Google to cut out support for older browsers
Submitted by Dipankar Roy on June 4, 2011 - 2:12pm
The move will affect browsers like Mozilla’s Firefox 3.5, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), Apple’s Safari 3 and Google’s Chrome 9, which are unable to support new technologies.
In the company blog, head of Google’s enterprise engineering team Venkat Panchapakesan stated, "Beginning August 1, we'll support the current and prior major release of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari on a rolling basis."
"Each time a new version is released, we'll begin supporting the update and stop supporting the third-oldest version."
From the month of August, users who are still using older browsers may experience difficulties with certain features in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Docs and Google Sites, which may finally stop working.
However, the statement had no mention of Opera browser, which prompted many users of the browser to post comments.
Company to focus on new technologies
Panchapakesan said, "For Web applications to spring even farther ahead of traditional software, our teams need to make use of new capabilities available in modern browsers."
"Older browsers just don't have the chops to provide you with the same high-quality experience."
Panchapakesan added, "These new browsers are more than just a modern convenience, they are a necessity for what the future holds."
According to reports, Google, like Apple, is shifting its focus to HTML5 and the company even published a book to help people understand the technology.
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, at 'All Things Digital' conference confirmed that "eventually most development will be HTML5, but eventually is many years from now."
Companies to upgrade their browsers
According to Net Applications, older browsers holds less than 9 percent of the market, where IE7 holds 7 percent whereas Firefox3.5 has 1.4 percent of the market.
Mozilla had success with many users opting for a newer version after it launched a campaign to force the upgrade.
Microsoft, however, is still facing difficulties in upgrading its browser as many companies are still willing to stay with the older IE version.
Reports suggest that majority of older versions' users are from the Asian continent with 34 percent of Chinese net users still on IE6.
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