Why are you using an old browser?

As someone new to web design and programming I am failing to see adequate support for the argument that we should write code that is supported by old browsers. I know that we can overcome the faults of old browsers with polyfill and web shim libs but like why are people using old browser versions in the first place? Why not just prompt them to upgrade their browser upon visiting the site? OR why not just NOT support old browsers and try to build a social stigma around using deprecated browsers?

I know that it's not wise to push away customers due to their browser preference but theres a reason why horse and buggy is not allowed on the freeway in the fast lane you know what I mean? I feel like if we keep supporting old browsers we enable the old browser users to continue their terrible choices.

I'm sure that there are some obvious reasons that I'm not seeing and this post is an attempt to lure them out to widen my understanding of the subject. Please comment with any case that you see as evidence for supporting old browsers.

I see three major groups of people who need software for old browser generations.

Your boss or customer. They will dictate how the software should work. You can state your opinion and give them your advice, however ultimately, they have the last word. They might want to target a specific group of people you are not aware of, so they might request legacy support.
People who are not tech-savvy. Mostly older people. They bought a computer 10 years ago, and it is still working fine. They never understood what "update" means, because they can still use the computer for all their needs. Why investigate time into something which works? You wouldn't upgrade your drilling machine, would you? If you want to target these people, you cannot just prompt them to install a later version, because they might be lacking the know-how. This problem was already addressed by self-updating software (browsers, Windows 10, etc.), but it will take some more time until all the old computers and software have finally disappeared.
Business users. They usually have company-policies and default browsers which they are forced to use. Very often, IE11 is still standard. If you want to write enterprise software, then you have to write it in a way those people can use it, hence it has to run on whatever browser the company you work for uses. There is no room for discussion.

While you as a developer can always decide that your very own product only runs on a fully functional HTML5-enabled browser with WebGL, WebASM, etc. enabled, other people might chose differently because of reasons important to them. If they pay you, you better do your best to support their decision ;)

But I think it would be reasonable to expect anyone who is shopping via Amazon.com to be savvy enough to upgrade their browser, no?

Alex Harrison I wouldn't say so. Shopping is something they want to do. But updating the browser (or OS or anything else for that matter)? Why? They can use Amazon, and updates are troublesome. They take forever, you can't shop while its updating and you can use Amazon even if you don't update. Updates are a waste of time, just click them away and be done with it.

There are still people using Win XP and Win 7. Just go ask them why they don't upgrade to Win10. Try to argue with security features and important updates. You will find that most of them have no interest in that stuff and just want to do their thing in a familiar environment. Especially, the upgrade would cost money. Why pay when stuff works?

So, if you still want to reach such people, you better stay backward-compatible. If you don't, others will and make the money you could have made.

Hahahaha excellent points. I forget how people are sometimes. Thanks for reminding me

After reading the other answers...

Don't forget about the medical industry. Especially the billion dollar one called Telemedicine. Folks 60+ and older are still using Vista, can't leave their homes and need to have a video conference. This is why, whether current browsers love it or not, Flash is a necessity.

Also, X-Ray software that hasn't been updated for over a decade - and is needed to run antiquated devices - are running on Windows 98 PCs.

Unfortunately, we'll all be there. Running a quad-core i7 4ghz CPU, with 32 gigs of RAM and a 2 TB SSD in 20 years, may not allow you to update to the new version of Chrome - with Super-Duper's Vidirama GoWoah 2.6 - until the hardware is upgraded too. And, if at that point, you're living on social security... good luck with that one.

So, accessibility and backwards-compatibility is much more important than people give them credit for.

Also, don't forget about vendor prefixes. If I were to attempt predicting a "trend gone hog wild" - it will be the requirement of something like Modernizr to become native in the future, because Moore's law is basically explaining to us why we update 36 apps on our phones and wake up the next morning to update 48. Everyone loves to go their own route, without paying attention to how much of an incompatibility issue they're creating within the standards that will eventually evolve even more.

However, I'm a fan of the horse and buggy... and don't mind creating artwork on paper as well as socializing with my neighbors over a barbecue.

These are specific cases that definitely warrant backward compatibility. However, they are much too niche to justify dictating standard practice rules imo. I mean you're probably not doing your internet shopping or using social media apps with the same computer as you use to run your old x-ray machine. Also the specific crowd you mention is also quite niche and doesn't really fit into the realistic predictable user base for most industries that are designing an interface. These are definitely very interesting cases and ones that I was not familiar with so thank you for bringing them up.

Oh yeah, it's a niche, but a billion dollar one at that. Also, software - or web-based/in-house apps - have been made to fill a void sometimes. So, if it's general purpose, then my opinion is that, "In a year if your browser don't support CSS grids... sorry dude." lol

Then again, if you want to create an app that will run on an old system - for the seed you'd need to make it public - you may hit a nice 100k mark that helps fund the rest of the process, as well as being the only solution for other systems that depend on software that hasn't been updated in quite a while.

There's that "golden niche", ignored by every million dollar agency out there - like creating a website so you can get laid by the other girls in college. And, eventually that can become Facebook. ;)

Now, think "medical" and "education". Those are the big two in terms of smaller apps with a huge payday, and more dependent on old-school, outdated tech more than you'd think.

It can be many things. Here's what I can think of:

People who don't want to change their habits. "Why change my browser if this one is working fine?" This one is easy because you can still try to change their mind by showing them.
Companies that force their employees to only use "certified" browsers. Not sure about the exact reasons why, but it's there and you can't do much about it.
People around the world who are stuck with old devices which don't get updated anymore. Not everyone can afford the latest tech.

Yeah I suppose there probably are a pretty large number of companies that force their employees to use only certified browsers and browser versions.

Additionally, there may be some site that they use daily for work purposes that only functions properly in an old browser version. That is the case for many government websites. I have to input and change data on government servers daily, and their site only functions fully with internet explorer (for example).

It's probably just not worth it to them to have two browsers open, so they just keep the one open that works with the site they frequent. excellent point Dara.

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