**Why is cross browser testing necessary?**
With the increase in mobile and tablet usage, it is getting more and more important for Web Developers to perform cross browser testing. As little as two years ago, Internet Explorer had the majority share of the worldwide market; with almost 50% of internet users choosing a version of their browser.
As you can see from the table below, that has changed with more and more users choosing alternative options.
Your website should look the same whatever browser your visitors use to view your site. Developers work hard to make sure that this is the case. The use of individual Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to target specific versions of a browser is the preferred development option.
Stats
**Browser****UK Usage Dec 2012*****Worldwide Usage Dec 2012*****Worldwide Usage from Dec 2010***Chrome33%36.42%14.85%Internet Explorer (IE total)32.31%30.78%46.94% IE 10 0.85% N/A N/A IE 9 21.10% 17.5% N/A IE 8 9.31% 11.48% 29.55% IE 7 0.85% 0.79% 11.22% IE 6 N/A N/A 5.79% Other IE 0.20 1.01% 2.54%Firefox17.7421.89%30.76%Safari14.597.92%4.79%Opera0.63%1.26%2.07%Other1.73%1.73%0.59%*Stats taken from (link: http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-201012-201012-bar text: www.statcounter.com)
**Stopping support**
The question of when to drop support for specific browsers is always an interesting talking point for developers and website owners alike.
For example looking at the table above with the use of IE7 less than 1%, does your Web Developer stop support?
The best advice is to check your specific website statistics and see what percentages of your users are using different browsers and make the decision that right for you. The more people that have a good browsing experience on your website means the more people likely to purchase your product or service.