Users of Chrome, Firefox and Edge have been warned to prepare for an update that could crash some of the most popular websites.
The three sites will move to version number “100,” and the transition could cause some of the web’s most-visited sites to fail.
This is because these sites will not be able to process visits from browsers with three-digit version numbers.
The websites for T-Mobile, HBO Go and Yahoo! have been affected, Forbes reported.
Usually, websites check your browser’s version number.
So, if your browser is older or unsupported, it’s likely you won’t be able to open certain sites.
For Chrome, the usual cut-off point is 40.
Because the outdated code in these sites only checks the first two digits, Chrome, Edge and Firefox 100 will be read as “10” and thus blocked.
Sites are now moving to version 100 in order to get web developers to upgrade.
Currently, the stable versions of Chrome and Edge are 8, and Firefox is on 97.
As a contingency measure in case sites start failing after the upgrade, Google is planning on freezing Chrome’s version number at 99 in its ID code.
Mozilla, on its part, will reportedly try a combination of version number freezing and will issue hotfixes for individual sites.
Chrome, Edge and Firefox have around four billion users combined.
This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.
