SharePoint 2010 to 2013 Browser Comparison Report Card

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Joel Oleson

Browser + Mobile enhancements are one of the Top 3 Reasons to Upgrade to SharePoint 2013

One of the big reasons I’m happiest when working on SharePoint 2013 has a lot to do with the huge improvements in browser support for basic things like multi file upload and working with data in a grid style view. Replacing so much that previously was done in ActiveX with HTML5 compliant client based solutions with backward compatibility is huge.

In an attempt to tell the story of why I think the user experience is so much better for the life of a Mac user, the mobile user, the non IE user I put together this chart that speaks to the user experience. I feel like MS has done such a better job with this release in terms of supporting these other non MS worlds that this story alone is one why companies should consider upgrading to SharePoint 2013. There are 3 simple stories to me on why people should consider upgrade to SP2013 now, and this is story of mobile support + browser support is at the top of the list.

I was putting this story together for an upcoming webinar I’m doing on Improving the SharePoint Experience with SharePoint Analytics on May 22 1PM EDT where I’ll explore this in much more detail.

The Browser User Experience Report Card

A: Best Experience

B: Some Functionality Missing

C: Not A Great Experience, but fine for browsing and limited editing

D: Poor/Frustrating Experience

(Minus and pluses used to differentiate the experience and used for comparison reasons)

This report was compiled based on my own testing, experience, and revisiting the TechNet content and getting frustrated. For more details see the following…

TechNet: Plan browser support SharePoint 2007
TechNet: Plan browser support SharePoint 2010
TechNet: Plan browser support in SharePoint 2013
Joel’s SharePoint 2010 SharePoint Browser Support Matrix
Microsoft Releases Office, SharePoint SP1, Offers Chrome Support
Beware Internet Explorer 10 with SharePoint

SharePoint 2013…. the browser story

The ActiveX controls have been minimized a lot. The Silverlight dependencies have been minimized and attempted to only be utilized where it can be leveraged around video compatibility. Drag and Drop and Multi File upload support has made the Firefox and Chrome experience tons better. There are still a few office integration scenarios, but now those are primarily for power users, so the average user will find a good experience with Firefox and Chrome for the first time.

64 bit

The 64 bit experience is a second class experience if you’re use to IE, so please avoid it. Windows 8 mode is also a disappointment due to lack of 64 bit support for a few of the ActiveX controls and again if you’re use to IE 32 bit mode, you will be disappointed. Just use desktop mode and pin IE 32 bit.

Mac OS

Mac users will be very pleased to see support for multi file upload in Safari and Firefox. While 2010 was better than 2007, this leap is even a better one. Office integration is hopeful to get even better when the Office 2014 release happens.

Mobile

Huge leap in the mobile experience. We go from a text by default experience to a rich experience that is more easily toggled, and controlled. While I wish it was responsive by default, the iPad and Android Tablet experience really isn’t that bad.

Category: Blogs

2 Comments on “SharePoint 2010 to 2013 Browser Comparison Report Card”

Stefan Bauer
November 12, 2013

Using SharePoint 2013 on MacOS currently supports multiple file upload via drag an drop. If Office is installed on Mac then a couple of plugins/web extensions are avaliable installed that provides smoother way to work.

There is also a lync plugin available that provides presence information in Safari.

I think they are available for Firefox too but not for Chrome.

Greetings Stefan

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