My jQuery code doesn’t work in old IE browsers. Down to what version should I make my website compatible?
This is pretty much the same as What version of Internet Explorer (IE) should my web app support, but that one is from 2010 and I’d like to hear some new opinions.
Note: I intentionally did not mention the version of IE it’s working down to, since I’d like a common answer.
From my personal experience, I have found most home users use a modern browser (IE 9, Firefox, Chrome, Safari). Cooperate users are a very different story. They usually use custom, legacy software that prevents them from using newer browsers. There are also still quite a few people on Windows XP (around 40%). These are generally older users or lazy super users.
With that said, what audience is your code targeting? I understand that developers will be using it, but is this geared toward enterprises or more consumer-based sites?
All things considered, I would consider IE 6+ if you’re targeting corporations. Seeing as this is what jQuery officially supports, this is the most optimal solution. However, adding IE 6 (and IE 7) compatibility is easier said than done. Therefore, I personally recommend supporting IE 8+ (and Firefox/Chrome/Safari of course). If you want to help forcefully push users off of outdated (and probably vulnerable browsers), you could just leave the IE 8 bugs and say you only support HTML5/CSS3 browsers.