Marginal support for BBC browser (and why BBC they can not use jQuery)

Question

The BBC has just released its JavaScript library, Glow . They rolled back because the main libraries do not support older browsers.

I am wondering if I should spend time studying the library. Other major institutions have similar laws and regulations governing them that prevent them from using major libraries such as jQuery?

Answer 1

The BBC’s primary responsibility is not to make money; instead, it should serve a licensed payer. To reach the widest audience, they must support those old browsers. There are a large number of people in this world who cannot be bothered, or even don’t know, how to update their web browsers from IE 5.old or something else that they are using now. The BBC cannot simply say “too bad for you” to these people, although private broadcasters can.

(Disclaimer: I am from the United States, so this is mainly an assumption based on what I learned about the BBC from other sources, such as Wikipedia. Please correct me in the comments if I am wrong or mercilessly mercilessly me. Either working.)

Answer 2

Browser statistics suggest that this will be a waste of time. On my own website with relatively high traffic, older browsers (1st generation firefox, netscape 5 or less, MSIE 5 or less) recorded 40,000 hits out of 8.3 million, or 0.5%, last month.

It also seems to me that any organization that limits you to some kind of ancient browser may be the same, which limits you to viewing the BBC. None of the companies I work with at work have limitations for older browsers, and we have a couple of hundred clients from small to 500.

Thank God - I can’t imagine how to try to get our application to work in older browsers.

Answer 3

A license is one of the most important things when considering a library. If it’s the GPL, it won’t get into the product that will eventually be sold. But JavaScript libraries like jQuery often have more liberal licenses - jQuery is both the GPL and MIT, so you can choose the one you need. Equally important is browser compatibility. When it comes to website presentation, you need to support your customers' browsers. Without them you cannot earn.

What I would like to know is: are they serious? jQuery et al. support such a huge percentage of browsers. Forgetting those 7 people who are still using IE5.5 or Safari 1.3 is good. They are not enough to receive sufficient income to support those old browsers.

Answer 4

Why don't we just close our eyes to old browsers and look forward to it?

Seriously, if we continue to give people the opportunity not to update, they will never be updated. This is becoming an ethical issue rather than an ordinary one. As a developer, you don’t have to worry about whether you help by letting your users consolate little with their suffering in older browsers, or by offering to update them. In my opinion, the previous cost is less. So save "business and money from the masses" to talk later.

Even Microsoft ignored its own browser (IE6) when developing parts of its new product.

Obviously, the BBC here in the UK is very similar to people who preach change, but at the same time do not allow people to change.

Enough with this compatibility and talking money !. Climb up to something neat or get lost!

PS. IE6 lost 20% of its audience for firefox last month!