This service is an opportunity to inform your visitors unobtrusively to switch to a newer browser.
Many internet users are still using very old, out-dated browsers – most of them for no actual reason. Switching to an newer browser is better for them and for you as a webdesigner.
How it works
Include our small javascript notification on your website
Visitors with out-dated browser will be informed by a little, undisturbing bar, that his browser is not up-to-date and it is recommended to update. (Test the notification bar!)
Your browser (Internet Explorer 6) is out of date. It has known security flaws and may not display all features of this and other websites. Learn how to update your browser
If the visitor ignores the advice, it won't appear again for some time.
Advantages and features
Subtle
The user will be notified only once, and won't be bothered any more. The notification bar is very small and won't affect the browsing experience negatively.
Informative
Tell the users that they are using an out-dated browser and that your website looks even better with a newer one.
Idealistic
Help evolve the web! Support the standards-based web! Support Open Source software projects! Help your visitors! Help increase security awareness! Support your favorite webbrowser!
Low maintenance and up-to-date
If there come more browser versions which won't be supported by the vendor in the future, exhibit security gaps or have been very old for a long time we are going to add them to our list automatically.
Customizable
You can customize the browsers and versions to notify. In future releases you can also customize the text that should be shown, the frequency of the bar to appear and many other things.
Localized
The message is automatically displayed in the user's language.
Statistics work in progress
You get statistics about which browsers your visitors are using and how much users got proselyted: How many users updated or changed their browser through your advice.
Install notification on your site
Here you can get the code to include in your website. Just include it anywhere in the source of your page.
You can customize the style of the message, the text and other options.
Following browsers will be notified:
autoGoogle Chrome will automatically itself and is therefor always up to date.
Your Code
Why you should tell users to update
Reduced development costs and time
Optimizing websites for old browsers is time consuming and thus expensive.
Webdesign technologies and features
There are all these great new web development standards and they are supported by modern browsers... but you may not use them.
Newer browsers let you use more features and new technologies (CSS3, SVG, HTML5, RSS, CSS Generated Content, flexible Layouts) on your website, resulting in a better browsing experience for your users.
Security and benefits for the user
Numerous benefits: security, speed, features, ... Look at the update page. The security-threats of outdates browsers are listed in this paper.
The web has to evolve...
But that's only possible if the browsers also evolve. The strong market share of a 8 years old webbrowser (Internet Explorer 6) is something new in the history of the web. If we take no action now, we will have to code websites like in 2001 even if it is 2011.
Users don't oppose updating...
... they often just do not appreciate the need to update or the existence of the "webbrowser" as a software at all.
Help this project
Participate!
Include the notification code in your page to inform users about browser updates.
Spread the word!
Tell others about this initiative! In your blog, on your webpage, ...