back to article In a world where up is down, it's heartwarming to know Internet Explorer still tops list of web dev pain points

Web developers resent having to deal with Microsoft Internet Explorer and Apple Safari, which they cite among their top three pain points, alongside layout and styling inconsistencies among browsers. This finding comes from the Mozilla Developer Network's 2020 Browser Compatibility Report [PDF], a survey of web development …

  1. Danny 14

    Then you get banking software with their two factor cards and certificates that insist on only being supported in IE. Teachers pension TPS disbarred list search would only work in IE until very recently. BACS acountis was the same until recently.

    1. DS999 Silver badge

      That's because

      IE used to be the dominant browser (and all Windows users had access to it even if they didn't use it as their default)

      I'm sure we'll be seeing the same kind of crap with Chrome before long given its dominance, with Firefox and Safari not working / not tested / not supported just like non-IE browsers often were during its heyday back in 2005 or whatever.

      1. Tomato42

        Re: That's because

        "we'll be seeing"? Why the future tense?

        I've already hit multiple times websites that didn't work on Firefox but did on Chrome, including one private paid service, where the answer was "just use Chrome"

  2. Muscleguy

    I’ve recently installed Chrome because an online classroom Whiteboard app for a tutoring site only worked properly in it. I didn’t even try in Safari. I had a look using Firefox since another one works okay in that. Chrome handles both seamlessly. Under Mac Sierra to boot (can’t upgrade, will lose gfxcardstatus so kernel panic time).

    I’m not warm on Chrome for privacy reasons but damn it works well. I can see my Firefox use dwindling and using Chrome for mission critical (getting paid) stuff.

    When it helps you fill your wallet it is hard to dislike something. Quite a lot more work is coming my way so I NEED that.

    Just been appraised of all the stuff I can claim for self employed working from home. Working out what proportions I can claim for will be fun, not, but worthwhile (see above in terms of wallet filling stuff).

    1. DS999 Silver badge
      FAIL

      I’m not warm on Chrome for privacy reasons but damn it works well.

      Almost certainly because Chrome is the only browser they target/test/support. It is attitudes like yours that allowed IE only sites to persist for so long - "this site doesn't work properly in Firefox, I guess IE must be a better browser".

    2. ecofeco Silver badge

      It's not the browser!

      Any application that does not work properly is all browsers is the problem, not the damn browser.

      I cannot believe we are still having this conversation 20 years later.

  3. OneLiner

    The end is in sight

    At least IE goes out of support next year. I dread to think how long we'll be stuck with Safari...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Angel

      Re: The end is in sight

      And yet we have people protesting M$'s attempts to make Edge the standard in Windoze.

      I'm happy with Firefox with Edge as a back up.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "concerns culled from 1,429 responses out of 3,236"

    Wow, they had to throw out a lot of anti-Firefox responses. Having done web development for the past 12 years, in the past 4 years I've seen more layout glitches in Firefox than IE 11 or Edge

    1. ecofeco Silver badge

      Then YOU are doing it wrong.

  5. mark l 2 Silver badge

    "The problem with Internet Explorer, as far as web developers are concerned, is that companies often require web apps to be compatible with IE, which limits the kinds of capabilities that can be deployed.."

    Which fsck wits are asking for IE compatibility in 2020! Sure you might have to use IE for some legacy web apps but please don't use it for anything else other than those legacy apps.

    1. Dante Alighieri

      Medic alert

      Ask the medical system vendors who hamstring the deployments and then the failure to specify browser agnostic delivery of service from the purchasing team - which often doesn't include appropriate IT involvement (includes all of: not invited, didn't bother to come and don't enforce vendor/browser neutral solutions)

      DOI involved peripherally in some £M+ procurement of said systems

  6. J27

    Can we all just agree to stop supporting IE come 2021? If we all do it, they won't have any choice but to switch.

    1. Shadow Systems

      Please don't think that way.

      As a totally blind user of screen reader software, I am essentially forced to use IE11 for accessibility purposes.

      Chrome won't install due to the installer not being accessible. Brave, PaleMoon, Vivaldi, & WaterFox aren't accessible at all, & other browsers are openly & actively hostile to my 'Reader if they can be installed at all.

      Edge & FF tend to render pages into useless glop that makes no sense from a purely audio POV. Like not rendering edit boxes, not describing drop down menu choices, or otherwise screwing up website navigation to make it (essentially) impossible to move around.

      An example is NewEgg.com. When you start to filter products via the giant page of check boxes, every single time you check/uncheck a box it forces a refresh of the page. Every. Single. Bloody. Box. The "Price" filter edit boxes don't render the high-end "Max" box & the only way to get to it is to Tab past it, cursor up until you find it again, & *HOPE* the resulting button to act upon your entry actually comes up. Otherwise you've just entered an amount the site ignores & shows you unfiltered-on-price results.

      There are far too many sites that do NOT render properly under Edge or FF that DO under IE. I realize IE is old, but for the love of all that's geeky, please don't treat the disabled like second class citizens.

      *Hands you a pint*

      Sorry if my rant was harsh, I'm just a little pissed that I'm Getting Too Old For This Shit & technology is doing it's damnedest to treat me like shit.

      1. Stuart Castle Silver badge

        Re: Please don't think that way.

        If it helps, Chrome is also available as an MSI (Microsoft Installer) File. This is installed using standard Windows tools, so the install *should* be accessible to screen readers (don't have one I can check with). Just go to https://chromeenterprise.google/browser/

        1. Shadow Systems
          Pint

          Re: Please don't think that way.

          Thank you for the tip to the MSI version. I shall give it a download & try to install it to see if it works better than the Consumer version.

          Enjoy a pint in gratitude!

          1. Shadow Systems

            Re: Please don't think that way.

            I've downloaded the MSI, installed it, configured it, & am currently posting via Chrome.

            I can not thank you enough for the tip to the MSI, but if we ever meet in person I'll buy you enough to drink to make you slosh like an over-filled bucket.

            *Raises tankard & clinks rims*

  7. vtcodger Silver badge

    The won't have a choice

    "Can we all just agree to stop supporting IE IPv4 come 2021? 2012 If we all do it, they won't have any choice but to switch."

    How's that working out for you my_way_or_the_highway folks?

    And do keep in mind that most of your users aren't techies. They just want things to work. And even a few of us that are techies think that (many) current trends in "web-design" seem pretty much off-the-rails.

    1. ecofeco Silver badge

      Re: The won't have a choice

      Website design has become a hot mess of bloated shite.

      And everyone involved shares the blame. But mostly marketing and devs.

  8. ecofeco Silver badge

    Legacy cheap skates.

    "Our customers are stuck on old software they cannot easily update."

    Yes they can, they just don't want to pay for it.

  9. j09t

    I have a CCTV system which I can only access with Safari or it's own software. Safari loads the CCTV in seconds and is very easy to use while it's own software takes ages to load and is over complicated and difficult to use. I'm not a techie but I do play around with things so I am quite savvy and use different browsers for different things, when something doesn't work properly I switch to another browser, I have removed Edge as I object to the way it was installed without my permission. Wouldn't it be nice if everything just worked on one (any) browser?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    IE6 ?

    Been a while since I could be arsed to check, but is there still a role for IE 6 ?

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