Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

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Is this PushupTheWeb.com a good idea?

Yes!
4
44%
No!
4
44%
Other (state in a post)
1
11%
 
Total votes: 9

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JellyFish
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Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by JellyFish »

Today I found this site called http://www.pushuptheweb.com/. I think that this is a good idea IMO. I wonder if it will go. What do you think about this concept? Do you think this is a good or bad idea?

I like this idea because I've had a similar solution in mind when it came to browser inconsistencies (not that this is a solution, but it could be). One major problem with the advancement in browser technology is one, leading browser's lack of force behind the user to upgrade their browser to the latest version, from my observation.

Quick thought, what would happen if every website today refused IE6 as a web browser and commanded the user to upgrade to IE7(or latest version of IE); or if the user is running an older version of Windows, say 98, then recommend Firefox 2? What could happen is users would need to go out of there way to hack that system if they love IE6 so much, or go less out of there way to upgrade their web browser. :D

I'd like to hear your thoughts(Yeah, reading minds would be cool).
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Chalks
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by Chalks »

almost a good idea. If the popup had a "close popup" or "don't show me this again" button on it, I would consider using it. A "remind in 6 hours" button isn't good enough for me.
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omniuni
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by omniuni »

IE7 can also be a nightmare, so I would rather it show a FF/Opera/Safari button when any IE user visits.
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ghurtado
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by ghurtado »

It's very wishful thinking to assume you can make a user switch browsers by simply showing them a link to a download page. For the average user, this is a big investment of time and patience, not to mention the millions that simply can't do it because they dont have administrative access (such as corporate users).

There is a reason why websites with links like these "smell like the 90s". It is because once webmasters realized they were shooting themselves in the foot, they stopped doing it.
webkid
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by webkid »

ghurtado wrote:There is a reason why websites with links like these "smell like the 90s". It is because once webmasters realized they were shooting themselves in the foot, they stopped doing it.
This hasn't been done in the 90's, people started using IE6 at that time. Now companies like Apple and 37signals are talking about dropping support for IE6. It's time to move on and clean up the web. This will definitely help. It will probably even fly with corporations because of the reminder. The impact this can have depends on how many sites start using this before we pass a certain threshold.

Imagine what something like this with multi-language would do if plugged into Apple.com, we could drop support for IE6 by the end of this year instead of waiting 4 more years. Great initiative.
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ghurtado
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by ghurtado »

webkid wrote: This hasn't been done in the 90's, people started using IE6 at that time.
Given that IE6 was released in 2001 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_E ... #Version_6 ), that's pretty much impossible.

If you were on the web in the mid to late 90's, you would remember thousands of sites with "best viewed with" buttons on them linking to respective browser download pages. Same exact concept, (very slightly) different execution.
webkid
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by webkid »

You know what I mean. This idea is not a 'best viewed with' button, those failed for other reasons. This is a much larger effort with a good execution, I don't see the point in complaining about it, I would welcome more efforts like this.
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jayshields
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by jayshields »

The same types of update notifications get published on the client side anyway. If people choose to ignore update notifications from the software itself I reckon there's 0 chance a user would then choose to follow a download link from some website.

It's not a bad idea, it's just not worthwhile - especially if you want to use the top right corner of your website for something else.
webkid
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by webkid »

jayshields wrote:The same types of update notifications get published on the client side anyway.
A lot of older browsers this project targets don't have an update notification.
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ghurtado
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by ghurtado »

webkid wrote: A lot of older browsers this project targets don't have an update notification.
If this project targets older browsers like you claim, then it is already doomed from the start, since even in the best case scenario only a tiny percentage of users would be encouraged to upgrade.
matthewcl375
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by matthewcl375 »

I think it's a good idea but there's one problem - the inexperienced users who prefer sticking with what works for them. They may not ever consider another browser but i think this is still a good idea.
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jayshields
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by jayshields »

webkid wrote:
jayshields wrote:The same types of update notifications get published on the client side anyway.
A lot of older browsers this project targets don't have an update notification.
Ok, you're probably right, but can you give an example?
webkid
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by webkid »

ghurtado wrote:If this project targets older browsers like you claim, then it is already doomed from the start, since even in the best case scenario only a tiny percentage of users would be encouraged to upgrade.
Targetting older browsers is the whole idea, have you looked at the site? I don't think we can predict anything at this point. The outcome depends by who and by how many this thing will be used. If this gets rolling it could do some serious damage.

The UI looks pretty convincing, people might even mistake it for something that came from the browser itself. Not sure if everyone would prefer that, but if you don't like it you could always change some css around.
jayshields wrote:
webkid wrote:
jayshields wrote:The same types of update notifications get published on the client side anyway.
A lot of older browsers this project targets don't have an update notification.
Ok, you're probably right, but can you give an example?
IE6 and before that, Safari 2, old Opera. Google if you need more. The sooner we can move away from those, the better.
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ghurtado
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by ghurtado »

[quote=webkid]
The UI looks pretty convincing, people might even mistake it for something that came from the browser itself.
[/quote]
It's a horrible idea to trick visitors to your website into thinking their browser is asking them to upgrade when in reality it is just you, and a sure way to lose traffic and respect. Have you never seen those deceitful banner ads that scream "VIRUS DETECTED!"? Do you also think *that* was a good idea? There is a reason why they died out and respectable ad networks won't even accept them any more. Can you guess why?

This sort of campaign only benefits web developers (do you seriously think the average web user cares whether Firefox or Internet Exporer is more standards compliant?), so do not expect to see it in any major sites any time soon (ie: ever), at least not the ones whose webmasters have basic common sense or are "old" enough to remember the nineties.
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Chalks
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Re: Is this a good Idea: Pushing Up the Web?

Post by Chalks »

ghurtado wrote:This sort of campaign only benefits web developers
That's not actually true. Having more recent browsers is definitely desirable for all parties involved. I'm willing to bet money that FF3 and IE7 are both more secure and safe than IE6 is. If you're concerned that the visitors to your site may be at risk, giving them a way to mitigate that risk is certainly a good thing. Furthermore, I'm positive I've seen major websites recommend a particular browser via a "site works best with: [browser name]" (though I unfortunately can't find an example right now).
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