Browsers are a very important part of everyone’s life. It’s how you browse the Internet and is likely one of the most used programs on your computer. Therefore, programming for different browsers and ensuring a website shows up properly across all modern browsers is very important, but you have to know what’s most popular first. Here’s a snapshot of global statistics of what browsers the world is using from Stat Counter:
You’ll notice that, while Internet Explorer is still on the top, it’s gradually falling in usage, while Chrome is rising rapidly and catching up with Firefox. If you look at individual browser versions though, it provides an even more in-depth snapshot: (this data is from the last three months)
As you can see, individual Chrome versions are rapidly blowing up in popularity. Keep in mind that your individual site statistics will vary widely depending on your demographic. If you have a very aesthetic and fast-centric target market, you’re going to see more Chrome and Firefox users. However, if you have a more traditional user base, it’s likely that you will see more IE and Opera users.
As a user, an easy way to ensure that websites always show up properly for you is to constantly update your browser. Google is releasing a new Chrome version every 6 weeks and Firefox is moving to a rapid-release movement as well.