Why You Should Still Test and Optimize Your Website for Internet Explorer

When it comes to testing websites, many developers and QA engineers often overlook Internet Explorer (IE) due to its low market share. However, IE still holds significant brand recognition and has a dedicated user base, making it essential to test and optimize your web applications for this browser.

One of the primary challenges faced by QA engineers using macOS to test websites on IE is that they cannot install IE as a standalone application on their devices. Earlier, the only way to test websites on IE was by using virtual machines with a Windows environment or downloading the Internet Explorer emulator on Mac.

Despite its low market share of 1.08% in the desktop browsing space, IE still has a loyal user base, particularly among older individuals who have used it for over a decade. Moreover, choosing not to optimize your website for IE can lead to loss of revenue and traffic from such customers.

In fact, Microsoft itself recommended that users migrate to more recent web browsing technologies like Apple's Safari. However, the company still provides an archived version of Internet Explorer download, which is available on their website but only works on Mac OS X 10.6 and earlier versions due to the discontinuation of Rosetta.

The browser was not included in the default installation of Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger', which was released in 2005. Microsoft stopped releasing updates for Internet Explorer for Mac in 2003, and the final version was released on July 11 of that year.

In conclusion, while Internet Explorer may no longer be the dominant browser it once was, it is still essential to test and optimize your website for this browser to provide a seamless surfing experience for IE users. By doing so, you can establish brand credibility and offer a more browser-agnostic experience, ultimately leading to increased revenue and traffic from customers who use IE.

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