Did you know: there's a browser compatibility issue

A few days ago I came across a poll posted on the web site of one of the major Israeli banks. The poll was asking: "what was your browser of choice". I'm not sure exactly where the poll was posted on their site. I got the link directing me to the poll, but I couldn't find it on their main page. I'm guessing that their goal is to decide whether supporting Firefox is a requirement. Today they support only Internet Explorer.

Can they infer the results from their site statistics? Of course not. People who use Firefox on a regular basis already know that it doesn't work there, so they use their site with IE.

Can they really get a good answer from that poll? In my opinion - no, they can't.

Let me ask you a question: what browser are you using? If you answered "Firefox", "Safari", "Opera", "Internet Explorer 7" or any of these, I think you're a minority. Most of the people would say: "I'm using a web browser". I'm saying that most people are not really aware that they have a choice. They install windows and use the browser they get. They don't wonder if they can get a better browser, from the same reason they don't wonder if they can get a better operating system.

From that reason, such people won't even bother taking the poll. Firefox serves the innovators and early adopters. It is also very popular among techies, which are innovators by definition. In my blog, for example, IE users are about 15% of the population. Chances are you're now using Firefox to read this post.

So, my point is, that most people don't know and don't care. It seems like browser compatibility issues are a hot topic. But it's really just a hot topic for those who care.

Comments

[Boris Freidberg]

Hi,
I like Safari.
I enjoy the Mac fonts style.
I can run it on PC.
But, I use IE because Safari has a problem with Hebrew sites.
I should say the sites has a problem with Safari, but for me site contexts more important then browser.
Create and test site it is not trivial issue (made hebrew dynamic sites page it's a real hell ).
Before your bank decide to spend many on multi browser support they want calculate benefit.
In general it's a Chicken-and-egg problem.