The Quicklysign blog normally publishes content that’s intended for our users who use our service everyday. But I thought I would write this article not only for them but for the rest of you too. The person who gets a signing request from Quicklysign. The everyday web user.
Because we are a cloud based software application, the ability for you to have the absolute best possible experience on the web is vitally important to us. So we thought we would share some pointers about browsing the internet for this weeks Quick Tip Tuesday.
Updating your browser!
Everyone that accesses Web pages (websites / web applications) on a desktop computer uses a web browser. Without a web browser you cannot view or interact with websites.
The most common tasks people perform online in their browsers are shopping, social networking, emailing, reading, finding directions, banking, researching and of course signing documents electronically through Quicklysign. (sorry I had to add that in.)
Now you've probably done all of these things yourself at some point. You probably do these things every single week (maybe even every day). Updating your browser could make these experiences not just a little better but drastically improve your overall Web experience.
The most common browser on all PC’s is made by Microsoft, called “Internet Explorer”, also referred to as “IE”. You might recognise it by the big blue “e” icon on your desktop.
Here’s what it looks like:
The problem is that many people still don't know that this is not the only browser available. Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera have all been around for years and quite frankly are much better to use.
Over many years, Internet Explorer has been the most popular web browser. At one time it was arguably the best browser you could use. But unfortunately this is not the case anymore. Internet Explorer is currently at version 11. The major problem is that most people are not using IE11. Most people using Microsoft’s browser are still using a less stable, insecure, slow version of IE. Either IE9 or something even older. (If you are, you should be ashamed)
What’s Wrong With Old Browsers?
Well to put it bluntly, old browsers are less stable, and much more vulnerable to viruses, spyware, malware, and other security issues. So for people who shop online the security alone is a very good reason to upgrade. But there’s a few more things you need to take into account:
Old browsers are more likely to crash!
Old browsers do not perform these tasks with the same speed as new browsers. This makes your experience on the web considerably slower, and can sometimes cause your browser to crash or freeze. Not Ideal. We have all experienced this before and it can literally make you go crazy.
Old browsers cannot display many new websites!
The other problem that old browsers have is that their display capabilities are very limited. New browsers support new web technologies (like HTML5 and CSS3). These languages serve as a foundation for many websites, and for pretty much all new websites and cloud based web apps like Quicklysign. Unfortunately, many of these new websites will neither look nor function in the same way in old browsers like IE8.
This is why you are seeing more and more of these kind of notices on websites and applications these days, including Quicklysign.
Even though IE11 is a pretty huge improvement over previous versions of Internet Explorer, is not as up-to-date as other browsers. So if you’re still using an older version of Internet Explorer, we strongly recommend that you upgrade your IE browser to IE11 or move over to a different browser.
Here is how you upgrade IE:
New Browser Options
So lets have a look at some options you have for a new browser.
Please note that switching to one of these browsers is free, safe and won't take more than a couple of minutes.
In May 2012 Google Chrome (all versions combined) became the most popular browser in the world. We highly recommend Chrome to our users.
Firefox has been the main competitor to Internet Explorer since the mid-2000′s.
Compared to other browsers, Opera isn't used as much. However, Opera has always been at the forefront of browser innovation and supports many of the latest technologies and features that make websites faster and more feature-rich.
Safari’s features are very similar to Google’s Chrome, and has been around since 2003.
Why Are New Browsers Better?
Here are a few simple reasons:
Less crashing or freezing.
More secure from virus, malware, and browser hijacking attacks.
Much faster page-loading.
A large variety of useful optional plugins and add-ons that add extra features to improve Web browsing.
Regardless of the above mentioned benefits, there is one major benefit that outshines the rest.
Automatic Updating.
When you have a browser that’s kept up-to-date automatically, you get a number of important benefits in addition to those already mentioned.
You will hardly ever come across a website that says “your browser cannot view this website”.
All known security issues will be fixed automatically.
Every time your browser is upgraded, your browser becomes faster, which means quicker page loads.
Old browsers will not automatically notify you to update, so if you continue to use an old browser, your experience on the Web will become less secure and less enjoyable as the months and years go on.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to upgrade your old browser.
But the only real reason I write this is to help you not only to have the best experience on Quicklysign but the best browsing experience full stop.
So upgrade your browser and allow your experience on the internet to be safer, faster, and much more enjoyable.