Another Step in the Right Direction
Hopefully no one reading this post will be offended. If you are using Internet Explorer 6, you are slowly being shown the door, don’t let it hit you on your way out. For all web developers, IE6 is the bane of our existence. IE6 was originally released in 2001 as Microsoft’s attempt to overtake the popular Netscape browser which had previously dominated the scene, and it did eventually win the battle. However, IE6 was not compatible with modern development practices such as CSS. The resulting effect is that code-compliant and CSS validated websites worked perfectly in all browsers (with minimal additional effort)…except IE6.
In the development process, I develop using Firefox as my base browser for testing and make sure that everything is correct and compliant. Then I’ll go test a site in Chrome, Opera and Safari, typically with good results. Next I’ll test in IE8 and, again, the results are usually positive. Next, I’ll grab a cup of coffee and a snack and hunker down for the trials and tribulations of IE6 (and to a slightly lesser degree, IE7) testing. The majority of the time, I will open my site in IE6 and be greeted with a royal mess. Different elements will be scattered across the screen as if I just threw together my own Pollock-inspired site. After seeing this abomination, it can take hours (if not days) to configure a site with the sole purpose of it displaying correctly in a 9 year old antiquated browser that is two generations past the current market.
Thankfully, the movement to abandon IE6 is starting to pick up some steam after years of efforts. This week, giants Google and YouTube announced they would officially cease support of IE6. Those still using the browser will be greeted with a pleasant announcement letting you know that your browser will no longer be used and provide links for downloading a modern browser.
Also, for those in the Denver area, a “funeral” is being held to celebrate the passing of IE6. If I weren’t 1500 miles away, I would definitely be in attendance.
Phasing out the IE Dinosaur
The bane of every web developers existence is Internet Explorer 6. When it was developed in 2001, it was a good web browser. However, it is now 2009 and there is a lingering population who still uses this now legacy technology.The problem with IE6 is that it does not meet with modern day web standards even some basic CSS styling components. As a result, developers must spend sometimes hours creating “hacks” that allow their sites to work within IE6 even when they appear correctly in every other browser currently in popular use.
Some reports are showing that 15% to 20% or users are still using IE6. All analytics that I personally monitor are showing less than 10% and some sites are receiving less than 5%. There are many organizations and groups who have recently banned together to start a movement to eliminate IE6 including the group at IE6 No More. Even some mainstream organizations such as YouTube are beginning to announce they will no longer support IE6 as a technology and only limited resources will be available to those who continue to use the browser. Even Microsoft is pushing for users to give up IE6 especially on the heals of the release of IE8 which Microsoft is actively pushing through its automatic updates.
So, if you are using IE6 to read this post I implore you to update your browser right now by installing IE8. Also, don’t forget that there are plenty of other popular browser alternatives available such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera. If you haven’t tried one of these, I do encourage you to install IE8 AND one of the “other guys” even just to try it out, see what else is available.