Should We Hold a Funeral for IE6?
Folks, I think the time is nearing…may it come quickly. I just loaded up IE8 beta 2 in a VM and I just realized that by the time IE8 is released, IE6 will be 8 years old and two whole versions behind. The thought of trying to write rich-Internet applications for a browser that was released in mid-2001 is becoming more and more frightening.
In my line of work the most compelling reason to continue support for IE6 is that most large companies still deploy it to the desktops. A surprising number even block the upgrade to IE7 forcing thier users to suffer with a slow and broken browser. That aside, is it time to start turning away work (or at least seriously discouraging work) if the client insists on supporting IE6? In my opinion, we're almost there.
In fact I think it's the only way that change is going to happen. Companies usually don't make major shifts like this without it hitting them in the pocketbooks. If suddenly a larger and larger portion of vendors and line-of-business apps stop supporting IE6 they will feel the pain and suddenly see the light. So don't be afraid to question your next client or project when the subject of IE6 support comes up…and don't be afraid to say no…say no to IE6.
Join the Movement: http://www.savethedevelopers.org/
Category: Uncategorized Comment »