So your PC or website has flagged up that you are using an out of date web browser and you’re wondering whether to upgrade it or not!

In a nutshell it is always advisable to update or upgrade any piece of software you have as this will generally fix known bugs, security issues and improve performance upon each update.

Why update a web browser?

When it comes to web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome, we (FIJ Design) strongly recommend upgrading whenever an upgrade is released. Our reason for this is due to how fast technology moves forward especially with regards to the online platform. There has been continuous leaps in security improvements, usability friendliness and performance in all web browsers and this looks set to continue for some years to come.

The Web 2.0 movement is one area that is driving this process forward with an emphasis on websites using coded graphical elements rather than being image based. This helps speed up the users entire web experience as download times are reduced and bandwidth is saved without losing graphical details. CSS 2 and HTML 5 will soon be common standards as old development methods are phased out.

How will you be affected if you do not upgrade your web browser?

What this means is that some websites will not display correctly (unless they have been specifically designed to be backward compatible). More importantly your computer will be left vulnerable to security risks and hackers, which is a major issue considering how long the average user spends online. You will also have a slower user experience and lets face it we all pretty much want things instant these days!

Having trouble upgrading you web browser?

If you’re unable to update your browser to the latest one due to your operating system being too old, then this is a clear indicator that you should be concerned about security issues as a whole and be considering updating your entire machine if you can afford to do so.

If you’re machine is doing “weird” things like not accessing things like Windows Updates then this could be a sign that you already have security issues such as Virus’s and Trojans where it is common for these to block the updates in order to continue to spread, etc. If this is the case don’t despair, a suitable IT professional will be able to rectify the situation. FIJ Design has an IT Team that assist our clients, if you need any assistance feel free to contact us 020 8894 2373.