Why Websites Can Change Without Warning

WHY WOULD MY WEBSITE LOOK DIFFERENT WITHOUT NOTICE?

HISTORY: Your website is a series of files & databases. Websites used to be “static” because ​ there were only a few ways to view them. Now we have a complex system, and telling your webmaster what device, operating system and browser is crucial, here’s why:

TERMINOLOGY: You have a desktop or mobile “device”. Desktop computers and mobile ​ ​ ​ devices have “operating systems” which are software. To see your website, you’ll pull up a ​ ​ ​ ​ “browser” which is also software, to surf the Internet. Your website is a series of files that ​ ​ needs to be 100% compatible with all devices, operating systems and browsers.

Your website is built on WordPress and gets a weekly check up (sometimes more often) to ​ ​ ​ see if any changes have occured. Your site could also be attacked with bad files, links, spam, comments and other annoying internet pests! Or other components will suddenly need updating which is nothing out of the ordinary.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IF SOMETHING HAS CHANGED? Any update to the following can make your website look differently: There are 85 operating ​ systems (OS) that can update (without warning). And any of the most popular roughly 7 ​ ​ ​ browsers also update regularly which can affect your site visually and other ways. (Lists below) ​

Now, with an OS or browser update, your site’s 18 website components likely will need ​ ​ updating too. Once website updates are implemented, there are currently about 21 mobile ​ devices, and 141 desktop devices that need to be viewed for compatibility. (Lists below) ​ ​ ​

A website in need of even 1 update, could look odd on the front end. Regular things that worked only moments earlier, could break. We’ve seen portions of the site duplicate itself, look cut-off or stop working. Some updates are visible on the backend only. Even the biggests sites with a 24/7 webmaster support team have issues.

HOW LONG TO FIX: While we could, we never allow “automatic” updates to any components. Best webmaster practices have us manually backing up your website before changes are made. We normally check weekly and sometimes more often. When updates are needed to your website, it can take from a moment, to a week or more to fix.

LISTS: 2018 Components Affecting Your Website

Including but not limited to these:

SAMPLES OF WEBSITE SOFTWARE BROWSERS, OPERATING SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES:

Website Software Browsers Operating Systems: Device Examples ● Wix ● Internet Explorer ● High Sierra ● Dell XPS 27 ● WordPress ● Google Chrome ● Microsoft Windows ● iMac 27’ late 2013 ● Squarespace ● Safari Server 2016 ● Apple iPhone Datacenter 6

______

ELEMENTS THAT CAN UPDATE AND CHANGE YOUR WEBSITE

YOUR WEBSITE MOBILE DESKTOP WHAT OPERATING COMPONENTS HARDWARE HARDWARE SYSTEM (DEVICES) (DEVICES) (SOFTWARE)

