Internet Explorer used to dominate the browser market, particularly because it is packaged with the Windows application. Right now, though, the Internet landscape could not be more different. Users typically have several competing browsers installed on their computers. It is common to have different browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome all in one computer. With the diversity of choices, it is not surprising that the market has become more competitive.

Yet, the goal is to make browsing experience uniform for all users, regardless of their browsers. It is simply inconvenient for users to shift their Internet habits from one browser to another no matter how tech-savvy they are. This goal has become a common problem for web application developers. If a certain application is designed only for Internet Explorer, for example, then the developer is ignoring a major segment of the browsing market.

For a social media web application, the difficulty is further compounded by the fact that the developer doesn’t need to support only their direct customers, they also need to ensure that the people with whom they want to communicate are supported. While developing programs that can be supported by various browsers is ideal, most web application developers are concerned about the expense. So, it all comes down to their priorities. Industry reports show the following statistics in terms of how web developers allocate their resources:

•    Mozilla Firefox – 44.2%
•    Internet Explorer – 26.6%
•    Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) – 20%
•    Google Chrome – 3.1%
•    Safari – 2.7%
•    Opera – 2.3%

This information shows that there are many browsers from which you can choose. But the key is to focus on a few such as Firefox and Internet Explorer. Google Chrome, while showing high potential, is still new. The application can be developed at a later date.

Aside from the browser market, the mobile market is also notable. Ever since the iPhone was launched, web application developers have been trying to support this medium. It can be expected that the most popular web applications on the Internet today can be used on your mobile phone soon.

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