[thelist] older browsers - why are people still using them?

martin.p.burns at uk.pwcglobal.com martin.p.burns at uk.pwcglobal.com
Tue Dec 11 11:21:06 CST 2001


Memo from Martin P Burns of PricewaterhouseCoopers

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To:   thelist at lists.evolt.org
Subject:  RE: [thelist] older browsers - why are people still using them?

> > stick in the muds will be forced to upgrade, making our lives
> even easier

>Agreed - like you wouldn't accept today to have an *operator* plug you to
>the right party everytime you pick up the telephone... when the technology
>evolved - everybody evolved.

That wasn't a matter of user choice. The infrastructure was upgraded,
although you can still call a combination of directory enquiries and the
operator to connect you in many places.

Besides, there's a clear user benefit.

>> Or they just wont visit your sites any more. Theres plenty of others out
>> there :-)

>I don't agree - the web - per se - is NOT a mass media

Not what the research shows, and besides, users will *still* use a site
which works for them, rather than suffer an upgrade, unless what you're
offering is of significantly high value.

>- and most statistics
>show a shrinking portion of people using older browsers.

Slowly shrinking, yes. Influenced more by their machine upgrade cycle than
how they're being forced into it by sites.

>Since it's a
>*niche* media - I explain to my client *who* their target audience is -
and
>THEY want to be seen as technologically *in* - so they accept to have
their
>site coded for browsers version 5+.

Of course, even in mass media, there are niches. If you're targeting a site
at developers, it does matter how smart your development is. But there are
still
very few commercial sites which can legitimately exclude users because they
don't have an 'in' browser.

Cheers
Martin


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