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6 months ago I was seeing a good 'stand-up and take notice' 8-9% of visitors were coming in via Netscape 4, but this has plummeted to a much less notable 3% in that short time.
What will the percentage have to fall to in order to stop you worrying about NN4 when you start a project and, more importantly, how long do you think we'll have to wait?
Although I gripe about coding for NN, it has forced me to be more precise and less sloppy with coding.
(edited by: joshie76 at 4:48 pm (utc) on Mar. 7, 2002)
Browser Version Hits Percent Sessions
---------------------------------
Netscape 4.x 156,524 81.65% 3,268
Netscape 5.x 33,684 17.57% 504
Netscape 3.x 1,344 0.7% 67
Netscape Ukn 20 0.01% 17
Netscape 6.x 4 0% 4
Netscape 2.x 71 0.03% 2
Netscape 9.x 49 0.02% 1
Lots of libraries and schools, and lots of the NN4 is on Mac. Now I'm thinking that reports of NN4's death may be premature.
(edited by: tedster at 5:22 pm (utc) on Mar. 7, 2002)
Schools and institutions of the like are usually 'lagards' with this kind of thing though, I'm told, once one goes it's like watching dominoes. Lets hope so eh?
No, but it was a kickm in the butt for me, because I'm pretty routinely not developing for Netscape 4 any more. Now I know that I must continue to check for "graceful degradation" at a minimum.
And it is amazing how poorly some code renders in Netscape 4. Some DOM stuff even freaks out the graphic card.
Netscape on the Mac was the worst offender with DOM and layout in general.
Personally, I would be thrilled to see schools adopt the Opera browser en masse! Opera would be an excellent learning tool. With its strict interpretion of HTML elements (none of the "forgiving browser cr*p), it would be an ideal platform to teach clean coding methods.
I deal with several colleges, one in particular has NN4.5 as their computer lab browser. This is used in the courses teaching HTML - what is really sad, is that the students are learning nothing about Web Standards, Accessilblity or CSS in these classes. I know because I tutor several of the students who wish to gain a more "contemporary" instruction.
What really surpises me most is that schools have not picked up on Web Accessibility coding. That is something that I still find hard to believe. Are they that dense? Or just too lazy?
I am certain (at least I really hope so!) that some schools have in fact begun offering HTML courses aimed at achieving Web Standards. I would hate to see students pay $$ thousand dollars a year to only learn to deprecated font tags and propriety coding.
<blink> anyone?
I agree. Overall, Netscape accounts for almost 15% of browser hits to my site. This is a pretty average figure and not much of a change from the previous year.
What surprises me is that Netscape users are not the type that like to upgrade their browser (they don't even like the suggestion). I get hate mail when my pages don't render well in a Netscape browser.
Netscape Navigator 14.82%
0.05% Netscape 4.0
0.07% Netscape 4.06
0.90% Netscape 4.08
0.66% Netscape 4.5
0.54% Netscape 4.51
0.20% Netscape 4.6
1.67% Netscape 4.61
1.50% Netscape 4.7
1.24% Netscape 4.72
1.02% Netscape 4.73
0.18% Netscape 4.74
1.70% Netscape 4.75
0.81% Netscape 4.76
2.36% Netscape 4.77
0.20% Netscape 4.78
0.57% Netscape 4.79
0.23% Netscape 6/6.0
0.45% Netscape 6/6.1
0.47% Netscape 6/6.2
And, to that I respond <marquee>! LOL
I actually quit using Netscape a while ago, except as an always-running-in-the-background-with-necessary-links-in-the-personal-toolbar interface to my company's website administration functions.
For a while, I actually used IE, until Opera came out with a "finished enough to be fully usable" version for Mac.
*sigh* So now I'm stuck once again finding large numbers of sites that don't work properly in my browser. But now it's due to sloppy browser-sniffing, not sloppy or IE-only HTML...
Communicator versions 4.7x contain Navigator veesion 4.08 along with Messnger, Composer, etc.
What is up with the term "browser" anyway?
Everyone on the 'net wants speed, speed and more speed.
Surfing? Nope, just browsing...
DG
I would be thrilled to see schools adopt the Opera browser en masse!
I think Opera's got a big obstacle with this kind of thing: the free version comes with the advert window. I know people are going to see plenty of adverts whatever web page they visit anyway but it's almost like 'endorsing' them. Additionally it must take a little extra bandwidth from the network - not a problem when you're at home on your own but 100's of installs each requesting adverts can add up. I would imagine that corporate IT depts would probably feel the same about installing Opera en masse.
Has anybody seen any evidence of such objections?
There are always going to be a few nn4's around as people are locked into that &!^@% email client and refuse to use netscape 6.
Still gives IE the 'edge' as it's free. Maybe Opera should consider giving free licences to Educational Institutions, it could prove a great base market to get things really going.
both
by and large anyone any good in this field is out there making money, not teaching on a fraction of the salary
Just imagine if Opera took the initiative and actively approached schools with "teach Web Standards with THE Web Standards compliant browser," pitch and offered "AD FREE" versions at no cost to schools teaching Web Standards, that could be worth more than virtually any advertising campaign!
With anti-MS/anti-propriety sentiment high on most campuses as it is - well, it wouldn't take much to position Opera as the "champion of browsers" and really catch the public's attention. Think of the PR (the other type!) The fire would be H.O.T. !!!
