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I haven't had a request for IE6 support in years, but if I got one I would say something like: "No, I will not do IE6 support for you. You've trusted me to sol

I haven't had a request for IE6 support in years, but if I got one I would say something like: "No, I will not do IE6 support for you. You've trusted me to solve your problem in the best and most efficient way, and supporting IE6 would be a waste of your money (and my time)."

zbuc 15y ago
Unfortunately, some (very large) corporations still use IE6 across their organizations and require you to support it.
dasil003 15y ago
The problem is this is piss poor client relations. When you make a declaration like this you seem arrogant. Effectively you are saying that your knowledge of web development trumps any concerns they may have to the point that you don't even need to know about it. Instead you have to take the time to understand why they are requesting it and then communicate the tradeoffs to them at the appropriate technical level for their expertise.
- elektronaut 15y ago
  I'm usually less brash and assertive when I'm not making inebriated offhand comments on the internet. Honesty and confidence can go a long way in building trust if backed with demonstrated knowledge, though. In my experience, clients are usually pretty good at providing rationale for their requests, so my implied scenario is a bit of hyperbole. Often when the topic of legacy browsers comes up, it's because the client has been in the process of having a website made before, and is relieved to discover that the technology has moved forward since then.
idiopathic 15y ago
Let me tell you about the UK National Health Service. 1 million employees, they are literally saving people's lives every day, and all they are allowed to use is IE6. What your statement shows is not a understanding of how to solve the problem for such a client, but a rather a complete lack of understanding. Check the audience metrics, check the real problem being solved, and leave the grandstanding aside. And for the record, I hate IE (6 or otherwise) and never want to support it. But I am not going let me personal dislike for a technology get in the way of helping a client solve a really important problem.
- lwat 15y ago
  I'm so glad I've never had a client like that here in Australia. Everyone seems to be OK with the idea of running multiple browsers. We do have clients that use IE6 but we've always managed to convince them to install Chrome or Firefox on their desktops so they can use our software. Some users end up using multiple browsers but that's ok. I guess we're fortunate in the sense that our software is important enough and expensive enough for top management to make IT allow a new browser just for us. At the UK NHS, who exactly is the CIO, who exactly is mandating IE6 and only IE6? Can't that person be reasoned with? Overridden for the good of the NSH? Fired even? Just saying 'oh they're only allowed IE6' is giving up too early.
  - davekinkead 15y ago
    Except certain Australian Federal departments with 70,000+ staff who are stuck on IE6 because their IT boffins only want to use 'secure' web browsers and IT policy doesn't give them any choice in the tools they use.
    - lwat 15y ago
      No see my point is that there is ALWAYS someone above the 'IT boffins' that can force changes in policy like that. You don't fight with the 'IT boffins', you go right to the top. If the CIO or CEO or board of directors decide to use your software, they'll change whatever internal policies they need to make it happen.
    - prof_hobart 15y ago
      Can't speak for the internals of that organisation, but the main reason I've come across for corporates still being on IE6 is the very real cost of migrating. Many legacy web applications were built to work on IE6, and changing to a more modern browser can subtly, or completely in some cases, break these critical apps. It may be a pain for users when their favourite social media site looks rubbish or doesn't even run in IE6, but it's nothing compared to the finance department not being able to run their end of year reports because one screen in their GL system doesn't render properly in Firefox. And it costs money firstly to test every single function of every single app that your business uses, and secondly to fix those places where it breaks (especially when it's an external vendor's application). That time and money can often be better spent doing one of the thousand other things that are making demands on the IT budget. Most companies are slowly making this transition, but unfortunately it's not just a case of saying "This browser it better/more secure than that one. Let's upgrade".

zbuc 15y ago

Unfortunately, some (very large) corporations still use IE6 across their organizations and require you to support it.

dasil003 15y ago

The problem is this is piss poor client relations. When you make a declaration like this you seem arrogant. Effectively you are saying that your knowledge of web development trumps any concerns they may have to the point that you don't even need to know about it. Instead you have to take the time to understand why they are requesting it and then communicate the tradeoffs to them at the appropriate technical level for their expertise.

elektronaut 15y ago
I'm usually less brash and assertive when I'm not making inebriated offhand comments on the internet. Honesty and confidence can go a long way in building trust if backed with demonstrated knowledge, though. In my experience, clients are usually pretty good at providing rationale for their requests, so my implied scenario is a bit of hyperbole. Often when the topic of legacy browsers comes up, it's because the client has been in the process of having a website made before, and is relieved to discover that the technology has moved forward since then.

idiopathic 15y ago

Let me tell you about the UK National Health Service. 1 million employees, they are literally saving people's lives every day, and all they are allowed to use is IE6. What your statement shows is not a understanding of how to solve the problem for such a client, but a rather a complete lack of understanding. Check the audience metrics, check the real problem being solved, and leave the grandstanding aside. And for the record, I hate IE (6 or otherwise) and never want to support it. But I am not going let me personal dislike for a technology get in the way of helping a client solve a really important problem.

lwat 15y ago
I'm so glad I've never had a client like that here in Australia. Everyone seems to be OK with the idea of running multiple browsers. We do have clients that use IE6 but we've always managed to convince them to install Chrome or Firefox on their desktops so they can use our software. Some users end up using multiple browsers but that's ok. I guess we're fortunate in the sense that our software is important enough and expensive enough for top management to make IT allow a new browser just for us. At the UK NHS, who exactly is the CIO, who exactly is mandating IE6 and only IE6? Can't that person be reasoned with? Overridden for the good of the NSH? Fired even? Just saying 'oh they're only allowed IE6' is giving up too early.
- davekinkead 15y ago
  Except certain Australian Federal departments with 70,000+ staff who are stuck on IE6 because their IT boffins only want to use 'secure' web browsers and IT policy doesn't give them any choice in the tools they use.
  - lwat 15y ago
    No see my point is that there is ALWAYS someone above the 'IT boffins' that can force changes in policy like that. You don't fight with the 'IT boffins', you go right to the top. If the CIO or CEO or board of directors decide to use your software, they'll change whatever internal policies they need to make it happen.
  - prof_hobart 15y ago
    Can't speak for the internals of that organisation, but the main reason I've come across for corporates still being on IE6 is the very real cost of migrating. Many legacy web applications were built to work on IE6, and changing to a more modern browser can subtly, or completely in some cases, break these critical apps. It may be a pain for users when their favourite social media site looks rubbish or doesn't even run in IE6, but it's nothing compared to the finance department not being able to run their end of year reports because one screen in their GL system doesn't render properly in Firefox. And it costs money firstly to test every single function of every single app that your business uses, and secondly to fix those places where it breaks (especially when it's an external vendor's application). That time and money can often be better spent doing one of the thousand other things that are making demands on the IT budget. Most companies are slowly making this transition, but unfortunately it's not just a case of saying "This browser it better/more secure than that one. Let's upgrade".