Wordpress Mobile computers ABS Computer 1 Proprietary Avada Theme Mobile Internet Technologies 1.1 Acorn Avada Child-Theme devices (Parent: Newegg) Computers Tablets/Smartphones Acer 1.2 Amiga Inc. Active 3rd Party Laptops KAPIDANI SHPK 1.3 Apple Inc. WordPress Plugins: Wearable computers Gateway 1.4 Apollo -Yoast SEO Calculator watches Packard Bell Computer -WordPress Importer Smartwatches Achim 1.5 Atari -Slider Revolution Head-mounted ADEK[1] 1.6 BAE Systems -LayerSlider WP displays Amiga, Inc. 1.7 Be Inc. -Fusion Core Personal digital ACube Systems Srl 1.8 Bell Labs -Fusion Builder assistants Hyperion 1.9 Bull SAS -Duplicate Post Enterprise digital Entertainment 1.10 Burroughs -Contact Form 7 assistants Aigo Corporation, Unisys -Honeypot Graphing calculators AMD 1.11 Control Data -Contact Form 7 Handheld game Aleutia Corporation -BackWPup consoles Alienware (Parent: 1.12 Convergent -Akismet Anti-Spam Portable media Dell) Technologies players AMAX Information 1.13 Cromemco -Web Hosting Calculators Technologies 1.14 Data General Ultra-mobile PCs AOpen 1.15 DataPoint Digital media player Apple 1.16 DDC-I, Inc. Digital still cameras ASRock 1.17 Digital (DSC) Asus Research, Inc. Digital video cameras AVADirect 1.18 Digital (DVC) or digital AXIOO International Equipment camcorders BenQ Corporation, Tandem Feature phones Biostar Computers, Compaq, Pagers Chassis Plans Hewlett-Packard Personal navigation Chip PC 1.19 ENEA AB devices (PND) Cisco Systems 1.20 Fujitsu Clevo 1.21 General Cray Electric Crystal Group 1.22 Google Compal 1.23 Green Hills Cooler Master Software CyberPowerPC 1.24 Heathkit, Dell Zenith Data Systems Wyse Technology 1.25 DFI Hewlett-Packard Digital Storm 1.26 Honeywell Elitegroup Computer 1.27 Intel Systems (ECS) Corporation Estone Tech[2] 1.28 IBM Evans & Sutherland 1.28.1 On early Everex mainframes: 1400, EVGA 1800, 701, 704, 709, Falcon Northwest 7090, 7094 FIC 1.28.2 On S/360, Friday Computers S/370, and successor Fujitsu mainframes Foxconn 1.28.3 On PC and Founder Technology Intel x86 based Getac architectures Gigabyte 1.28.4 On other Aorus hardware platforms Gradiente 1.29 International Groupe Bull Computers Limited Grundig (Parent: 1.30 Jide Arçelik) 1.31 Lynx Hasee Real-time Systems, HCL LynuxWorks, Lynx Heptagon Systems[3] Software Hewlett Packard Technologies Enterprise 1.32 Micrium Inc. HPE Vertica 1.33 Microsoft HP Inc. (formerly Corporation Hewlett-Packard) 1.34 MITS Compaq 1.35 MontaVista Fortify Software 1.36 NCR HP Autonomy Corporation Silicon Graphics 1.37 Nintendo International 1.38 Novell Hi-Grade[4] 1.39 Quadros Hitachi Systems HTC 1.40 RCA Hyundai 1.41 RoweBots IBM 1.42 Samsung iBuypower[5] Electronics Intel 1.43 SCO, SCO Inventec Group[4] In-Win 1.44 Scientific Data Itautec Systems (SDS) IGEL 1.45 Sciopta Jetta International Systems GmbH Kohjinsha 1.46 SYSGO Kontron AG 1.47 Tandy Lanix Corporation Lanner Electronics 1.48 TCSC (later LanSlide Gaming NCSC) PCs 1.49 Texas Lenovo Instruments Medion 1.50 TRON Project LG 1.51 Unisys LiteOn 1.52 UNIVAC, Maingear Unisys Meebox 1.53 Wang Mesh Computers Laboratories Microsoft 1.54 WICAT Micro-Star 1.55 Wind River International (MSI) Systems Micro Center 1.56 Other MiTAC 1.56.1 Lisp-based Motion Computing 1.56.2 Non-standard Motorola language-based NComputing 1.56.3 Other NCR proprietary NEC non-Unix-like Nvidia 1.56.4 Other NZXT proprietary Unix-like Olidata and POSIX-compliant Olivetti 2 Oracle Non-proprietary Origin PC 2.1 Unix-like Panasonic 2.1.1 Research and Positivo Informática other Psychsoftpc[6][better POSIX-compliant source needed] 2.1.2 Free and Puget Systems open source Quanta Computer 2.1.3 Other RCA 2.2 Non-Unix-like Razer 2.2.1 Research Retention Range 2.2.2 Free and (Pty) Ltd [7] open source Samsung 3 Disk operating Sapphire Technology systems (DOS) Shuttle 4 Network SGI operating systems Síragon 5 Generic, Supermicro commodity, and other Systemax 6 For System76 Elektronika BK T-Platforms 7 Hobby TabletKiosk 8 Embedded Tadpole Computer 8.1 Personal Tatung digital assistants Toshiba (PDAs) Tyan 8.2 Digital media Unisys players V3 Gaming PC 8.3 Mobile Vaio phones and Velocity Micro smartphones Overdrive PC 8.4 Routers Vestel 8.5 Other VIA Technologies embedded ViewSonic 8.6 LEGO Viglen Mindstorms Vizio Valve Corporation Wistron Wortmann Zelybron Zoostorm Zotac zSpace

