The Microsoft browser Internet Explorer once dominated the web, handling over 90% of all traffic.
According to a recent report by Wired, IE’s desktop share has fallen to 58% and just 2% on mobile.
Internet Explorer is no longer the force it once was.
Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome have taken much of the desktop market, with Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Google’s Android browser dominating the mobile market.
Microsoft premiered their new Windows 10 operating system at a press event on 21st January.
The debut included the first preview of their new light-weight desktop, tablet and mobile browser codenamed Spartan, that looks and feels more like the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers.
It is not clear if Spartan will be fully operational when the new operating system is released.
As of this time, Microsoft has not revealed the official release date of Spartan but rumours are circulating that it will be at the Microsoft Internet Explorer’s 20th anniversary on August 2015.
Under new CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft realises that, in the modern world, its software must run on more than just Windows, so it will be interesting to see how compatible the new browser will be with Android and Apple devices.
Insiders suggest that Microsoft will not be pulling the plug on Internet Explorer anytime soon.
If you’ve developed your web site to be compatible in Internet Explorer – particularly the older versions – you will need to think about compatibility with Spartan and it’s responsiveness with the new generation of light-weight browsers.
In addition to compatibility and mobile responsiveness we encourage our clients to consider moving to an open-source platform like WordPress or Drupal, which now host over a quarter of all web sites.
We make this recommendation for three primary reasons:
The open source nature of the software means that it is very low-cost and constantly being updated, which locks in future-proofing
Clients can elect to update or maintain the site themselves, through easy to use content management systems
They offer unrivalled functionality, with natural search engine optimisation and endless updates
If you have to change……………….we believe you should make a significant change for the better!