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Judging by some recent emails, a lot of you out there may need to update your browsers. It’s a simple fix that could solve a lot of the problems you’re have surfing the web. If you aren’t having problems, you may be surprised to see that a simple update can make webpages more beautiful and give you new functions you never saw on some of your favorite sites!
The tricky part in web design is that most websites are built for the most up-to-date versions of web browsers. As your version ages, more and more features will be in-compatible or in the end not even visible to you. It is free to update any browser, and only takes a few minutes. Plus in the long run it’s generally safer as newer versions tend to fix security flaws of their older counterparts.
How to find your browser version:
The current Mozilla Firefox is on version 13.0.1, but the main thing you’re looking for is Firefox is up to date. To find out what version you have, go to the orange drop down box at the top left. Then go to “Help”, and scroll down and click on “About Firefox”. You’ll be able to see the version number under the big Firefox logo. If yours is not the most recent version, there will be an option for you to update it. Check out Mozilla Firefox available for download.
For Google Chrome, the latest version is 19.0.1084.56, but again the main thing you are looking for is Google Chrome is up to date (19.0.1084.56). To find it, click on the wrench at the top right and click on “About Google Chrome”.
Another popular one is Internet Explorer, which is currently on 9.08112.16421 (seriously…). This one is also simple to find, just click the gear on the top right side, and at the bottom of the window is “About Internet Explorer”. There it will tell you the version number and if it is up to date or not.
And for those of you who use Safari, the latest version is 5.1.7, and like before you’ll click on About Safari to find your version number.
These browser updates are your friend! It will help speed things up and allow you to see content and use features that otherwise might be causing you some issues.
One More Update
Okay I know I said you only needed one thing, but there is something else that is free that you should also keep updated. Head over to Java.com and make sure that you have the current version of Java (a computer language) on your computer. This is used by all the coupon printing sites, as well as runs a number of features on Southern Savers. Really it is the programming code of choice right now… so just trust me and make sure you are updated!
Tip: Did you know that very few web professionals use Internet Explorer? Try out another browser if you haven’t and you may be surprised at how webpages can look so different in more “design friendly” browsers!