LIST OF BROWSERS THAT CAN CHANGE AND AFFECT YOUR WEBSITE

Year Web browsers 1991 WorldWideWeb (Nexus) ​ 1992 ViolaWWW, Erwise, MidasWWW, MacWWW (Samba) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [2] 1993 Mosaic, Cello, ​ Lynx 2.0, Arena, AMosaic 1.0 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ IBM WebExplorer, Netscape Navigator, SlipKnot 1.0, MacWeb, IBrowse, Agora 1994 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ (Argo), Minuet ​ Internet Explorer 1, Internet Explorer 2, Netscape Navigator 2.0, OmniWeb, 1995 [3] ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ UdiWWW, ,​ Grail ​ ​ ​ Arachne 1.0, Internet Explorer 3.0, Netscape Navigator 3.0, Opera 2.0, 1996 ​ ​ [4] ​ [5] ​ ​ PowerBrowser 1.5, ​ Cyberdog, Amaya 0.9, ​ AWeb, Voyager ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Internet Explorer 4.0, Netscape Navigator 4.0, Netscape Communicator 4.0, Opera 1997 [6] [5] ​ ​ ​ ​ 3.0 ,​ Amaya 1.0 ​ ​ ​ ​ 1998 iCab, Mozilla ​ ​ [5] 1999 Amaya 2.0, ​ Mozilla M3, Internet Explorer 5.0 ​ ​ ​ [7] [8] [5] Konqueror, Netscape 6, Opera 4, ​ Opera 5, ​ K-Meleon 0.2, Amaya 3.0 ,​ Amaya 2000 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 4.0[5] ​ [9] [5] 2001 Internet Explorer 6, Galeon 1.0, Opera 6 ,​ Amaya 5.0 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [5] [5] 2002 Netscape 7, Mozilla 1.0, Phoenix 0.1, Links 2.0, Amaya 6.0, ​ Amaya 7.0 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [10] [5] 2003 Opera 7, ​ Apple Safari 1.0, Epiphany 1.0, Amaya 8.0 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2004 Firefox 1.0, Netscape Browser, OmniWeb 5.0 ​ ​ ​ [11] [5] Opera 8, ​ Apple Safari 2.0, Netscape Browser 8.0, Epiphany 1.8, Amaya 9.0 ,​ AOL 2005 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Explorer 1.0, Maxthon 1.0, Shiira 1.0 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [12] Mozilla Firefox 2.0, Internet Explorer 7, Opera 9, ,​ SeaMonkey 1.0, K-Meleon 1.0, 2006 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Galeon 2.0, Camino 1.0, Avant 11, iCab 3 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Apple Safari 3.0, Maxthon 2.0, Netscape Navigator 9, NetSurf 1.0, Flock 1.0, 2007 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Conkeror

[13] Google Chrome 1, Mozilla Firefox 3, Opera 9.5, ,​ Apple Safari 3.1, Konqueror 4, 2008 [5] ​ ​ ​ [5]​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Amaya 10.0 ,​ Flock 2, Amaya 11.0 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [14] Google Chrome 2–3, Mozilla Firefox 3.5, Internet Explorer 8, Opera 10, ,​ Apple 2009 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Safari 4, SeaMonkey 2, Camino 2, surf, Pale Moon 3.0[15] ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [16] Google Chrome 4–8, Mozilla Firefox 3.6, Opera 10.50, ,​ Opera 11, Apple Safari 5, 2010 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ K-Meleon 1.5.4, xxxterm ​ ​ Google Chrome 9–16, Mozilla Firefox 4-9, Internet Explorer 9, Opera 11.50, Apple 2011 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Safari 5.1, Maxthon 3.0, SeaMonkey 2.1–2.6 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Google Chrome 17–23, Mozilla Firefox 10–17, Internet Explorer 10, Opera 12, Apple 2012 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Safari 6, Maxthon 4.0, SeaMonkey 2.7-2.14 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Google Chrome 24–31, Mozilla Firefox 18–26, Internet Explorer 11, Opera 15–18, 2013 ​ [17​ ] ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Pale Moon 15.4-24.2.2 ,​ Apple Safari 7, SeaMonkey 2.15-2.23 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Google Chrome 32–39, Mozilla Firefox 27–34, Opera 19–26, Pale Moon 2014 [17] ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 24.3.0-25.1.0 ,​ Apple Safari 8, SeaMonkey 2.24-2.30 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Google Chrome 40–47, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox 35–43, Opera 27–34, Pale 2015 ​ [17] ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Moon 25.2.0-25.8.1 ,​ Vivaldi ​ ​ ​ Google Chrome 48–55, Mozilla Firefox 44–50, Microsoft Edge 14, Opera 35–42, Pale 2016 ​ [17] ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Moon 26.0.0-27.0.3 ,​ Apple Safari 10, SeaMonkey 2.24–2.30 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Basilisk, Google Chrome 56–60, Microsoft Edge 15, Mozilla Firefox 51–55.0.2, Opera 2017 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 43–45, Opera Neon, Pale Moon 27.1.0-27.6.2[17] ​ ​ ​ ​ ​