Google Chrome vs. Firebox or good old Internet Explorer?

[Shlomi Fish]

On Sunday 20 Dec 2009 13:13:01 Uri Even-Chen wrote:
> On Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 8:28 AM, Dotan Cohen <dotancohen at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> I also have a problem with Bank Hapoalim on Firefox.  The numbers are
> >> switched, instead of "(1) דואר נכנס" I get "דואר נכנס )1(" (the number
> >> is on the right) and instead of "(25) סל מיחזור" I get "רוזחימ לס
> >> )52(" - I get 52 instead of 25.
> >
> > It sounds like they are using visual encoding, which makes them
> > idiots. You will find that leads to problems in IE, too, like
> > searching in the browser or copying text.
> 
> They save time and money by not checking browsers such as Google
> Chrome and Firefox. I worked once in a web developing company, and
> they told me their contract with the customer is that the website
> works with Internet Explorer only.  They told me not to check the
> website with Firefox!  They don't care, the customer doesn't pay for
> checking with Firefox and they don't check it at all.  Most web
> developing companies work like that.  Banks too, they hire web
> developers (sometimes outsourcing) and they pay them to make the site
> look fine with Internet Explorer.  They don't bother to check with
> Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox, although it's only about 10% more of
> the developing time.  They save money!

You're describing a situation that may have been "true" (and I'm putting 
"true" in quotes) a few years ago. But right now, you must be either very 
clueless or out-of-your-mind or both to not support Firefox and other more 
standards-compliant browsers. While it is true that MSIE still has an 80% 
market share (possibly less by now - it keeps losing it), as someone noted to 
me on IRC, this is the bottom 80% of the web surfers. By all means, you do 
wish to cater to the more clueful people who are using Firefox and other 
"alternative" browsers.

Furthermore, there are other factors:

1. Web designers who test their pages in Firefox and design according to web 
standards tend to be more clueful than their FrontPage weenies counterparts, 
and as a result produce better, more sustainable and safer code.

2. You are likely to lose customers who will refuse to switch to MSIE to 
browse your site, or have to handle many complaints from people that your web-
site does not work for them.

3. Your pages may easily break with newer versions of MSIE, which will require 
update.

4. There are other advantages:

http://www.shlomifish.org/philosophy/by-others/mashhoor--10-reasons--
hebrew.html

(short URL - http://xrl.us/bgpzhg )

-------------

So they are not saving money in the long run or even not in the short run.

Regards,

	Shlomi Fish

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Shlomi Fish       http://www.shlomifish.org/
"Humanity" - Parody of Modern Life - http://shlom.in/humanity

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