All of us must move forward. I dont support IE6 and now im lazy? For as long as the client pay more for fix for every problem they encounter, then im happy to do so.

You see, if you support ie6 what will happen? 17% will be happy. and if NOT? 17% will just stop using the internet? No, they will not if they are really interested. And they should buy a new products and spend more money and then the whole world economy will be happy. How’s that?

You cant please everyone. So no! No more support to ie6.

I however, do think that IE6 sucks.

Is the IE6 issue so complex because you’re having a hard time wrapping your mind around the idea that upgrades cost money? Or is it because the mutual praise is causing warm fuzzy feelings? Upgrading is just another one of those costs that are necessary for staying in business.

You seem to be saying that “Business A” can’t afford to upgrade, but as developers we need to accomodate some piece of crap software, because if we don’t “Business A” may go under. If it can’t upgrade, then it can no longer compete in whatever market it may be in. Your claim has nothing to do with the merits of “Business A.” It may be some scandalous, lowlife sort of business, but as developers we have a moral obligation to do whatever is necessary to keep it afloat.

From where does this moral obligation arise? It sounds kind of communist to me. Are you trying to put Obama out of a job?

I have a better idea. As developers let’s move on and support progress. If they can’t keep up, they will either fail as they should, or Ben Bernanke will right them a check.

Regards,
Mike

I think you’ve very clearly shown why the IE6 issue is far more complex than it might first appear. Costs — both obvious and hidden — are a huge factor in corporate upgrades and that isn’t going to change any time soon, especially during recession.

A lot of designers don’t take into consideration the sheer cost and undertaking it would be for a company to upgrade. In most cases it would be somewhat equivalent to switching from Windows-based computers to Mac-based computers. In a large company, this can mean millions of dollars – or more.

Most companies do not allow their employees to install programs and make changes. This is, of course, because employees cannot be trusted to be smart about what they install, and also can’t be trusted to not install things they shouldn’t be installing and playing around with at work. They also don’t want to allow employees to install programs because most employees at these companies only know what they are trained to know about these computers – which normally is just using one program. This means the company needs to pay their IT department, or pay an IT company to come in, just to upgrade the browser.

However, the cost doesn’t stop there. The reason that a lot of the companies haven’t upgraded is because something in their infrastructure relies on IE6. There is a program or system or site that they use every day all day, that essentially is part of the backbone of their company, that only supports IE6. This means they would have to pay to switch to a new system – which includes licenses and installation, etc.

Then comes the training. They need to pay someone to come in and train each and every one of their employees on the new programs. Not only that, but they are also out all of the time that it takes to train each of those employees.

It can get pretty expensive very fast and waste a lot of production time for many companies. For most company heads it just isn’t worth it – their concern is keeping the company running, not ensuring their employees have a good web browsing experience. And as Rob stated, in a lot of cases it is a matter of the vendor support and regulations and ignoring the risks would be ethically irresponsible.

That being said, I don’t think that the differences in IE6 in most cases (if you script properly) are bad enough to cause that many usability problems. As long as you don’t completely block the users off, they can deal with the site looking slightly different. Charge extra to clients who want it to look exactly the same in IE6, because of course that is extra time and work for you. I think at most a splash page warning them that the site might not look the same in IE6, but still allowing the user to access the site, is the most extreme most should go. However, if you take the time to set that up, you may want to just take the time to fix any problems on the site.

One of your complaints was that it was dishonest… Let me ask you this: What’s on your computer screen? Is it really my site when you’re looking at it through IE6? I don’t think so… IE6 is rendering nothing more than a distortion of what I really intended.

“Internet Explorer lacks updates to view this site…” Is it a lie, or is it more truth than what most people can handle? I think it’s poetic. I think it’s a message of hope… that’s there’s more to this world than what the corporate giants want to feed us. “If you really want to see this site… If you really want to see the world as it was intended… Just say no to IE6!”

Poetry, brother!

You support people who want to see the world in such a distorted manner and those who traffic the tools that empower them. If it was up to you, the Boston Tea Party never would have happened, because you’re the type of person that is happy to let the world run right over you. But even worse than a doormat is an enabler, because not only do you accept, you also support. You are enabling not just the users, but the trafficers as well.

Think about it. Get off of your silly high-horse and stand up for what is right.

I understand that thinking but I don’t necessarily agree with it. The site still works in IE6, so why can’t they continue to provide support?

That said, if big names like YouTube stop supporting IE6, it should certainly help raise awareness of the issue and possibly speed up the process of getting people to upgrade. That still doesn’t help the people who can’t upgrade, however…