The importance of keeping your browser up to date

In the Internet world your browser is the key to accessing everything. Several browsers for the most part do the same job, displaying websites and search engines, but they process them differently (viewing a website on older versions of Internet Explorer may be different than on Firefox for example).

There have long been web standards and guidelines to be followed but different browsers historically have interpreted these standards differently. These standards are created by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) to try keep everybody on the same track. The standards evolve with the web so every browser should have to follow these standards with each new browser version.

Keeping your browser up to date assures that you will access the latest evolution, security, and functionality of these Internet standards.

Here are some good reasons why you should always have the latest version of your browser:

• - Navigation: With an old browser you may not see websites correctly. You could experience broken navigation or missing elements.
• - Functionality: You will not access the latest innovative technologies like HTML5 or CSS3, which bring new features and visual effects.
• - Standards: Having an old browser means not respecting the new standards and conventions from the W3C.
• - Security: Some browsers can experience security flaws that make them vulnerable and let compromised web sites access your data on your computer. Updating means browsing safely.
• - Add-ons: The latest browsers provide add-ons that you can install to enhance your web experience. From tools to themes you can now customize almost everything.
• - And mostly it's free and takes five minutes to upgrade.

Some old browsers are shunned by the web design community for being too out of date and non-standards compliant. Internet Explorer 6 has even had a mock funeral. Unfortunately Microsoft doesn't force its customers to upgrade to the latest version of browser and makes them face security and speed issues.

We recommend that you keep your browser up to date; it’ll make your browsing experience much better. Most common browsers update their code regularly but not all of these updates are automatically installed on your computer; you often have to check yourself or choose to automatically upgrade.

For the optimal web experience, we recommend the following browsers:

• Firefox => http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new
• Chrome => https://www.google.com/chrome
• Internet Explorer 9 => http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/internet-explorer/products/ie/home

Happy Browsing!