Chris Rossi

Why are there still so many people using Internet Explorer 6? It was released in 2001, since then IE7 and IE8 have been released. Windows Update has provided updates for the browser, doesn’t anyone update their operating system?

It’s bad enough for people browsing with IE, but it’s even worse for us web developers who have to waste time adding all kinds of silly hacks to our code for IE users. Those people who are still using IE 6 are making our lives much harder. I can build a website that looks perfect and works flawlessly, I test it in Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari, even IE8 works (not always, but usually).

Then I get an email saying “The site is broken, the page looks funny and I get error messages”. Well, it’s NOT the website, my code is 100% XHTML compliant and my Javascript has passed all validations. My CSS code is pure and clean. So it must be your browser. Using IE6? I’m sorry, you can’t use my website until you upgrade. I’m not wasting my precious time working around IE6′s many flaws just because you insist on using outdated technology. It’s like the Analog Cellphone switchoff, and the Digital TV transition, lag behind and you’ll get left behind.

As of right now, I’m refusing to add any kind of hacks to any of my websites to make them IE6 compatible. It costs me time and money, which I could spend on more important things.

I can understand if you’re using IE6 at your workplace and you don’t have the ability to upgrade, but you should also understand that:

• IE6 is 8 years out of date
• IE6 is full of bugs and security flaws
• Many websites don’t work correctly with it
• Your administrators are doing a poor job if they’re making you use insecure and outdated software

IE6 will be officially supported by Microsoft until 2014, but it’s already been condemned by most web developers. If you’re one of those people still using it, PLEASE UPGRADE. It’s very simple, go to the website below:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/Internet-explorer/default.aspx

Click the “Download Now” button. Go ahead, you’ll like it! It will make many websites start to look correct, as well as being more secure and giving you useful features like Tabbed browsing.

Alternatively, why not try Firefox or Google Chrome? They’re more secure, and you’ll barely notice the difference!

If anyone emails me from now on to tell me that the site doesn’t work correctly for them, or the formatting is broken, I’ll be asking what browser they are using. If it’s not the latest Safari, Chrome, Firefox or IE I’ll be insisting that they upgrade and refusing to fix the problem.