Mozilla has researched how web developers experience the web platform, the tools and possibilities of the organization and share the results. Although the developers were generally positive, there was great frustration that stood head and shoulders above everything else.
The developers who were interviewed by Mozilla in the second half of 2019 about their experiences with the web platform, the tools and the possibilities were generally satisfied, but they mentioned some shortcomings, in particular problems with browser support.
In total, 59.8 percent said they were satisfied with the state of the global web, while 16.3 percent were very satisfied. Only 6.8 percent were dissatisfied and 2.2 percent were very dissatisfied. These findings were part of the MDN Web DNA (Developer Needs Assessment) Report 2019 (PDF), which is based on the input of more than 28,000 web developers and designers worldwide.
The MDN Web DNA report 2019 was the first edition of an annual worldwide survey of the needs of web developers and designers, designed to shape the future of the web platform. In addition to assessing overall satisfaction with the web platform, the report identifies the needs and frustrations of developers. The biggest frustration is oddly enough the web browser itself. These browsers appear four times in the top 10 of frustrations.
The biggest frustrations of web developers are:
- It must support specific browsers, such as Internet Explorer 11.
- Outdated or inaccurate documentation for frameworks and libraries.
- Avoiding or removing a feature that does not work in all browsers.
- Testing in different browsers.
- Create a design that looks the same and works the same in all browsers.
- Finding bugs that are not found during testing.
- Supporting multiple frameworks in the same codebase.
- Keeping track of a large number of tools or frameworks.
- Managing user data to comply with laws and regulations.
- Understanding and implementing security measures.
In an open question, the developers were asked what they would like to do on the web, but not because they lack the capabilities of the (development) platform to do this. Here, Mozilla identified 109 categories of developers’ wishes. The next seven points came up most often.
- Access to hardware, including APIs on devices, 12.4 percent of respondents.
- Browser compatibility, including consistency in cross-browser rendering, 8.6 percent.
- Access to the file system, 4.7 percent.
- Performance, including the speed of native mobile apps in web apps, 3.4 percent. Poor JavaScript performance and the desire to use a Java or Python browser were also mentioned.
- PWA support (Progressive Web Apps), 3.4 percent.
- Debugging, including better tools, 3.3 percent.
- Access to native APIs, 3 percent.
Frustrations regarding the programming language / development environment were also discussed:
- JavaScript – the lack of browser / engine adoption / support for a certain language function, 37.4 percent of respondents.
- HTML – no pain points, 35.3 percent.
- CSS – challenges in creating the specified layout, 44.4 percent.
- WebAssembly – lack of support for debugging tools, 51.4 percent of the 851 people who answered this question. The novelty of the technology was cited as the reason for the limited number of answers.
Finally, it was also looked at which browsers were most frequently supported. It is no surprise that Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox emerged as winners there.
- Chrome, with 97.5 percent.
- Firefox, 88.6 percent.
- Safari, 59.6 percent.
- Chrome for Android, 57.8 percent.
- Edge, 57.3 percent.