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.”

  • CannonFodder
    181·
    7 days ago

    Older browsers don’t support features that the pages are coded with. This could be security or just layout issues. It’s difficult to support older browsers, or just the volume of browsers x versions. So it’s reasonable to limit the test space. And it’s usually easy for users to upgrade.

    • FineCoatMummy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      I think you’re right, to a degree. But I’d argue it like this. Most of the time, those new web features enshittify and enbloatify everything and we’d all be better off without them. Most web page are stupidly bloated. Could be like 1% as big. They could provide the same info and be way less annoying. That would also make it trivial to support very old browsers.

      I make web sites for my friends and family. I don’t even use a builder! Just raw dog html/js/css. No prob to have videos, pictures, whatever they want there. They work on very old browsers, b/c they are lean and mean. Zero enshittification.

      Wasn’t there a guy recently who looked at a modern news site and figured out that the page was bigger than Windows 95? A single news page load, bigger than a whole ass OS from a few decades ago. If sites didn’t do shit like that, they could easily support super old browsers like, IDK… probably even Lynx.