As technology evolves, so do the standards involved in that technology. One starting point, if not found already, would be
W3C. This organization sets the standard for what protocols and standards are developed in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). This is the scripting or programming behind every website, which also now use pre-processing and post-processing software as computers have become more powerful (PHP, Ruby on Rails, and ASPX come to mind). This has also included the standardization of JavaScript, Flash, CSS, and many other advancements such as API's (application programming interfaces)
Many websites are now database driven. W3C is the gold standard for website compliance for both browser developers and website publishers. Very few websites meet the strict compliance guidelines, and so as the browser wars evolved in a competitive marketplace, new tricks were created in browsers to render pages more quickly, more effectively, and to represent the output HTML more accurately to the authors intent. IE10 includes some additional support for XHTML-based sites, and most importantly,
HTML 5 (most websites still identify themselves as HTML 4.01 Transitional, Strict or XHTML 1.0 Transitional (like here!).
It also passes the latest
Acid test with flying colors (somewhat literally). It may be more stable. There are some issues with IE, Firefox, and Chrome, and so it is important for web publishers to constantly be mindful of the fact that what works in one browser may not work in another. This is because of the nature of the competition, so to speak, and the willingness of some companies... hmm.. to bend the rules a bit, and add their own special HTML characters and rule sets deviating from W3C compliance.
In so far that the web is becoming more semantic, the line between browser and application is beginning to blur. A good site, off the cuff, would be:
ROME ^^ Here is an amazing example of what HTML 5 is capable of. Notice the movement of the mouse and the effect it has on the visual presentation. This is just one example of many purely amazing websites being developed by professional HTML 5 graphic designers and programmers. Eventually, these websites are the future of the Internet. Even the next version of our forum software, while not exemplifying some of the best features of HTML 5 just yet, will strictly use jQuery as a substitute for the Yahoo User Interface Library, be more simplified due to evolving web standards, and make use of new technologies not found in other browsers.
If one were to load a modern website in IE6, it would be barely usable, except perhaps where mass usability is a market requirement. An example of this would be the Google homepage. IE5 cannot even load most websites properly anymore because the way the web standards have evolved is alien to the browser. I hope this explains why continuing to upgrade to the latest browser may be important.
Of course, upgrading also comes with some drawbacks, and that includes the unintended bugs and weird issues that may plague a browser designed for newer code. You will find that compatibility mode may help with that, but in some areas, it is unavoidable. Needless to say, irregardless of whether or not you upgrade to Windows 8, IE10 will see a publish for Windows 7. There are also innumerable security vulnerability updates that come inherently packaged with an updated web browser.
(Additional explanation since that site above will not work without Chrome:
http://www.ro.me/tech/)
