The way we build websites has changed significantly over the last couple years. I won’t go into the techie details here, but one of the things that affect the way a web page displays on your browser is the type and version of browser you have. Much to a web developer’s dismay, most people out there are using Internet Explorer, and some (you probably DON’T know who you are) are using IE 6. The “6″ is the version of Internet Explorer browser on your computer. IE7 has been out for quite awhile, and now IE8 has just come out.
Why does it matter? IE6 was a version from BEFORE that significant shift I mentioned in the way we build websites. It does not do a particularly good job interpreting something called CSS (cascading style sheets) which means if you still are using IE version 6 you are noticing increasingly that things don’t look right on a page. Maybe the menu shifts, maybe the text runs over pictures, or wraps much further down the page. Or maybe the structure breaks completely apart.
If you are seeing the Subscribe box on my blog as appearing down at the bottom of my pages rather than over the green strip to the right, then you are very likely using IE6. It’s time to at least upgrade to IE7, and if you’re really brave go for IE8. A big plus of IE8 is that it has a little icon that you click to better display websites written for older versions.
Now, my real suggestion is to use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer – I think it does a much better display of web pages. If you want to switch to the Firefox browser, click on the below and download, then follow instructions when you open/run it.
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/products/download.html
One of the questions you’ll be asked when upgrading your browser is to choose an operating system. To determine your operating system: Click on the start command – that green button on the lower left of your screen. Then click on the run option – probably the last item in the second column. In the popup box, type winver and then click ok.
If you do not see your operating system as one of the options on the following download pages, it means your operating system is not going to run this version of the browser….sorry!
Here is the link to download IE7 – it will walk you through how to install after you download it.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx
Here is the link if you want to get the latest – IE8 (if you’re not an experienced user, start with IE7 for now.)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=79154fb4-c610-4a1e-811d-dfe0f1dd84d1
Better display of web pages will enhance you online experience, so here’s a plea from a developer – it’s time to dump IE6!!
Gloria
