bring down IE6
I agree wholeheartedly with Jeffery Zeldman when he said, “IE6 is the new Netscape 4. The hacks needed to support IE6 are increasingly viewed as excess freight. Like Netscape 4 in 2000, IE6 is perceived to be holding back the web…” without the slightest shred of hesitation.
Exhausted
Let it be known and I quote, “Microsoft (at large), Windows 2000 and below, Internet Explorer 6 and below, how I loathe thee”. Just over the past six months alone, I have spent far too many hours explaining to clients and colleagues alike the disgust and utter disdain I have for that ancient platform and browser. It’s deprecated, it’s antiquated, it’s not supported – not even by Microsoft – and it just plain sucks.
The Culprit
First, I blame Microsoft, for creating, selling and distributing an inferior product. Second, I blame Microsoft, for creating said product in such a way that is proprietary and non-standards compliant. Third, I blame Microsoft, for not supporting that browser in subsequent OS releases to the extent that one has to upgrade their entire system to install a modern browser.
Why blame Microsoft
Because corporations and small businesses alike that purchased mass quantities of Microsoft products can not afford to upgrade their entire systems just so they can have a better browser.
The Solution
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be one in sight. It’s as if all of us will have to wait until everyone has had the means and opportunity to upgrade. What would have been nice is if IE8, for example, worked properly on Windows 2000 or below. Ever heard of backwards compatibility?
Support
I choose not to support IE6 when developing websites and I make that clear up front with my clients. If a client has to have the site display perfectly in IE6, then there is extra time in development on the estimate I provide them.
Comments (3)
I whole-heartedly agree with you. I hate the fact that our company is so entrenched in IE6. Legacy applications need to go as well!
Let’s go shout down Microsoft like they’re doing the health care meetings. (Queue angry punk music while raising one fist in the air.)
One other thing I failed to mention: You can not have more than 1 version of Microsoft Internet Explorer installed and running at the same time. So, in terms of web development, testing and cross-browser compatibility, there is yet another stratum we are forced to reckon with. You either have to have multiple PCs with different versions of the browser installed, a virtual environment set up that isn’t always accurate or for MAC users, at least an application like PARALLELS that you can switch between to test. Of course, there’s always the option of asking your friends to send you screengrabs, but that can become really annoying (for them). I’ve probably been guilty of overstaying my welcome in this regard.