cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/47871545
🌐 Many companies now block older browser versions from accessing their websites!
This follows many browser makers ending updates 4 older operating systems, leaving legacy devices unable to use web services without an OS upgrade.
This kinda reminds me of the Java website block by browsers a few years ago, just in reverse. (Revenge? ;)
Old Android versions are also increasingly blocked from accessing the Google appstore.
Truly about security or perhaps Planned Obsolescence?
Update: “old devices can only use old os > old os can only use old browser > old browser cannot use web> poor uneducated people = screwed once again!”
“Only suggesting corporate browsers, kinda like an ad.”
Dev here, there are actual reasons to do this beyond control. It’s a small percentage of the overall population of users who require old browsers. Financially not worth the dev time, and most especially maintenance time for fallback behaviors. Over time there are upgrades and new features added to the browser and to the rendering engines that make our lives much easier or add much desired functionality for users. Users on old browsers may not have these and bringing that functionality is either impossible or cost far exceeds that which is pulled in from the the few.
Yes that is true, however a warning “use at your own risk” would suffice rather than “you can not use the web anymore, upgrade to a major corp browser to use”
It’s not that, though. It’s ‘use the current version of the browser you’re already using’. Unless you’re on, like, original edge, or Netscape Navigator, or smth else crazy. Sorry to say, but purposefully using a very put of date browser is a stupid idea in most cases.