Time to call it a day, IE6!
I have the feeling that everyone agrees, Internet Explorer 6 should disappear! This browser was very good… in 2001. Today it’s not only old, slow and insecure, it’s a pain in the ass for web designers and developers because they can’t use modern techniques without hacking, bug fixing, etc. This affects us all because loads of web designers and developers are discouraged to create stunning websites, and that’s a pity!
Is there a way to find out who still uses IE6? I always hear: it’s because of those large companies where IT doesn’t want to upgrade. But I find that hard to believe, because any decent IT guy wants his network to be secure and trouble-free, no? If you’d ask me… I think most people that still use IE6 are those families where the dad bought the cheapest computer in the local supermarket. They probably think: “that computer is slow already, it will be even slower if I install more stuff on it”.
I really think IE6 users are computer newbies, dumb or just slow in general :) So what can we —web designers and developers— do about this? We force them to download a modern browser by spamming them with popups, blockers or fake IE messages. Please people… do it now!
I don’t think it is about getting your network secure and trouble free (IE6 is hardly a problem is you control what’s coming in, which is usually the case in large organisations).
The problem is intranet applications specificially developed for IE6, and where an upgrade of the browser would require modifications to those apps. Which brings a cost (which, depending on the implementation, might be small or large).
When faced with this, the decisionmakers take the cheapest option: leave IE6 where it is. It costs no extra money, because the security measures are taken anyway (irregardless of any browser issues).
At least, that has been my experience in large corps.
It’s a dangerous thing to call IE6 users dumb if you ask me :)
Long discussion about this topic: http://usability-blog.be/ie6-internet-explorer-6-niet-welkom/