IE6 gets a reprieve
2009-08-15 22:55:14
I was intrigued to read about Microsoft's decision to extend support for Internet Explorer 6 until 2014 (BBC News 13/08/2009), but I can't help feeling this has all arisen from Microsoft's own doing (or not doing) when they dominated the internet browser market.
When Internet Explorer 6 was released, back in 2001, it wasn't really a choice for most people, it was the internet browser. Of the minority of users who were aware that they could choose another browser, very few had an incentive for doing so, which in turn allowed Microsoft to take their foot off the gas and wait 5 years for their next big update.
Because so many people discovered the internet during IE6's lifetime, it is no surprise now that an estimated 27% of internet users still rely on this antiquated technology.
Despite the whole debate over Microsoft's lack of innovation at such a crucial time, I don't disagree with their latest decision. IE6 is arguably still bigger than Firefox. It is a golden rule in web-design that you must allow for cross-browser compatibility. It would be foolish not to. And so if (as contributors to the web), we continue to support Firefox, we should make an allowance for IE6 too.
Maybe the internet won't grow as fast, as long as IE6 is still knocking about; but callously isolating such a big share of the market won't right the wrongs of the past. With so many innovative changes since the beginning of the browser wars, the internet is still growing. Let's keep it sustainable.
Good move, Mozilla.
Good move, Microsoft.
When Internet Explorer 6 was released, back in 2001, it wasn't really a choice for most people, it was the internet browser. Of the minority of users who were aware that they could choose another browser, very few had an incentive for doing so, which in turn allowed Microsoft to take their foot off the gas and wait 5 years for their next big update.
Because so many people discovered the internet during IE6's lifetime, it is no surprise now that an estimated 27% of internet users still rely on this antiquated technology.
Despite the whole debate over Microsoft's lack of innovation at such a crucial time, I don't disagree with their latest decision. IE6 is arguably still bigger than Firefox. It is a golden rule in web-design that you must allow for cross-browser compatibility. It would be foolish not to. And so if (as contributors to the web), we continue to support Firefox, we should make an allowance for IE6 too.
Maybe the internet won't grow as fast, as long as IE6 is still knocking about; but callously isolating such a big share of the market won't right the wrongs of the past. With so many innovative changes since the beginning of the browser wars, the internet is still growing. Let's keep it sustainable.
Good move, Mozilla.
Good move, Microsoft.