4 ms·

I like to urge on the death of IE6. For my paid work I often don't have the luxury of ignoring IE6. But for my side projects, I often specifically check for I

I like to urge on the death of IE6. For my paid work I often don't have the luxury of ignoring IE6. But for my side projects, I often specifically check for IE6 users and offer them some kind of "go away" page. My thinking is that I want to make the IE6 Internet the "boring" Internet. If everyone's interesting side projects didn't support IE6, then after a while the general public will catch on that their IE6 browser is crippling them. Meanwhile, the enterprise IE6 users aren't affected because they are at work and wouldn't (shouldn't?) be visiting silly side project websites anyway. ;) Here's what alphabetclock.com looks like when you view it in IE6: http://imgur.com/J7809.png http://imgur.com/J7809.png I helped my wife launch a dessert baking blog at chocochichi.com. Here's what that looks like in IE6: http://imgur.com/py8rn.png http://imgur.com/py8rn.png

wwortiz 16y ago
If you are going to do this please add a link to something to educate a user on how to upgrade and why as just pictures like yours come off confrontational and would probably leave casual computer users (who are the ones that can actually upgrade their browser) confused and probably irritated.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- techiferous 16y ago
  Good point. Can you suggest a web site that properly explains the issues with IE6 and how to upgrade in language that's appropriate for users who may not even know what a browser is? I bet there are some pages out there already like that.
  - Macha 16y ago
    This one is quite helpful: http://browsehappy.com/ http://browsehappy.com/
    - techiferous 16y ago
      Thanks. I'm using that at the moment, but I'm going to keep looking. The site doesn't get to the point fast enough and it doesn't suggest Google Chrome.
- astine 16y ago
  I agree, those pictures come across as unnecesarily flippant and rude. I don't need to be insulted by someone just because my web browser is out of date.
almost 16y ago
That just strikes me as being a bit of a dick. Of course it's up to you what you do on your own sites but still. What about the people (like the one mentioned in this article) who would need to pay for a new computer to be able to upgrade? Why should someone who doesn't really care about computers pay out large sums of money every few years just to get a new plastic box much like the old one? By all means ignore IE6 compatibility and even display messages informing your users that things probably won't work quite right. But intentionally shutting them out is just silly.
- zweben 16y ago
  Pretty much any computer that can run IE6 should be able to run Firefox, no? I think the number of users who would have to upgrade their hardware to use something newer than IE6 is very low. I agree about not shutting IE6 users out though. If broken rendering and warning messages aren't enough to get them to upgrade, blocking them from the site isn't going to accomplish anything except reducing the number of visitors to your site.
  - Macha 16y ago
    No, it cannot. Windows 98/ME are unable to run new versions of Firefox, but can run IE6.
jodrellblank 16y ago
People who run IE6 aren't going to know what a browser is, or what IE6 is. Your examples aren't cutesy and progressive, they're smug and unhelpful. And one day, I'll be visiting someone's house and remember a great chocolate recipe from your wife's blog, will sit down at a computer running IE6 and try to visit your site, and your messages will have me shouting "It's none of your business what browser this is, I didn't choose it; just show me the site so I can copy some text out. I don't care how badly rendered and mangled it is, that's my problem not yours. If you want to serve it up picture perfect then make it a freaking PDF, that's what PDF is there for, it's not what HTML is there for".
- techiferous 16y ago
  That's a very good point.
jrp 16y ago
Here's what chocochichi looks like in two other web browsers: http://i.imgur.com/MvmB9.png http://i.imgur.com/MvmB9.png http://i.imgur.com/pdyqV.png http://i.imgur.com/pdyqV.png I think it's tasteful on your alphabet clock. But it bothers me on the cooking blog. For instance, I'm at work. I'm excited, because I'm going to get a recipe from chocochichi.com and pick up ingredients on the way home. But because work has very old computers, the site is blocked! I become sad and stop by McDonalds on the way home.
Macha 16y ago
A much less, well, rude way to do it would be to throw Dean Edward's IE8.js or IE9.js scripts on it: http://dean.edwards.name/weblog/2010/03/ie7js-update/ http://dean.edwards.name/weblog/2010/03/ie7js-update/ and don't do anything else for compatibility, then put a little notice. They probably won't pay attention either way, but you won't be needlessly cutting people off either.
techiferous 16y ago
I was convinced by the comments that my approach to IE6 was not the kindest or most enlightened, and since my mama taught me to be polite, I changed the sites: AlphabetClock: http://imgur.com/92qW4.png http://imgur.com/92qW4.png Chocochichi: http://imgur.com/O5rNv.png http://imgur.com/O5rNv.png
- astine 16y ago
  Personally, I like this better. I tells the user what they should do, without judging them. You'll probably get better turnover rates with this, I believe.

