IE 9/10 (And Old Android Browsers) Support Ending in DevExtreme - v18.1

In the next major release of DevExpress (v18.1), we are dropping support for Internet Explorer (IE) 9 and 10 in DevExtreme and dependent products. The following subset of products will be affected:

• DevExtreme
• XAF Web & Mobile
• The following ASP.NET controls and their MVC extensions (these controls are built with DevExtreme):
  • ASPxQueryBuilder
  • ASPxWebDocumentViewer
  • ASPxReportDesigner
  • ASPxDashboard
  • ASPxDashboardViewer

We actually wanted to drop support in 2017 but we know that there is a small subset of our customers who are still using and still need IE 9/10. This is also why we've been prolonging our support for IE9/10 in other ASP.NET controls for a while

In a few months when v18.1 is released, DevExtreme controls (client-side and MVC) will no longer support IE 9/10. I recommend upgrading to the latest versions of IE, however, Microsoft recommends that you switch to Microsoft Edge. Of course, there's plenty of other great browers available like Chrome, FireFox, etc.

Microsoft no longer supports IE9 and IE10

Microsoft has stopped supporting IE9 and IE10 since January 12, 2016. It officially claims that:

Beginning January 12, 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical supports and security updates. Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.

According to the world-wide browser usage statistics the IE versions older that 11 share just about 0.1% of users.

Modern Browsers, ftw!

However, it's now time to move on. For us at DevExpress, it's a costly proposition to support older browsers. There's the need for compatibility testing, for patching older versions for our support, but there are two overriding concerns:

• Because these older browsers are no longer updated, there is a great risk of security breaches for you, your users, and your organization.
• We cannot take advantage of modern web technologies (and approaches). That means we cannot deliver the best possible performance, user, and developer experience with DevExpress products. This is especially so for modern client-side JavaScript applications that need modern browser features.

In short, that's why we've made the decision to remove explicit support for IE9 and IE10 in the set of products mentioned above and we strongly encourage you to do the same, if you have not already done so.

Old Built-in Android Browsers

An excellent feature that we want to utilize for DevExtreme is CSS Flexbox Layout. Unfortunately, it is not supported in the old built-in Android browsers (up to Android 4.3.x). Therefore, will stop supporting old Android browsers in v18.1 as well. Be aware, this might affect those who are developing hybrid mobile apps for Android.

Feedback

I would love to hear your feedback on this decision.

Will this affect you?

Drop me a line below or email me.

Thanks!

Email: mharry@devexpress.com

Twitter: @mehulharry

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