefox?

 

[Bryd0]

I refuse to switch to the newest version of Firefox because according to some people, it has problems. I'll just go with Opera then when the time comes.

 

[Evil Eye]

(well, except IE

)

I think that may have been awesome in the IE-Netscape battle

I refuse to switch to the newest version of Firefox because according to some people, it has problems. I'll just go with Opera then when the time comes.

Haven't had any problems yet

 

[Crusader]

I have problems with flash playback with FF4

 

[lucasbytegenius]

I refuse to switch to the newest version of Firefox because according to some people, it has problems. I'll just go with Opera then when the time comes.

But you haven't tried it yourself? Why don't you try it and see?

 

[Bryd0]

Nah, you're alright. I don't think Gmail would malfunction severely on me when the change happens, as that's the only Google application I use.

 

[lucasbytegenius]

Nah, you're alright. I don't think Gmail would malfunction severely on me when the change happens, as that's the only Google application I use.

Works flawlessly for me when I use it.

 

[The Dragon Master]

I refuse to switch to the newest version of Firefox because according to some people, it has problems. I'll just go with Opera then when the time comes.

I've had no problems with it so far.