It’s been a bad year for Internet Explorer 6 – first, Google Apps dropped support for the aging browser, and then Amazon.com followed suit. In March, some cheeky Web developers held a funeral for IE6. Seems like everyone is piling on the Web browser everyone loves to hate, and it looks like Microsoft doesn’t want to be left out.
A Microsoft Australia Web site was launched recently that compared the nine-year-old browser to spoiled milk, urging users to upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 for security and compatibility reasons. An excerpt:
“When Internet Explorer 6 was launched in 2001, it offered cutting–edge security – for the time. Since then, the Internet has evolved and the security features of Internet Explorer 6 have become outdated.
With the latest state–of–the–art security features, Internet Explorer 8 is designed to cope with today’s modern cyber crime. In fact, research studies prove it.”
According to NetApplications, Internet Explorer 6 is still sitting at a little under 18 percent, second only to Internet Explorer 8′s 25 percent, and still beating Firefox 3.6′s 15 percent. IE6 remains resilient because it is included by default with installations of the still widely-used Windows XP – none of that operating system’s three service packs upgraded the included Web browser. This was presumably to allow business users to get security updates without breaking in-house apps programmed with IE6 in mind.
It looks like Microsoft is stuck supporting the aging Windows XP with security updates until 2014, but clearly they’d like to get Internet Explorer 6 off of their plate before then. Do you know anyone who’s still using Internet Explorer 6? Sound off in the comments!
Sources: Microsoft Australia
Ever server i’ve worked on has IE6!
There are a lot of big companies that have software that will only work with IE6.
Yes that’s true. Our office has to keep IE6 on machines because companies like Blue cross and other insurance providers do not keep their web sites up to date. They won’t work with IE8, 7 or firefox. Its not like they can’t afford to change. Private patient information is being transferred using leaky IE6. We have no choice but to keep it.
We’ve had several machines infected because of the use of IE6. Can’t wait till it dies.
For the meantime, currently most of the security attacks occur in Windows XP and IE6. The reason is that both of them are outdated. Windows XP is still insecure even it has a security software. IE6 has lots of problems. If you use Windows 7 and IE8 then you suffer fewer security attacks. For those who have been attacked by internet threats that still uses the outdated products will be sorry. For those use Windows Vista, 7, and IE8. Then they are protected. 64-bit operating system is even more secure then a 32-bit. However, I do want to expect some huge security improvements when IE9 comes and Windows 8. Warning!: Hackers always gets smarter, no matter how secure your PC is but it minimize the risk.
I have to admit, every time I am in a store or office and I see workers using IE 6, it just gets under my skin and I want to chastise them for it, but alas, they are clueless.
And you wonder why people think Macs are better
Some companies who still run Windows XP still stick to IE 6 and apparently have no need to upgrade. I dont see how they manage to survive with that version surfing the internet.
For web developers usage of IE 6 is an absolute nightmare isnt it.
I’m surprised they have managed to survived with XP!
A browser without TAB!!! Horrible to use when i using XP Pc’s out of my home. I dont know why people cann’t use firefox or chrome.
Well, at least it’s a good analogy.
Is there a icon of the neon IE logo you used in the article?
Would you be keen on exchanging links?