Browser Compatibility - What Problems Are You Witnessing In 2025?

 

One of my long standing work in Software Engineering is testing for Browser Compatibility.  But, is that a bigger problem as it was between 2000 to 2017? 

Today's browsers have to and adhere to the common guidelines and standards of W3C.  Likewise, the web development and artefacts [libraries, frameworks, language, etc.] used are expected to adhere the standards and guidelines.

In 2012, I layed out the evolving model of Test Architecture for Browser Compatibility.  The teams across Aditi Technologies did use this solution and it evolved gradually.  It is the 'go to' test solution and approach to test and automate for web application's browser compatibility, strategically.

Those were the days, where the browsers and web development did not adhere to standards and guidelines.  As a consequence, the web pages exhibited problems and unexpected [intermittent] behaviors on major browsers and its versions.

I understand and aware, that, the browser compatibility behavior can be a GUI difference to a functional blocker.  Further, it can expand to the web page's performance behavior to accessibility and security differences.  I have witnessed all this when testing for the web application and its browser compatibility, then.   

I cannot forget the versions of Internet Explorer crashing while another did not when using the web pages.  

Maybe, on reading this, you are thinking of me as an old tester.  Is it so?

2025 and Browser Compatibility

I'm curious to know and understand from you.  So, I ask this question to you.

Did you experience and report the browser compatibility behaviors recently?  If so, what is that?

Please do not share the project and tech details.  

Requesting you to share what behavior did you notice as part of the browser compatibility and which quality criteria of the web page is impacted.

I'm one ping away on Google Hangout and on an email.  Please do share!  This will help me to contribute back to the Software Engineering and Testing community.

Are We Not Innovating, Then?

 

This last Sunday, I met a friend.  In our conversation, he brought up a topic between him and his colleague.  

He said, there is no innovation happening in Software Engineering.  Instead, he see the apps development to cater business services to people.  That is, in other egineering industries there are innovation being done along with research and development.  But, he did not see anything happening in our Software Engineering and communities.

I asked him, "What makes you not to see the Hackathons [being projected] as an innovation initiative followed up with further research and development?"

He did not see the hackathons as a space for innovation.  His experience is, the organization hosts Hackathon for two or three days in a year.  

Further, he said, "We are asked to participate in the Hackathon and also to work on stories in parallel.  If the stories are not worked in these two or three days, it will be escalated.  And, the ideas and outcome of the hackathon are left as is.  Hardly one or two ideas are picked for a proof of concept work in the project."   

I feel, maybe, what he is saying make sense, as I have witnessed it.

Are We Not Innovating, Then?

I see, there are innovations happening in the Software Engineering.  But, these innovations are not something that common men can consume directly.  But, these innovations are consumed indirectly by the common men.

The innovations that I see and test are not B2C.  Sometimes, it is indirectly B2B via D2D.

Yes, D2D -- Developer to Developer.  I'm not sure if there exist a word Developer to Developer.  This is what I said to him -- D2D.  Maybe for this reason, the innovation and software engineering's problem solving and solutions do not come to the discussion and spotlight.

As an innovation byproduct in the software engineering, there are frameworks, libraries and artefacts developed by the developers of an org [and communities].  This is being consumed by the other organization's developers in their project.  As an outcome, there is a solution being built [using an innovation] and delivered by a business which is consumed by a common men.

Maintaining these frameworks, libraries and artefacts outside the payroll job time is a challenge for any developer.  But, some do it beating all the hurdles they experience.  There are challenges here when it comes to maintaining such projects by collaborating with software engineers from the communities.

Most of my research and development outcomes in the Test Engineering area are consumables of we developers and not the common men.  And, it is not known to all the  developers.  When I say developers, it includes, programmers, test engineers, DevOps and product teams.

To conclude here for now, might be the software project you are working on is also consuming an innovation that you are not aware of.  Talk to your programmers, test engineers and teams.