iStockPhoto dropping support for IE6

I have a couple of friends who are still using IE6. They have older laptops with XP and don’t want the bloat of IE7. They’re not particularly tech-savvy and IE6 still gets their email for them and they know how to find their "favorites" so they’re not motivated to switch to FF or anything else. That would mean downloading and installing a program off the internets -- something they would never do. We tend to communicate with techies when we discuss tech issues, but there are millions of people out there like my friends.

I just wrestled with this when upgrading an eCommerce site last week. IE6 was giving me tons of grief, which made me start thinking, "Why am I still supporting that beast anyway? Isn’t it insecure as well as a pain in the arse for designers?" I considered showing a page to IE6 users telling them that they need to update already and giving them links to do so (Firefox, etc.), but in the end I was able to get my layout working acceptably with an IE6-specific stylesheet and I decided to give it a temporary stay of execution.

I don’t expect to keep doing that, however. Before the end of 2009 I will definitely stop testing on IE6 and possibly do a browser test to warn holdout users to shape up. IE6 usage is down to under 20% in the standard stats that I check, and it’s even less in all the sites that I actually manange:
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Who still uses IE6? I’d say it’s just people who don’t know better. Most have probably got an unlicensed copy of XP or 2000 and can’t upgrade to IE7, but they could install Firefox or Opera and probably would if they were told they ought to by someone they trust. I can’t imagine an corporate environment where they won’t let you install your own software and still use IE6, but if there is such a place they deserve to be punished for their sins.

I still feel obligated to make sure that our clients’ sites work for IE6 users, but about the time that IE8 is released I’m going to start using the logic that IE6 is actually dangerous as well as busted and we’re doing people a favor by warning them (it was released in 2001, after all, and IE7 has been out since 2005!).

As as side note, Microsoft removed the Windows Genuine Advantage requirement for installing IE7 several years ago - so unlicensed copies of Windows can upgrade fine, provided that they download the installer, rather than using Windows Update. Unfortunately, no-one who’s still running IE6 knows this, or much less, actually cares.

Also, for anyone stuck on underpowered hardware or Windows 2000, Opera is hugely faster and slimmer than either IE6/7/8 or Firefox, but, like you said, that would involve installing software.

Do you think that offering a discount for building sites not supporting IE6 is a good idea, or a bad idea?

Interesting stats though.

I guess paying attention to the target audience helps. If you are developing a site that serves rural areas, churches, relief agencies, slow moving bureaucratic institutions etc then having your site work in the misery that is IE6 is a real concern. Producing sites for the "modern" connected world is finally leaving IE6 behind.

Its interesting what Microsoft is doing with backwards compatibility with IE8 though. The danger will be having four or more versions of IE out there, all behaving differently, with each having 10% of the browser market.

Its interesting: a few short years ago I noticed that when visiting my wife’s family in Canada that they had no idea that there was an alternative to IE or their gray Windows machines. Fast forward to today and most of them are really happy with their cool Intel iMacs and Safari/Firefox.

Max

Quote from: rthrash at Jan 28, 2009, 04:52 AM

I think we’ve almost reached the point where MODx itself will abandon IE support on its marketing and support site, and unquestionably in the manager. We won’t purposefully exclude them, but we will most likely not spend a lot of time hacking and patching for IE6 any longer.

I think owners of sites like MODx can hasten the death of IE6 by publicly stating that IE6 will no longer be supported. Its not about excluding some group, but rather moving the whole web world forward. Browsers should be like milk: pass the expiration date and you pour it down the sink! IE6 is like the worst foul smelling curdled glump of moldy nastiness at the bottom of the carton...

Quote from: dflock at Jan 28, 2009, 11:33 AM

As as side note, Microsoft removed the Windows Genuine Advantage requirement for installing IE7 several years ago - so unlicensed copies of Windows can upgrade fine, provided that they download the installer, rather than using Windows Update. Unfortunately, no-one who’s still running IE6 knows this, or much less, actually cares.

I thought this was the case, but I didn’t have the links handy. THANKS for posting them! I think on some future site I’ll make an IE6 landing page with links to download IE7, Firefox, and Opera and information as to why sticking with IE6 is a bad idea and see if our clients are happy with that.

... Of course there are those who think browser sniffing technology is bad thing...

Classic example from Dave Shea...
http://www.mezzoblue.com/archives/2007/11/12/detect_this/

Quote from: Photowebmax at Jan 28, 2009, 01:44 PM

... Of course there are those who think browser sniffing technology is bad thing...

I agree in general. But in this case I might make an exception. All I’d be doing would be shunting IE6 users to a landing page of shame, but then I’d let them go on and try to use the site with their nasty old browser if they insist on doing so.

Unfortunately even the smaller percentage of IE6 users can and often does count for thousands if not 10 to 30 thousand and more viewers. For clients, we’ve found, it’s simply unacceptable that IE6 not be supported as a result. Our strategy for 2009 is this is the site in FF3, Chrome, IE7, Safari, and this is how the site will function/look in IE6, a lo-fi/hi-fi dynamic that may get buy-in due to the need to have sites also display for mobile devices. Users can still get at all the content, but the cost of jumping through hoops to get the site to function as it does in a modern browser is replaced by the reduced cost of coding a simpler IE6 friendly version that uses simple CSS.

rx2,

i think that’s what most people are doing now. that’s what we’re doing. hifi for modern browsers, lofi for ie, and readable for all the browsers on the fringe.