Browser Compatibility

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What Does Browser Compatibility Mean?

Browser compatibility is the capability or flexibility of a website, web application, script or HTML design to function on different web browsers available in the market.

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The benefit of creating a website with browser computability is that it improves a website’s reach and cuts down on loss in performance. Browser compatibility also can be described as the potential of a web browser to efficiently display the HTML code and carry out the scripts on web pages.

Techopedia Explains Browser Compatibility

All web browsers must function as a translator. These browsers translate the text written using HTML format, and then show the content in a webpage. Every browser features its own abilities and mode of text translation, which is the root of the main differences between browsers. Even though a standard set of rules exists for scripting HTML code, the interpretation or translation contributes to most of the differences.

There are typically contrasts between various browser versions, as the newer versions usually have the ability to decode new HTML scripts far better than the older ones. New browser versions offer better display when compared to older versions. Even so, most online users assume it is the features as well as add-ons that build new versions, and they download it keeping that in mind. Therefore, for website developers and designers, it is always advisable to develop websites that support at least last three browser versions.

Besides the browser differences, another element that plays into browser compatibility is whether the online surfer is using a regular PC and whether the operating system is Windows, Mac or Linux. Mostly, the exact same browser may render the webpages slightly differently from all these platforms. Web developers should ensure that the website is compatible with each and every browser on all the varieties of operating systems.

The variations could also happen as a result of difference in the screen sizes and resolutions of the various computers, which also must be taken into account during website development.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.