Dec 9 2011
According to worldwide StatCounter statistics, Google’s Chrome Browser has just slipped above Firefox to become the 2nd most used internet browser. Despite being the youngest browser in the game, Chrome quickly became a favorite among web and design professionals. It’s fast, it’s light, it gets out of your way. And now it’s #2 in the world. Not bad for a 3 year old.
I use Chrome exclusively, along with several of my office mates. But I don’t discriminate! Safari and Firefox are excellent browsers, and Internet Explorer 8 and 9 have made HUGE strides in functionality and speed. But a handful of surfers, about 3% worldwide, are still lashed to IE 6. A browser that is so behind in functionality and so difficult (and expensive) to build websites for that Microsoft apologized for it, and Google dropped support. But for most of those 3%, IE6 is not a choice. Internal software built especially for IE6 and adopted by large companies during The Dark Times (the late 90s) means that employees often have no other option.
[Cue uplifting music]
That is, until Google Chrome released Chrome Frame, a plugin for IE browsers that allows it to mimic the functionality of Chrome for newer websites without losing legacy support for older ones. It’s pretty amazing. And as of recently you don’t even have to bribe your system administrator to install it for you! Once done, any website that includes this little meta tag: <meta content='chrome=1' http-equiv='X-UA-Compatible' />, will attempt to render using Chrome Frame in all its modern, cutting edge glory. And we include it in ALL new websites.
Morrison is a hybrid marketing communications firm whose expertise is in helping clients market to intelligent audiences in complex marketplaces. Everything we do is driven to make sales happen. We call ourselves “Sales Acceleration Marketers.”