I've never been an Apple user, maybe once, but not long enough to get into their ecosystem entirely, and yet I love what they do. I feel like they make great products, both hardware and software, but there's just one thing...
Why is Apple so hostile towards the web platform?
Safari is problematic, it does not support platforms other than iOS and macOS. If I want to get my website to work with those platforms, I have to invest into Apple's ecosystem.
It's not cheap, especially when your biggest concerns are whether you're making enough money to put food into your mouth.
So tell me, why do I have to support a browser, that is not only lacking a lot of the new API and features that makes it easy for us to build websites, but also costs a considerable fortune to get started?
On my first point, this isn't something only I encounter. We can see that on MDN Web Developers Needs Assesment 2020 survey results that aside from Internet Explorer, a lot of web developers are having pains with Safari as well, and it's really high up there!
As for the second, while I do know that as a Linux user I have the option of using WebKitGTK to test, it should be known clearly that this is still not Safari.
Without an Apple device, would I be able to know that there's a workaround for getting IndexedDB to work on macOS 11.4 and iOS 14.6, and that's to keep poking it until it decides to work?
Theoretically, I could get a second-hand device, but is that really the only choice I can make in this situation?
I've felt the need to write this post because, like many web developers, the reason why I started as one is because I want to build things that can be enjoyed by everyone, and the web just happens to be the best platform for that.
So it's just sad to see that I, as a web developer, is unable to support iOS and macOS users, which could be a significant amount, just because I'm simply unable to do so.
We should be able to build and deliver a great experience to everyone, without worrying about the differences in what the user's browser might support.
Thanks for reading this short post. There's still a ton of points worth exploring, but I feel like this series of blog posts by Alex Russell really goes deep into things like this and it's worth a read.
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