Urgent warning for Chrome users ahead of major browser update
Yahoo, HBO Go and Screwfix among the sites unprepared for ‘100’ browser update
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Your support makes all the difference.Some of the world’s biggest websites could crash due to an upcoming browser update to Chrome, Edge and Firefox, web developers have warned.
Billions of web users could be impacted by the update – Chrome, Edge and Firefox have around 4 billion users combined – as the three browsers move to version number ‘100’.
It is the first time the browsers have used a three-digit version number, which many leading websites are reportedly unprepared for.
Yahoo, HBO Go and T-Mobile are among the sites that may not be able to process Chrome, Edge and Firefox 100, as outdated code means they will only check the first two digits and read it as ‘10’, thus blocking hte sites.
A full list of sites that do not load with the latest browser versions is hosted in an online repository, which includes Screwfix, Daimler and EurosportPlayer among those unprepared for the change.
Chrome and Edge are both currently on version 8, while Firefox is on 97, but the unified update to ‘100’ could mean users of these browsers will not be able to open sites that do not yet support this version.
“Major version 100 is a big milestone for both Chrome and Firefox. It also has the potential to cause breakage on websites as we move from a two-digit to a three-digit version number,” web developers at Mozilla explained in a blog post.
“When browsers first reached version 10 a little over 12 years ago, many issues were discovered with User-Agent parsing libraries as the major version number went from one digit to two.”
The flaw is reminiscent of the Y2K bug, which provoked widespread fear that websites, computing systems and IT infrastructure would not be prepared for the year changing from 1999 to 2000.
In an effort to lessen the impact of the upcoming update, Google is planning to freeze Chrome’s version number as ‘99’ in its ID code.
Mozilla also reportedly has a contingency plan that involves issuing “hotfixes” for individual websites on its Firefox browser.
The update is set to be rolled out over the next couple of months, according to Mozilla, with web engineers setting a 3 May release date on FireFox.
The Chrome 100 update will come much quicker, with the release currently set for 29 March.
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