[Last checked: 25 February 2013 (LightWAVE version 0.48)]
The LightWAVE client runs in a web browser and does not require any platform-specific components. The browser must support HTML5, JavaScript, and (for graphical output only) SVG. Recommended: Chrome, MSIE 9, and Safari currently provide the best performance because of their notably fast JavaScript engines. On older Windows systems, MSIE 7 or 8 (or even 6) with Google Chrome Frame are tolerable choices if you cannot install Chrome itself. On devices running Android 2.x and earlier, you will not have the Android 3 browser, and you may be unable to install Chrome 18; both Firefox 15 and Opera 12 are usable with limitations on Android 2.x, however, if you cannot update your Android platform.
The table below shows the oldest LightWAVE-compatible version of each browser.
| Platform ▶ Browser ▼ |
Android | iOS | Linux | Mac OS X | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Chrome | 18 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Firefox | 15 | n/a | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| MSIE | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 9 [1] |
| Opera | 12 | [2] | 12.11 | 12.14 | 12.14 |
| Safari | n/a | 5.0 | n/a | 5.1 | 5.1 |
[1] Although MSIE 6, 7, and 8 do not support SVG, you can use them to run LightWAVE if you install Google Chrome Frame (a free plugin that provides the missing support). Google Chrome Frame is optional for MSIE 9; it may provide faster display updating.
[2] Opera's browser for iOS, Opera Mini, does not support SVG as of its most recent version (7.0.5). Use Safari or Chrome on iOS.