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Mohammed Ali
10,625 PointsIE11 largely doesn't support ES6. Shouldn't this be mentioned somewhere?
The arrow syntax JS course says that ES6 is supported by all modern browsers. Which may be true, depending on your definition of 'modern browsers'. Shouldn't it be mentioned that not all browsers in use will supports ES6? Some versions of Safari, for example? Maybe I've got this wrong, but it seems irresponsible.
4 Answers
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse TeacherHi there! I guess this depends largely on what your definition of "modern" is. Microsoft stopped supporting Internet Explorer on January 12, 2016. That's over a year ago which is a long time in the tech world. You can see their announcement here.
When looking through the chart you linked, it seems that the last version of Safari on iOS that didn't support ES6 was in iOS version 9. As far as I can tell, iOS 10.0 was released September 13, 2016 and is already being reported as supported in iOS 11, which is thought will be released this fall. Running an iOS device with an outdated operating system is never advisable.
In conclusion, it seems odd to try and account for one particular browser which is no longer even supported by the developer.
Just my two cents!
edited for correction
To be clear, the very latest version of Internet Explorer on supported operating systems is still supported by Microsoft as of the date of this comment (January 13, 2018). That being said, there is no guarantee given about how long it will continue to be supported. I'm still of the opinion that this has to be a dwindling market. I understand that many people use IE, but I can't imagine that number to be growing. Again, these are only my opinions. The original question was about a "modern" browser and I feel like conventional wisdom should tell us that Internet Explorer should not count as modern. While the first part of this answer is not accurate regarding Microsoft and Internet Explorer, my statement about what should be considered "modern" still stands.
and yet again because I stand for my mistakes
Microsoft, under its FAQs, does guarantee the support until the end of the lifecycle of the supported operating system. Those can also be viewed by clicking a link in the associated FAQ.
I still stand by my opinion that unless you have a specific client that you know needs to have IE supported, then it is a bit wasteful to develop for a dwindling market. I also stand by my assertion that Internet Explorer should not be considered "modern". It is current in that it is currently in use, but that is not necessarily the same as "modern".
Mohammed Ali
10,625 PointsSure. I see your point. Although the fact that it's not supported doesn't mean that it's not in use.
https://www.netmarketshare.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=2&qpcustomd=0
https://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php?year=2017&month=6
Many tech jobs will require dev work supports IE11, so I just think that it should have been mentioned somewhere. But yeah, it boils down to what you would call 'modern'. The issue comes in the course when the instructor says 'there's no reason why you shouldn't be using ES2015'. Which I guess, right now, is not technically always correct.
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse TeacherAnd I understand your point, as well. But according to your charts, IE11 comprises less than 15% of the total number of browsers in use. That number is likely falling by the day as well. Also, by saying that this will run on all modern browsers carries with it the implication of "beware users who are using older browsers". Some people still use Windows 7 and really outdated things, but I would say that they are generally extreme corner cases. I'm also of the opinion that most employers will want you to know the latest technologies. My point is that the vast majority of browsers that are up to date and supported by the developers do support this, and I think that's what they were attempting to get across.
Unless you specifically know of a target audience that for some odd reason is using one of these older browsers, you're probably pretty safe using the latest version of JS.
Randy Eichelberger
1,491 PointsYes while it still may be in use it is officially not supportes. You can't force people to upgrade, but generally when one company stops supporting a major product like a browser version you have no reason to develop for that browser version anymore unless you're developing specifically for a corporate intranet. You should target the latest version of supported browsers.
Browsers are all automatically updated now a days, and most IE users are on corporate computers and not their personal computer. So they really wouldn't be included in your target audience for the most part as if they're still on IE in a corporate environment it means their IT probably has strict controls in place so they won't be browsing your site.
As I said though, if you're working for a company that uses it and you need a corporate intranet to work, you're going to have to develop with ie11 in mind. Otherwise there really isn't any reason to develop for IE11
Mohammed Ali
10,625 PointsCheers Jennifer. Let's agree to disagree. Thanks for your time though.
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse TeacherI'm actually not sure we disagree 
I was just offering my opinion as a fellow student!
Mohammed Ali
10,625 Pointsha okay thanks Jennifer, I probably will do. It's worth a shot I suppose. Have a good day!