wwortiz 16y ago

If you are going to do this please add a link to something to educate a user on how to upgrade and why as just pictures like yours come off confrontational and would probably leave casual computer users (who are the ones that can actually upgrade their browser) confused and probably irritated.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
techiferous 16y ago
Good point. Can you suggest a web site that properly explains the issues with IE6 and how to upgrade in language that's appropriate for users who may not even know what a browser is? I bet there are some pages out there already like that.
- Macha 16y ago
  This one is quite helpful: http://browsehappy.com/ http://browsehappy.com/
  - techiferous 16y ago
    Thanks. I'm using that at the moment, but I'm going to keep looking. The site doesn't get to the point fast enough and it doesn't suggest Google Chrome.
astine 16y ago
I agree, those pictures come across as unnecesarily flippant and rude. I don't need to be insulted by someone just because my web browser is out of date.

almost 16y ago

That just strikes me as being a bit of a dick. Of course it's up to you what you do on your own sites but still. What about the people (like the one mentioned in this article) who would need to pay for a new computer to be able to upgrade? Why should someone who doesn't really care about computers pay out large sums of money every few years just to get a new plastic box much like the old one? By all means ignore IE6 compatibility and even display messages informing your users that things probably won't work quite right. But intentionally shutting them out is just silly.

zweben 16y ago
Pretty much any computer that can run IE6 should be able to run Firefox, no? I think the number of users who would have to upgrade their hardware to use something newer than IE6 is very low. I agree about not shutting IE6 users out though. If broken rendering and warning messages aren't enough to get them to upgrade, blocking them from the site isn't going to accomplish anything except reducing the number of visitors to your site.
- Macha 16y ago
  No, it cannot. Windows 98/ME are unable to run new versions of Firefox, but can run IE6.

jodrellblank 16y ago

People who run IE6 aren't going to know what a browser is, or what IE6 is. Your examples aren't cutesy and progressive, they're smug and unhelpful. And one day, I'll be visiting someone's house and remember a great chocolate recipe from your wife's blog, will sit down at a computer running IE6 and try to visit your site, and your messages will have me shouting "It's none of your business what browser this is, I didn't choose it; just show me the site so I can copy some text out. I don't care how badly rendered and mangled it is, that's my problem not yours. If you want to serve it up picture perfect then make it a freaking PDF, that's what PDF is there for, it's not what HTML is there for".

techiferous 16y ago
That's a very good point.

jrp 16y ago

Here's what chocochichi looks like in two other web browsers: http://i.imgur.com/MvmB9.png http://i.imgur.com/MvmB9.png http://i.imgur.com/pdyqV.png http://i.imgur.com/pdyqV.png I think it's tasteful on your alphabet clock. But it bothers me on the cooking blog. For instance, I'm at work. I'm excited, because I'm going to get a recipe from chocochichi.com and pick up ingredients on the way home. But because work has very old computers, the site is blocked! I become sad and stop by McDonalds on the way home.

Macha 16y ago

A much less, well, rude way to do it would be to throw Dean Edward's IE8.js or IE9.js scripts on it: http://dean.edwards.name/weblog/2010/03/ie7js-update/ http://dean.edwards.name/weblog/2010/03/ie7js-update/ and don't do anything else for compatibility, then put a little notice. They probably won't pay attention either way, but you won't be needlessly cutting people off either.

techiferous 16y ago

I was convinced by the comments that my approach to IE6 was not the kindest or most enlightened, and since my mama taught me to be polite, I changed the sites: AlphabetClock: http://imgur.com/92qW4.png http://imgur.com/92qW4.png Chocochichi: http://imgur.com/O5rNv.png http://imgur.com/O5rNv.png

astine 16y ago
Personally, I like this better. I tells the user what they should do, without judging them. You'll probably get better turnover rates with this, I believe.