Browser, device and screen compatibility
For browser support, aim for content and functionality to be unobstructed on browsers released within the last five years and have JavaScript enabled; this is represents virtually all users of the EMBL-EBI site (in excess of 99.9%).
As a guiding rule, test for compatibility on any browser or device that represents more than 2% of the usage of www.ebi.ac.uk.
On this page
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As intended by the CSS specification, not all browsers, devices, or users render content to look exactly the same. Our aim is to create an accessible and visually consistent design across a broad range of clients, not pixel-prefect designs. Further, we build atop the basic functionality, adding progressive-enhancement features to newer classes of browsers and devices.
Get help at A2-12
Looking for deeper insight into how your website performs and feels on real hardware? The Web Development team offers a range of equipment for syncronised testing in the main building at A2-12.
We're still growing the selection of equipment and currently have a range of Android, Mac, iOS and even a Windows Phone device to test on.
Drop by for a look or you can book a firm time.
Supported browsers
| Browser | Note | Traffic % |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | 61.80% | |
| Firefox | 15.16 | |
| Safari | 8, 9 account for less than 1% | 11.80 |
| Edge | 4.07 | |
| IE | 8, 9, 10 acount for less than 1% | 4.03 |
Data from 2018-11-15 to the same date on 2019.
Desktop, mobile, OS
It is also useful to know which types of devices are common:
- 58% Windows
- 21% Mac
- 9.4% Android
- 7.4% Linux
- 4.7% iOS
- <1% in total: Chrome OS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Samsung
Data from 2018-11-15 to the same date on 2019.
Mobile and tablet support
| OS | Traffic | Support level |
|---|---|---|
| Android 4.x | 43.5% | Primary support |
| Android 5.x | 20.4 | Primary support |
| iOS 9.x | 9.5 | Primary support |
| iOS 8.x | 8.1 | Primary support |
| Android 2.x | 3.1 | Best effort |
| Windows Phone | 2.8 | Best effort |
| Browser | Traffic | Support level |
|---|---|---|
| Safari | 40.1% | Primary support |
| Chrome | 30.7 | Primary support |
| Android | 9 | Primary support |
| IE 11 | 6.7 | Best effort |
| UC Browser | 5.1 | Best effort |
| Chrome iOS | 2.7 | Best effort |
Note on tablets: Currently all tablet devices are limited to best effort, as they represent less than 2.5% of traffic (currently at 1.8%).
Data from September 2015
Classifications
The mobile and tablet space is highly fragmented with reliable guarantees of support often hard to offer as device maker, browser, and OS version are each a variable in HTML/CSS rendering; With this in mind, there are three classes of mobile and tablet support:
Primary support These devices represent a greater than 5% share of mobile traffic and the Web Dev team posses these devices to test against. Testing will be performed proactively for each major release (qualified as 0.1 increment in versioning, or greater).
Best effort These devices represent a greater than 2.5% share of mobile traffic, and/or the Web Dev team does not have a device to test against. The Web Dev team will attempt to support these users but without physical devices to test against, cannot guarantee ongoing compatibility. Where available, simulator/emulator tools will be used to test against during each major release. Bug reports from users will be addressed, and documented in hopes of ensuring no degradation in future updates
Legacy Devices that represent less than 2.5% of mobile traffic and are on the decline month-over-month. The Web Dev team does not thoroughly test against physical or emulated devices, the team will address user bug reports will be addressed, attempting a fix where it does not adversely affect performance or Best effort/Primary support devices
Screen sizes
Height (aka: depth)
Said briefly: on desktop 60% of users can see content above the 670px line. 90% of users can see down to the 600px line without scrolling.
Width
Said briefly: on desktop 80% of users can see content 1275px across. 99% of users can see across 1000px without scrolling.
Data set comes from a sampling of users on the main www.EBI.ac.uk site. This should be reflective of general users.